The Therapeutic Effect of Blogging

Today marks  my first blogging anniversary. Indeed, it does not seem so long, when I posted my first blog. This after consistent, should I say persistent, proddings from a pastor friend, Jonan Castillon, during our morning walks. At that time, I started to regain my strength by walking few meters everyday after months of  bedridden.  He encouraged me to blog as part of my healing process. His successful journey in on line niche was contagious that despite my skepticism, I  entertained the idea. However, I did not know how to start. Thus, despite his hectic schedule, Pastor Jonan took time to tutor me hands on blogging. Thereafter, I  experienced the gradual process of growth comparable to my healing process.

My first blog PADAYON: Our Life Journey serves as journal of my experiences to inspire readers to continue the commitment in service, no matter what. PADAYON is an Ilonggo term which means continue. In deeper sense, it connotes moving/going on (or never give up) despite adversaries or adversities. After a month or so, I realized his advicewas making sense.  My interest in writing was revived. Rather than fretting over my limited mobility, I made use of my time in blogging. I poured out my thoughts and emotion into the blog and found relief.

With such inspiration, I opened another blog to ventilate my suppressed commitment to the service of the people towards development.My health condition had become oppressive.  I was at the peak of service and leadership when the devastating illness forced me to rest. It was difficult for me to adjust, having been very active for the past decade. The overflowing energy for service  found expression thru this  blog that focuses on networking-for-holistic-development. Later, I changed the name Networking to Development Issues and Concerns to broaden its coverage.

With two blogs to maintain, my mind had been busy. Slowly, my focus was diverted. Instead of spending most of my time observing my seemingly deteriorating condition, I was obliged to give time to my blogs. My vulnerability to depression caused by the delay in healing process started to diminish.There was a paradigm shift in my mind and heart. The delay of complete healing became an opportunity to evaluate my life and faith. I have more time for self and family. More time to read the bible, pray, meditate, reflect, put faith into action in almost all aspects of life. All the wonderful things previously deprived of me due to very hectic schedule prior to ailment.

Such realization motivated me to create another blog with a focus on these experiences. Faith Journey serves as forum for life and faith experiences of people who have survived the test of times and circumstances.  This is a venue for us to learn from one another and share so that others will also find inspiration in their faith journey.

Learning and enjoying the blogging world, I decided to maximize the beauty of web linkages and networking. Hence, another blog to provide an opportunity for others to share their resources. Dubbed Resource Sharing for Development, this blog is an attempt to widen my services to humanity through linkages and networking of developmental and service-oriented blogs and bloggers.  It covers areas represented by the acronym SERVES: Social work, Education, Resource sharing, Volunteerism, and Spirituality. 

However, the inspiration did  not end there. Overwhelmed by the progress in ranking of blogs in both Alexa and Technorati, I decided to provide a convergence of all my blogs. Hence, I created a family blog i.e. Lariza. Website which  received inspiring comment from my blog mentor. Much to my amazement, in a matter of less than a month, my Alexa rank had a dramatic improvement. From about 30, 000, 000, it ranked 2,000,000 overtaking my older blogs. It had even reached less than a million rank. But the trend reverted  when I resumed my former position as head of the Department of Social Work.

Before the resumption of my hectic schedule, I succeeded to create two more blogs. Both are official web sites of the organizations my wife and I helped put up. NETSnews  for   an independent inter-denominational  seminary based in Escalante City, Negros Occidental. The other one is  ICON Network, official website of the Iloilo Coalition of NGOs and POs- a network of non-government organizations (NGOs) and people’s organizations (POs) in Iloilo.

The development in blogging and subsequent inspiration to me has been reflective in my health condition. While I have not mastered yet all the blogging technology, I feel contented to see the progress. Likewise, although I have not fully recovered  as far as my health condition is concerned, I appreciate any progress big or small. Indeed, the  therapeutic effect  of blogging courtesy of Pastor Jonan B. Castillon.