Impostor syndrome can affect an actor’s opportunity to fully embrace opportunities in their career or even to feel fulfilled as an artist. It creates deep feelings of inadequacy or fraudulence in professional situations, and can lead to actors either not pursuing situations or actively sabotaging themselves. Fortunately, there are tools available to actors that can relieve feelings of impostor syndrome, as well as mental health check-ins that can alleviate negative feelings before they can fully manifest.

Here at StageMilk, we take the mental health of actors extremely seriously. After all, we’re in this business together! However, it is important to note that we are not trained medical or mental health professionals. We may have been through similar experiences or feelings, but each person is different and with different needs. If you feel as though you may need to speak to somebody about your mental health, do not hesitate to reach out to resources in your area, or speak to your actor’s union for additional support options.

What is Impostor Syndrome?

Impostor syndrome was first identified in 1978, in an article about professional businesswomen. It has since been expanded beyond gender specificity, as subsequent studies have found that men and women experience it fairly equally, to describe a general feeling of inadequacy in professional situations when judging oneself in the workplace.

People who experience impostor syndrome tend to experience one or more  common characteristics, such as a fear of failure, the need to distinguish oneself or be special, the denial of ability and the fear or guilt of achieving success.

Impostor syndrome is also tied to several other social, environmental and mental health factors—many of which are all too familiar to actors. These include family expectations, one’s identity (or type), low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, perfectionism and an overbearing professional life.

Recognising Impostor Syndrome for Actors

This can be harder than you think: impostor syndrome can be hidden for some actors, even from themselves. Recently, I spoke to an actor (with a long and celebrated career) who told me that often when they are approached about a job they recommend a peer rather than themselves. It’s done with no malice, or ulterior motive—simply a desire to elevate talented friends they wish to see received similar opportunities. But I questioned whether it was perhaps a subtle act of self-sabotage. Suddenly, the subject of impostor syndrome was upon us.

We often associate impostor syndrome with the feeling of not belonging in the room, or not deserving an opportunity or success. These aren’t untrue … but they’re not the whole of the truth, either. Some of the wider factors (as mentioned above) can start you on the path without you realising that you’re even suffering from it. This is why checking in with yourself and being honest about your actions and motives is so important. Often, impostor syndrome is masked extremely well by those who suffer from it. After all, the external image they project onto their professional equals suggests the exact opposite of how they feel.

6 Tools for Dealing with Impostor Syndrome

Dealing with impostor syndrome for actors is a lot like dealing with burnout. There’s not a lot that can be done without stopping and taking some conscious steps to address the issue. The other option is to continue on, and that’s often what exacerbates the problem in the first place.

#1 SBNRR

Let’s start with a classic: Stop, Breath, Notice, Reassess, Respond is a classic tool for dealing with stress and related factors. It’s a great way for an actor to exercise some self control when they feel overwhelmed or upset.

• Stop what you’re doing; take a moment to pause.
• Take a deep breath, try to let your thoughts go.
• Try to notice your body, environment, feelings: anything you can to ground yourself and take stock. Your given circumstances, if you will!
• Reassess the moment, the situation: what made you feel this impostor syndrome? What set it off?
• Finally, respond with your new, calm and informed outlook.

SBNRR is a great thing for the actor’s toolkit, period. It can help you with everything from rejection after a callback, to audition nerves, to stage fright on opening night. There’s also something to be said about utilising a technique for impostor syndrome that is helpful with other mental health stresses: because it’s just another thing to address, not any larger indicator that you shouldn’t be an actor, or doing a particular thing.

It is never as simple as saying “don’t catastrophise.” But that’s not to say “don’t catastrophise” isn’t a good piece of advice…

#2 Write a List, Be Objective

Focus on your achievements: the things you’re worried you are deceiving others about. And then write a list of reasons you are competent in achieving those things. Look for solid, objective evidence—which is almost certainly there, given the position you are in. Reflect on what makes you competent rather than incompetent.

Some people suggest writing a complimentary list of reasons you are actually inadequate—just to prove that this list of negatives is shorter (don’t worry, they always are.) If you feel like you need this step to attain some objectivity, then go for it!

#3 Reframe the Actor’s Life

Actors can get some in their heads as to what “success” in their life looks like. If you’re experiencing impostor syndrome, check in with what your definition of success looks like and modify it, if needs be.

Don’t feel like an actor because you didn’t get that commercial? Join the other 90% of actors at any one time in their careers! Feel like less of a performer than others in the show you’re doing because you still have a day job? Hell: see above! Every actor’s path is different; there is literally no other actor who will have the same career. Why stress that your journey resembles yours and yours alone?

#4 Get Out of your Head

When you feel impostor syndrome creeping in, break the cycle (these thoughts always circle around in your head) by speaking to somebody or even writing the bad thoughts down. Once they’re out of your head, they’re less likely to fester and build up like when they’re allowed to run un-checked.

#5 Do Something Nice for Yourself

Once you can recognise impostor syndrome starting to manifest, have a system in place when you stop and do something nice for yourself. Be kind, compassionate and understanding about what you’re going through. Imagine your best friend feeling and thinking the same things. Would you put up with it if somebody said these things about them?

