I love when a blogger sheds her veil, tears down the wall she’s so carefully stacked and lets all guards down…completely down.  When she places her heart on the table in hopes that it still beats when she grabs for it again and stays unjaded from the outside world.  When I read a post from a blogger who bears the bosom of her soul for her readers, that blogger touches my heart.

Yesterday, a friend I met in 2008 on Twitter and then met in real life at BlogHer ‘09 and then on a more intimate level at MARS in Detroit put down her guard and explained what she has been going through for the last few months.  I felt like something was wrong when she hadn’t posted for a while.  I would check, nothing.  Recheck, again nothing.  Then I caught her on Twitter a few times and tried nudging her into writing a new post…still nothing.  Then, on my daily check, there it was…a new post and thus an explanation followed that answered all of my questions and concerns.

It felt really good reading her post.  Not because it was happening to her and not me, but because I realized that none of us are alone and none of us should have to suffer because we are all here for each other.  The blogging community is not only insanely large, but is also small enough and close knit enough that when you are going through something, there is always someone there.  That is why it is so important to find your blogging “tribe”.

Just blogging isn’t enough.  Finding an online group of like-minded bloggers provides a support system for you and your blog.  It should feel safe.  It should be comfortable.  You should feel the support from your fellow bloggers and fitting in should be easy.

My online support first came from Twitter.  I made friends, but was still searching for my “tribe”.  After BlogHer, I had finally met a large handful of my online friends and it took meeting my tribe leader to put all of the pieces together and help me realize where my home was and who was in my “tribe”.

I feel like I could reach out in a time of distress to my online friends and I know that even though reaching out could be the single hardest motion as a blogger, it could one day save feelings from spiraling down beyond repair.  I have tasted distress.  I have seen the darkness of depression.  I have climbed out of the hole and it’s not easy, yet it’s also not impossible.

Reach out, find your tribe and ask for help when you need it.  There is always someone there for you who would hate for you not to ask, especially if they could have helped.

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