As in most industries and with this lockdown people’s mental health I feel is being neglected. What do you guys do to help you through this really difficult time? as I’m an actor with quite bad mental health struggles.
Anything to help would be appreciated from my fellow thespians.
Another great resource is Applause for Thought. Really supportive community focusing on mental health education. Their twitter is https://twitter.com/ApplauseThought
Sorry to read you’ve struggling with your mental health. You are by no means alone, and I know now is a harder time than ever for many people.
The resources the others have suggested sound amazing! I just wanted to add in a few other ideas:
- exercise regularly, this is a huge one!
- where you can, get outside in nature/parks and be in the sunshine
- be creative as much as possible. I find different things lift me at different times, but I play guitar/sing, other times I’ll do a self-tape recording of a new idea/accent, sometimes I’ll just sit and write scripts or jot ideas about something I could write one day
- keep in touch with friends and family
- I hear people say routine helps. So take all of the above and other things you enjoy, and give your days structure around the different activities
Hope at least some of that helps - and thank you for sharing how you were feeling
What I do, personally, is keep active. I've started learning piano, which is interesting, but what keeps me going mostly is looking at monologues and learning them so they flow trippingly from the tongue. Then, perhaps, I'll video them, edit them and put them on YouTube. The good thing about this is it's also productive - it sharpens your skills and serves to advertise your business.
The way I see mental health issues is that one gets depressed more easily when one has a large brain with nothing to fill it. Also, if you have a sense of purpose, a reason for doing things which you then occupy your time in doing, that keeps the Black Dog from the door.
Here's a link to a variety of support networks for help with mental health:
https://www.freelancersmaketheatrework.com/mental-health
Hope it's useful - be well.
It's a great to write and jot down any ideas/plans. For me, I did a 21 day challenge where I would journal and do a check in with myself, that could be 3 words on how I feel today, followed by 3 to 5 things I want to achieve. At the end of the day before bed I do another check in with myself with 3 words to describe how I feel. Eventually I started to gain more control of my day and my emotions.
I normally like to go for a walk and leave any technology at home to clear my head if I feel drained, or better just sit in quietness and think knowing that their is no time limit.
Meditation is a good way to unwind too, there is a website called 'The Dots', at the moment they are doing free guided yoga/meditation classes via zoom.
Podcasts are also good, Ferne Cotton does a happy place podcast with well-known actors and artists that talk about similar situations, She also does a book called 'Happy: Finding joy in every day and letting go of perfect', 'Calm: Working Through Life's Daily Stresses to Find a Peaceful Centre' and 'Quiet: Silencing the Brain Chatter and Believing that You’re Good Enough', which has sections that give you the chance to draw or write down anything throughout these books and is major help.
I found recently that there is a small company that makes acting diaries here: https://www.theloviediaries.co.uk/
I hope this helps and keep us in the loop. I'm always here to help :)
3 years ago
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