#6 Reach Out to your Creative Community

This is one of the best things we can offer: reach out to your fellow actors and creatives. Talk to them about your feelings and wait for their compassion and understanding to roll in. The smartest thing an actor can do in times of strife is to lean on their creative community of people sharing the same strange goals as them—who have definitely had the same thoughts and insecurities and know how best to deal with them.

Sometimes, these people can take a little time to find. Sadly, friends and family aren’t always in this support network—especially those who might love you to bits but don’t necessarily get the pressures of the actor’s life. But your people are out there. You might even find them here with us at StageMilk’s Scene Club! (A more nurturing, supportive group of artists I am yet to find.)

Why do Actors get Impostor Syndrome?

Fair question, right? Probably not something you’ve thought to ask yourself.

First of all: actors can experience incredible, life-changing things, sometimes overnight. It can be hard to justify or process these things happening, especially when the dance of casting and career is so damn chaotic. The thing to remember in these instances is not “Wow I’m so lucky!” but “Good God I’ve put in the work for this!” Don’t focus on the fact that a million girls would kill for this job. Focus on the retail and hospo gigs you worked to pay for an acting class, the teachers who said you’d never make it. Remember that first agent who dropped you because they didn’t see you lasting. Unless you’re Faye Wray in King Kong, you weren’t discovered at a depression-era fruit stand. You’ve worked, you’ve hustled, you’ve picked yourself up and you deserve everything coming your way.

The second reason is less positive. Our industry has a huge problem with work culture. It’s a crass and dangerous fetishisation of over-working, burning out and pushing oneself to the brink. And what happens when we push back on that? Usually none of the good, healthy feelings we deserve when we put a stop to crappy work practice. We tend to think we don’t belong here—that we don’t deserve the opportunities because we don’t want “it” enough.

Bullshit. I can guarantee you the person who thought this work culture up was not an actor, but a suit who saw a buck to be made in performers’ resilience. Caring for yourself and learning to slow down, stop or say “no” is not what makes you a lesser actor. It makes you a better one. Impostor syndrome often manifests when we find ourselves pushing back against unsustainable practice that only leads to bad, not good. Identify that within yourself, if you can. And break the cycle.

Conclusion

Just like burn-out, impostor syndrome is something that is being far more widely acknowledged in contemporary work culture. Creative types are slow on the uptake (we often are, for fear of jeopardising our delicate arts ecosystem), but we are getting better at taking care of ourselves. If you find yourself affected by impostor syndrome as an actor, stop and check in. Have tools in place to work the problem—read beyond this article to the myriad of resources we’re blessed with in this day and age. And be kind to yourself.

Finally, remember that you are not alone in this feeling. As artsy types, we all get it, we all understand it. I, for one, have felt impostor syndrome writing this very article—the irony not lost on me in the slightest! But if I can reach the “conclusion” section right down here at the bottom of the page, you can get through those feelings the next you roll on a self-tape. Your industry, your peers, your life will always be better for it. Just as we are to have you part of our strange and wonderful community.

Be nice to yourself, y’hear?

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Learning how to deal with burnout as an actor is the only way to ensure a long and healthy career. It is vital that you develop the tools to notice the signs of burnout, and ways in which to combat its progression so that you don’t jeopardise your own mental, physical and emotional wellbeing. You do no good to anybody (let alone yourself) if you’re burnt out.

For actors (and other creatives), it is arguable that burnout is even more difficult to combat, because so much of our practice seems synonymous with the symptoms other professionals are told to identify and avoid. Poor mental health, over-work, fatigue, poor physical health/reliance on substance—not to mention an unhealthy relationship with work that extends well into personal boundaries … doesn’t this just sound like a description of the job? This is an attitude we desperately need to unlearn. So let’s work on fixing burnout for actors before it can begin.

An important note before we continue…

This article is meant to give you some idea of the dangers of burnout, as well as some coping mechanisms you can incorporate into your life. It is, in no way, on par with professional medical advice and should not be treated as your only resource. Do not hesitate to seek help from a general practitioner, psychologist or relevant counsellor if you feel your symptoms worsening. Your local acting union will usually have resources at the ready to help you combat burnout, along with any other relevant mental health concern.

Burnout in the Arts

Or: why do we do this to ourselves?

Really, ask yourself the question. Why do a job so fraught with rejection, mental anguish and uncertainty? Why put yourself through years of drama school where you break yourself down and build yourself up again, just to play make believe? And work two jobs to support your first passion, and do work for free on weekends to build your portfolio?

Of course, we’re not saying that burnout is therefore the artist’s fault. But often the same kinds of things that make us feel burnt out can validate us as artists if we’re not careful—such as being busy, taking on every opportunity, or feeling stressed about that upcoming audition or rehearsal schedule. To learn how to deal with burnout as an actor is to disconnect these negative feelings from feelings of achievement or progress.

Trust us, we do know how hard it is to do so. There are many answers to the question should I become an actor; many of them come down to passion and love for what we do. And we know that such feelings can be powerful motivators! But that’s not to say you should put up with any negative feelings. It (trust us) does not have to be that way. Only fools suffer for their art and think that’s part of the bargain.

Causes of Burnout for Actors

Let’s outline some causes of burnout specific to actors—not an exhaustive list by any means, but a few of the prime offenders. Understanding root causes of burnout can often help you to identify it early, and let you get ahead of it before it throws you into too much chaos and disarray.

Over-commitment to projects.

It’s a big week: you have three auditions your agent wants you to prep for. Not only that, you’re working on that showcase being directed by your sister’s boyfriend’s roommate. Oh, and you’re writing a vehicle for yourself, in those ‘quiet moments’, because if you don’t respect your career, then who will? (Plus your friend wants you to read their screenplay—just when you can, but maybe there’s a part in it for you…)

Over-committing to projects has to be one of the biggest causes of burnout, not only within the acting profession but in the wider creative industry community. Nobody wants to say no to a project; nobody wants to miss out. For many of us, it’s also a matter of not wanting to let somebody down—especially when you know how much each venture means to your collaborators. In those busy times, ask yourself how long you can keep it up. And whether all of these areas are really getting your best.

Increased/doubled workload.

There is an unfortunate perception of actors as freeloaders who add little to society with both hands outstretched. This is, of course, untrue. There are few classes of people in society who work harder than actors! If we’re not doing all that crap we outlined in the above section, we’re working other jobs—usually as casual or contractors—just to keep afloat until that Big Break comes.

By default, most actors have two careers to maintain. This means the immense pressures of such a workload go un-noticed, especially by ‘civilians’ not aware of the mental, emotional and physical toll it can take. If you want to learn how to deal with burnout as an actor, you have to note that this style of living is often necessary … and yet rarely healthy.

Career-related stress.

A.K.A. “The life of an actor.” Acting is a high-stress career, and not only for the reasons outlined above in regards to work and commitments. There’s also the emotional toll taken by constant rejection, the competitive environment—sometimes fighting over career scarps with your closest friends—and the uncertainty of career longevity. Even on a good day, the lack of recognition alone can be tough: few people will see what it takes to work a day as a barista, only to head home and learn lines for an audition the next day.

One of the toughest aspects of an actor’s career is the simple lack of control over one’s life. You can do everything possible to maximise your chances of booking a gig and yet it can all count for nothing. Luck and circumstance prevail. On this point, there simply isn’t much more you can do other than to be aware of it and make your peace.

Limited support in personal relationships.

We’ve touched upon this above, but it warrants some special attention. Your family and friends often won’t ‘get’ the pressures of your career. Even in times that they do, they may not understand why you keep engaging in such activities. Now, we’re not coming for your loved ones, we’re simply saying that that lack of understanding in your personal relationships can be a contributing factor to burnout.

Recognising Signs of Burnout

Burnout can manifest itself in a number of ways. Below, we’ve listed a few of the main ones that are generally agreed upon to signal burnout:

Physical symptoms include fatigue, headaches, stomach and bowel problems, changes in appetite/stress eating. For some individuals, other, related illnesses can recur more frequently, such as tonsilitis or IBS.

Emotional symptoms include exhaustion, irritability, apathy (loss of motivation or caring), a sense of helplessness, increased senses of self-doubt, feeling lonely and cynicism.

Finally, behavioural symptoms. These are often the first places you can recognise burnout in your life, as your increased workload can help you to ignore or discredit physical and emotional symptoms. These include reduced performance in your professional and personal tasks, isolation from social activities, procrastination or reduced efficiency, emotional outbursts in times of high stress and even the use of substances to cope, such as drugs or alcohol.

As with any mental health condition, the symptoms are varied and affect each person differently. Recognising any of the above issues is a good reason to check in with your wider mental health as an actor, and assess if you need more extensive support.

Ways to Combat Burnout

So what can we do? If burnout and being an actor are so closely linked, how can we hope to combat this at all? Before we give you some strategies in coping, let’s get this out of the way. It’s never as simple as “slow down and stop”. If it were that easy, we’d not have this problem! Saying “slow down and stop” is universally terrible advice: it’s like saying “don’t think about pink elephants.” Instead, your goal should be to think about some green elephants. Or any colour you like. We’re not here to stress you out.

Seek support.

Reach out and seek support. This is the best and most effective tool you’ll have when working on how to deal with burnout as an actor. In a work setting, talk to your immediate superior and ask them for any support your workplace can offer. Outside of work, consider talking to a GP or mental health professional. Depending on your location, you may even find a state- or government-sponsored helpline to support mental health.

It also pays to find sympathetic people in your support network: these may not be family and friends, even your partner/spouse. But they could be fellow actors and creatives who understand the pressures of your industry. Find people who know what you’re dealing with, or at the very least understand the problem at hand.

Re-evaluate your options and priorities.

When you feel burnout affecting you, look at how you can make changes to your schedule. Re-evaluate which activities get the bulk of your time, and the priorities you assign to them. Most importantly, find times when you can take breaks and relax, or devote time to areas in your life most lacking. Inevitably, these will be activities such as resting, relaxing or exercising.

This might even be the time to step back, or away completely, from certain obligations. This is never easy, but if you’re burning yourself out, it’s best to cut commitments early than blow a deadline later on. Your collaborators/employers can plan for a replacement with enough notice. If you collapse on set one day due to exhaustion, there’s not much they can do. And that’s to say nothing for your own health and wellbeing!

Learn to say “no” to opportunities.

We have an entire article about when to say no to an acting role. It’s not an easy thing to learn, as it feels like we’re robbing ourselves of opportunities for fame, fortune and recognition. But there are valid reasons to bow out of an opportunity, and burnout is most definitely one of them.

Be honest with yourself: if you feel even remotely burnt out and you take on a fresh opportunity, how much are you going to be able to contribute to that? Even if you’re doing somebody a favour by stepping in as a cover, or helping a friend run lines. Don’t overload yourself with opportunities, for any reason.

Find ways to relax.

This is an important one. Odds are, when you’re feeling busy and stressed, that hobbies and relaxation will be the last thing on your mind! You’ve got stuff to do, goals to kick, hustles to side!!! Change that perception. Find ways to unwind and enjoy yourself, as it can help you relieve tension and avoid crashing later on. Reward yourself. You deserve it!

Even a short break in the middle of a work day will help release your valve and let out some steam. The work you do when you sit back down is always better. Make a cup of tea and disconnect from your obligations, if only for fifteen minutes.

Cultivate good habits in your personal life.

Exercise regularly, eat well and get as much sleep as possible. Like relaxation, these are often the things we feel we can sacrifice when our workload becomes too much. But they’re vitally important to maintaining good health that can get you through times of work and career-related stress.

For actors, the same can be said for routines that keep your acting toolkit honed and ready to go. Practice audition prep, line memorisation, cold reading and script analysis. That way, when you’re not adding to your workload to buff them into shape before a last-minute audition!

Mindfulness.

Mindfulness is a real buzz-word these days—on par with that of “burnout.” But bear with us, because mindfulness is an important thing to maintain in an acting career, especially when burning out is a distinct possibility. Beyond all the hippie/influencer connotations, mindfulness is about maintaining awareness of your thoughts, emotions, general wellbeing as well as your immediate circumstances.

In fact, think of mindfulness as a real-world variation of given circumstances, those guiding principles that keeps a character feeling real in a scene.  Check in with yourself, see how you’re feeling and what you’re doing. Can you identify something about yourself or your circumstances that might be threatening, or need modification or change?

Career Longevity

One of the most dangerous aspects of burnout is the fact that its symptoms and causes are cyclical. Stress and overwork typically leads to more stress and more overwork, commitments compound as you start to miss deadlines and reduce your own productivity and effectiveness. All the while, your coping mechanisms become less effective; your support network loses sympathy and the ability to reach you as you dig yourself further and further into a hole. Not fun.

So as you learn how to deal with burnout as an actor, think about your career as a marathon, not a sprint. Burnout is a sign you’re thinking in ‘sprint’ terms, and not for something lasting and substantial. You owe it to yourself to live the life of an actor that is fulfilling and sustainable. It’ll be challenging, for sure! But it should never destroy you in the process.

Just by reading this article, you have taken positive steps. Keep checking in with yourself, keep practicing mindfulness. Remind yourself: just as you’re worth all the good opportunities that will come to you in this life, you’re worth getting them safely and happily.

The post How to Deal with Burnout as an Actor appeared first on StageMilk.

“Health” (WHO definition)

Health is all about a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being. It’s not only the absence of disease or some other illness, it’s how you feel day-to-day and what you can do to maximise feeling as good as you possibly can.

“Mental Health” (WHO definition)

Mental health is a state of well-being in which you are able to realise your own potential, that you can cope with the normal stresses of life (including experiences of happiness and sadness), that you can work productively and fruitfully and that you are able to make a contribution to your valued community.

So, what is well-being?

Well-being integrates mental health (mind) and physical health (body), resulting in more holistic approaches to disease prevention and health promotion. As a starting point, well-being includes the frequent presence of positive emotions and moods (e.g., contentment, happiness), the minimal presence of negative moods (e.g., depression, anxiety), a sense of satisfaction with life, a sense of fulfilment and a capacity for positive functioning.

In the creative industries, what is most arguably recognised as ‘good acting’ is an actor’s capacity for vulnerability—which I define as “the ability to affect and be affected by the other”. Such capacities for sensitivity and empathy enable an actor to create ‘life-like’ characters that connect with audiences. However, such sensitivity and empathy can become overwhelming resulting in unnecessary mental distress and fatigue

How and when do actors need to take care for their mental health and holistic well-being?

In bringing clarity to an actor’s professional preparation and practice, I have found performance scholar Richard Schechner‘s (1985) categorisation of the different stages of a performance process as a useful framework within which to identify health and wellbeing factors in the actor’s core practice of creating characters.

These stages consist of:

1. Training.
2. Workshop (which can include auditioning).
3. Rehearsal.
4. Warm-up.
5. Performance.
6. Cool-down.
7. Aftermath.

I’ll go through each stage and identify some potential mental health challenges and suggest some short-term strategies to support mental health.

PLEASE NOTE: the following are broad guidelines and may not be able to support your specific, individual work-life and well-being challenges and circumstances. Do not hesitate to seek assistance from your local General Practitioner, or an experienced psychologist or psychiatrist that works with creatives. You’ll find a very helpful list of these professionals either through Equity (if you are a member, you can access the list of contacts from the Equity Wellness Committee.)

If you’re an Australia-based performer, there is free access to similar professionals in your State or Territory through the Australian Society for Performing Arts Healthcare (ASPAH) directory of practitioners.

1. Training

American actor-training researcher Dr Susan Burgoyne (PhD) and her colleagues have highlighted some acting teachers’ lack of experience in recognising and promoting psychological wellbeing: “ [w]hen this process is activated negatively, the actor’s personal life may supplant the character in performance, leading the actor to lose control onstage. Conversely, the actor’s character may take over offstage, with the actor carrying over character behavior into everyday life. A consequence of both processes may be emotional distress.” (Burgoyne et al. 1999, 11).

This potential for personal distress was linked to actual methods of actor training in Dr Cheryl McFarren’s (PhD) 2003 doctoral thesis. Setting out from her own traumatising audition experience, McFarren interrogates the wisdom and ethics of training techniques that intentionally enable students (consciously or unconsciously) to tap into trauma as a resource for the development and enactment of character.

She highlights the fact that most acting teachers are neither trained, nor necessarily equipped, to recognise hyper-arousal (intense feeling states) and dissociative responses (wanting to ‘shut-down’, ‘escape’, or ‘numb’ the discomfort/distress) in students, or to help process traumatic experiences so that these do not leave a harmful residue.

ACTION STEP:

If you have experienced such distress or trauma, then this is where you should seek out professional, therapeutic support for a qualified psychologist or psychiatrist, particularly someone who has an appreciation of what it means to be a vulnerable, creative performer. REMEMBER you are not being ‘difficult’–such distress may be affecting your everyday life and relationships, so it’s worth attending to and practicing your own self-care.

2. Workshop

The opportunity for actors to create work comes usually through the often anxious process of audition. Although the audition is the gateway to a process of creative exploration, rehearsal and consequent performance, as an auditionee, you are frequently expected to deliver a depth of engagement in a role without the ‘safety net’ of exploration and rehearsal through trial and error. The Australian Actors Wellbeing Study (of which I was a co-researcher) found that auditioning was the third most frequently identified stressor (after professional and financial uncertainty).

Recognised stresses around the procedure of auditioning include:

• Securing the audition.
• Doing the audition.
• Waiting for a possible call-back.
• Waiting for a final decision.
• Dealing with frequent rejection.

As a result, it’s not uncommon to experience cumulative anxiety (where you feel constantly on edge, uncertain about your immediate future plans and actions), diminishing self-esteem (when you experience frequent rejection, or worse still, no response) and subsequent depression (where you feel ‘shut-down’ in your feelings and lacking motivation to do everyday things that would normally give you pleasure or a sense of connection to others).

ACTION STEPS:

If your self-esteem is being worn down, it could be helpful to seek out a creative careers coach or counsellor who can help you identify and review your unique core values and capacities, so that you don’t become defeated by external, and ultimately subjective judgements and industry expectations that you have no control over.

Anxiety is produced by multiple causes. It is expressed by a diverse set of symptoms. These symptoms include physical, emotional, behavioural, and cognitive components. This is why we can ask many different people about a very common experience; yet, get totally different definitions of what it means to be anxious. If you are feeling more frequently (and understandably) anxious as you continually put yourself ‘out there’ to try and get acting work (or any work), then it would be wise to seek out professional support from a psychologist or psychiatrist.

In the short term, you may find some useful advice in the following video from Dr David Purrs. He describes the ‘Five Doors to Anxiety’ and suggests that a person must have passed through at least one of these doors to be in a more anxious state. However, he reminds us that if you can go one way through a door you can reverse your journey.

Depression is more than just a low mood – it’s a serious condition that has an impact on both physical and mental health. Depression affects how you feel about yourself. You may lose interest in work, hobbies and doing things you normally enjoy. You may lack energy, have difficulty sleeping or sleep more than usual. Some people feel anxious or irritable and find it hard to concentrate.

BUT the good news is, just like a physical illness, depression is treatable, and effective treatments are available. The following video, produced by the Black Dog Institute, may be helpful for you to begin to understand what depression feels like—as distinct from feeling sad or a bit down.

A person may be depressed if they have felt sad, down or miserable most of the time for more than two weeks and/or has lost interest or pleasure in usual activities. They may also have experienced several of the signs and symptoms across at least three categories. It’s important to note that everyone experiences some of these symptoms from time to time, and it may not necessarily mean a person is depressed. Equally, not every person who is experiencing depression will have all of these symptoms.

The symptoms will not provide a diagnosis–for that you need to see a health professional–but they can be used as a guide. In this case, get the support of a friend and do first seek out your General Practitioner to do a professional diagnosis. That GP can then refer you to an appropriate health professional to help you with that depression experience.

3. Rehearsal (and 5. Performance)

Once you’re through the audition, you will probably invest yourself not only in the formal period of rehearsal, but your own uniquely personal practice of creating a character and bringing that to the performance process. You may also find yourself becoming more shaped by/instinctive about the ‘world-view/life experience’ of the role outside of formal rehearsal times.

When this happens, some actors tend to isolate themselves from their everyday relationships and commitments in order to ‘find the truth’ of the character. But unless those outside the production know this is happening, they may feel ignored and neglected.

ACTION STEP:

When you begin preparations for the role/character, let the significant others in your life know what you’re working on so they can be supportive. However, also allow them ways that they can gently remind you of who you are in your everyday life when they feel you becoming pre-occupied and distant in your process of character creation. Having these conversations BEFORE and DURING the rehearsal and production periods will allow everyone to feel heard and understood.

4. Warm-up

Warm-up habits are a key strategy to minimise potential injuries as well as maximise performance quality. The Actors Wellbeing Study found that the vocal warm-up is the most common warm-up practice, with physical warm-up a close second. The next most significant warm-up cluster of practices include various approaches to focus, relaxation, and meditation.

However, you don’t want to be so relaxed that you aren’t energised and focussed on delivering your best performance. It’s a balance of ease and readiness you want to practice during the rehearsal period so that you’re familiar with the sense of it in performance. The fourth significant warm-up category is that of role preparation, comprising practices ranging from line runs, to the repetition of psychological gesture (a practice developed by Michael Chekhov), to various sense memory exercises.

ACTION STEP:

If you find yourself having difficulty ‘letting go’ and then ‘picking up’ the character or role, then it’s a good time to develop some simple, repeatable ‘rituals’ and ‘warmups’/’cool-downs’. This will help you physically, mentally and emotionally ‘shed the character’ to an extent where you can function as ‘you’ in the everyday of life.

Consider having a regular physical warm-up routine and combine that with appropriate instrumental music as an added stimulus/association with the energetic qualities of the role you are preparing for. Then you can also bring that focus and activation of character for the performance context.

6. Cool-down

In most cases actors, are not trained in how to ‘cool down’ and ‘let go’ after each performance as they attempt to live their everyday lives between shows or shooting days. While actors, in our Wellbeing survey, overwhelmingly identified physical and vocal preparation as part of their warm-up, very few referred to such practices in moving out of performance: only a small percentage explicitly described a regular physical or vocal cool-down. Similarly, only a small percentage made mention of character debriefing (how to de-role and get out of character.)

By contrast, just over half of the surveyed actors made mention of an alcoholic beverage as a usual part of their cool-down. This was often accompanied by the next most common cool-down practice: post-performance social interactions with either cast or with members of the audience, friends or family. While drinking and socialising were often acknowledged as concurrent post-performance activities, consumption of alcohol was sometimes a solitary affair.

This predominance of alcohol consumption as part of the cool-down process is disconcerting, given that the Actors Wellbeing Study found that actors are using alcohol at levels well above the World Health Organisation guidelines for healthy consumption. This finding is also consistent with actors’ reports of their reliance on alcohol as a means to both ‘cool down’ after performance, and to cope with the more acute effects of demanding roles.

In addition, the Study found that about 80 per cent of the actors were active users of either legal or illegal drugs. This use of substances was also reported in response to work-related problems as a performer such as financial stress, ‘stage fright’, bullying and harassment: 98 respondents reported using prescribed anti-depressants; 65 used prescribed anti-anxiety drugs; 140 used other legal substances; 87 used marijuana; and 53 used other illegal drugs. This suggests, perhaps, that actors actively self-medicate in response to both the general, long-term pressures of their work and lives, and the acute burdens of demanding roles.

ACTION STEP:

If you find yourself having difficulty keeping to moderate alcohol consumption, or find you are becoming overly dependent on substances (legal or illegal) to keep you going, seek out help from your General Practitioner. They will refer to you an appropriate health program to enable you to make choices other than to numb or ‘cope’ with stresses or experiences.

7. Aftermath

Eventually, the performance season or the shooting period ends. That frequently means the ‘end’ of the character in which so much focus, energy and care has been invested. As actors, you might know this experience as the ‘post-production blues’. This experience can range from the mild sense of coming down from a night-before high or a temporary dislocation or disorientation, but could shift into the territory of lasting, debilitating effects. Often it’s just the inevitable drop or depletion in energy after expending so much leading up to and during performance. This absolutely normal–our bodies and minds crave recovery time after excitation time, so we feel replenished and prepared for the next opportunity to create and perform.

In some cases, the mental disorientation at the end of a performance season or shooting period may be experienced as a personal or identity crisis; or, more extremely, as a trauma (which, itself, can manifest in physiological, psychological and emotional ways.) There is also often a deep sense of social loss and subsequent isolation as the ensemble cast members find themselves dispersed to either unemployment or other projects far removed from each other.

In the above-mentioned Study, 38% of participants reported in detail having performed an emotionally and/or physically demanding role and experiencing emotional, psychological and even physical difficulties as a result. The two most frequent roles that prove difficult to ‘let go’ of were identified as involving physical and/or sexual violence and abuse. Such experiences are unsettling for both those in the role of victim and perpetrator. Many other psychologically unsettling or emotionally traumatising role scenarios were also identified. What’s crucial to note is that while some actors have found techniques to ‘let go’, other actors continue to suffer in shame and silence through lack of open conversation about the challenges of both creating and letting go of such roles.

ACTION STEP:

This will come with time and experience, but it’s good to start to notice in your body what is being activated in you in these aftermath times–where do you notice weariness? Are there ‘voices’ telling you to ignore these feelings? If so, be kind to yourself, as you would to your best friend, and assure yourself that rest and recovery is ideal for you so you can be ready to enjoy the ‘ride’ again for your next performance. If you feel ‘haunted’ by the role, or the circumstances of the drama, seek out qualified professional support (psychologist, psychiatrist, psychotherapist) to re-ground yourself in the ‘everyday you’ that is connected to family and friends.

Having these uncomfortable or distressing feelings is understandable, so be kind to yourself and don’t ignore or downplay them. The best way to address shame, which we all experience, is to find someone that you feel safe to talk with about such feelings. Keeping silent that only makes shame more powerful.

Mental Health and the Ongoing Lifestyle of the Actor

I want to final draw your attention to aspects of lifestyle beyond the performance cycle that I’ve described above. After all, it’s a reality that most actors spend a significant part of their time NOT involved directly in the process of creating and executing a performance.

At any one time, at least 70 – 90% of trained professionals are not working specifically as actors–this precarious lifestyle creates significant stress often resulting in various physical and psychological ailments such as high blood pressure, weight gain or loss, anxiety, depression and in extreme circumstances, suicide. In addition, professional uncertainty in terms of consistent employment contributes to financial and domestic uncertainty and stress.

Relationships also come under significant stress due to the often ‘anti-social’ hours required of actors to rehearse and work or the isolation created by touring or location filming over long periods of time. There are also the peculiar challenges around enacting either violence, dysfunction or intimacy with scene partners and its impact on the actor’s real-life partner and other significant relationships.

The Actors Wellbeing Study identified that 62% experienced financial stress as a regular or constant issue and 51% described detailed accounts of how performing adversely impacted their personal relationships. So, it’s highly understandable that you may need help and support from time to time over the duration of your career, given all these stressors. Being connected to personal and professional support is the wise way to proceed.

Conclusion

Above all, I believe we need to actively reject the ‘myth of the martyr’: that artists (or creatives) must always suffer for their art. Instead, I would encourage all actors to honour their own embodied and relational experiences, to seek out family and friends who love them for who they are (aside from any professional aspirations) and to embrace joy and ease wherever they can nurture it. Mental health challenges are helpful signs that alert us to take care for ourselves and our professional peers.

If you’d like to keep updated on strategies and resources to help you have a sustainable and rewarding life as a creative, you can contact me, Dr Mark Seton (PhD), through the Actors Wellbeing Academy, by email mark@senseconnexion.com

The post Mental Health for Actors appeared first on StageMilk.

Let’s begin.

Acting is an odd profession. Let’s all admit it. Beautiful, thought provoking, challenging, powerful—yes, all of those things, but also odd. We willingly subject our souls and imaginations to situations and experiences most people spend their entire lives avoiding. Actors typically love to ‘dig their teeth into a meaty role’, which usually means portraying a character who has experienced significant trauma or challenges in their life. 

Storytelling since the beginning has been primarily concerned with the dramatic and the extreme. This affords us, as actors, the privilege and opportunity to wear the shoes of characters whom we will never meet in real life, and to experience things within the safety of a dramatic structure which we will (thankfully) never actually experience. Whilst this is wonderful, special care ought to be taken by actors when performing particularly intense roles. That way they will be able to jump from role to role unscathed by their performative experience and stay safe in the process.

Personal Experience

In my personal experience, I’d say the most intense role I’ve ever played was in a production of Journey’s End by playwright R.C Sherriff. The role required both emotional and physical stamina. The play was an epic tale of a company of soldiers in World War One, and ran just shy of three hours each performance. My role required me to research and delve into experiences such as P.T.S.D, alcoholism, grief, and depression. It was simultaneously one of the most challenging and fulfilling experiences of my career to date. One thing I wish I had then, however, was the tools to be able to maintain my mental health within the intensity of the role. I put my primary focus on getting close to the experiences, without a healthy respect for the potential consequences. I would attempt different access points—both physical and mental—to experience and understand the traumas of the character. By the end of the short season, I was absolutely exhausted, and it took me a while to shake off the experience of a role. It was an insight for me as to the potential damage long exposure to an intense role may bring to an actor. I myself am privileged in the sense that I had not been exposed to real trauma as the character had, and that fact may have contributed to my naïveté in approaching the role. 

What Makes a Role ‘Intense’?

There are many factors which can make a character challenging and intense for an actor. And just like real-life situations, different things will cause different reactions in different people. This is why it’s important, first and foremost, to know yourself and know what areas might be unsafe for you to explore. 

The most obvious ways in which a role may be intense is the subject matter. Dramatic texts often involve the extremes of human experience, such as violence (both physical and sexual), death, abuse, grief and trauma. Challenging characters will usually either be the victim or perpetrator of these acts, and both sides of the coin can be difficult to play. As the victim, the actor is required to imagine being subjected to terrible acts, whereas the perpetrator is required to access a part of their imagination where they can understand what it might be like to do something truly terrible. Both options are potentially harmful to an actor’s mental health.

Intensity can come in other ways, too. Roles which are physically and vocally demanding, or which require high amounts of energy for long periods of time. Some characters require particular skill sets the actor may not have and therefor the actor will need to spend many hours practising that skill. 

Even things which have happened off-stage in the characters past can be challenging for the actor. Past trauma of the character still requires investigation from the actor, and this trauma may impact the physicality of the character, forcing the actor to hold tension in different parts of their body. Characters can also simply require an intense amount of energy being hyper active and extrovert, which may push some actors out of their comfort zones. 

There are plenty of examples of actors going to extreme lengths to bring a role to life. To name a few:

Daniel Day-Lewis

The actor most famous for immersive performances, Daniel Day Lewis, has gone to some extreme lengths. For his role in My Left Foot, he played a character with cerebral palsy, and refused to get out of his wheelchair whilst on set. In the end his hunched posture resulted in him breaking two of his ribs.

Natalie Portman

For her role in ‘Black Swan’, Portman insisted that the ballet sequences were performed by her. Having nominal experience in ballet pre-shooting, Portman spent over 6 hours a day practicing with professional trainers. This was on top of rehearsals and shooting the film. Portman dislocated a rib during rehearsals and lost a lot of weight for the role. 

Jim Carey

For his role of Andy Kaufman in Man on the Moon, Carey refused to break character. He wanted to ‘become’ Andy, and so spent every minute of his time on the project as him. This transformation is documented in the film Jim and Andy. It’s an interesting watch, particularly from the perspective of the crew and creatives on set who are required to put up with Carey’s immersive method. 

How to Access an Intense Role

So, let’s talk about some of the ways in which we can access a particularly intense role, in order to bring it to life.

Physicality

Finding a physical access point to the character can be extremely useful. Based on their lived experiences, people hold tension in their bodies in different ways. Spending time in the rehearsal room or any empty space focusing on the body language of the character can be invaluable. Have a think about the following points and consider exploring them physically for yourself?

• Leading Centre – Where does the character move from? Some people like to use chakras for this process. Typically, there are 7 centres that movement may originate from. Instigating movement from these areas and sustaining that focus can drastically influence the physicality of the character and act as a physical mask for accessing the intensity of the role. Find some more info on those centres here:
• Many other physical access points are useful too – thinking about the characters history and how they hold tension is worth experimenting. Do the characters have any physical ailments or injuries? Does the character have any physical elements which are out of their control such as twitches or shakes? Be careful not to impose these external ‘prosthetic’ elements on the character without digging into the psychology of the character and why they have those conditions. 

Research and Experience

You can’t act something you don’t know or understand. Whatever the character you’re playing has been through or goes through, it’s your job to investigate that experience as closely as you can. There are so many resources available to use; the simplest being the internet and its information. Going one step further, have a think about what you can do to understand your characters experience even closer. Are there documentaries on the subject? Are you able to respectfully and considerately speak to someone who understands the experience more than you do?

NB: It is a very delicate process reaching out to real-world people to ask them about certain subject matters. Any conversations about sensitive issues should be facilitated by the producers of your production.

Speaking to people whose life experience is closer to your character than yours is can be invaluable. Not only does it allow you tools to access your character more deeply, but it will often enhance the empathy and responsibility you feel playing particular roles. Remember, we are portraying reality here, and whilst that exists in the safe structure of make-belief, it can be very real for an audience watching it, especially if they understand the subject matter closely. You have a responsibility to represent life with respect. 

Skillsets

Depending on the production’s budget and your willingness, you may be able to request that time be given to your skill development in preparation for a role. If the character you’re playing has a drastically different background to yours, or they are particularly skilled at something, understanding that subject or skill can be essential to accessing the character. A physical skill for example, such as a sport, will impact a person’s physicality, outlook on life, awareness, and how they relate to other people. Rather than trying to show all the ‘results’ of this skill, immersing yourself in the skill itself can be really helpful. 

If you have a limited time, budget or resources to allocate to this process, what is the simplest version of it you can access? If you’re playing a football player, you could carry a ball around with you and familiarise yourself with that object deeply. Playing someone who has a crippling fear of crowds, for example, you might visit an event with a large number of people to experience and understand what elements of this situation might be frightening to a person.

Toe-Dip Immersion

Sometimes, depending on what it is, experiencing something first hand to allow for recall in performance can be effective. This should be done with care. One director I know, for example, used an interesting and effective method in her rehearsal process. 

The characters in her play lived in a lighthouse by the sea, and were consistently awoken by the foghorns of ships passing by. One rehearsal, the director asked her actors to take a nap. “Great!” the actors thought. Not so fast. Just as her actors were drifting off to sleep, the director would blare the sound of a foghorn through the speakers. She did this several times, forcing the actors to experience first hand the physical and mental effects of this pattern of disturbance.  

This technique is a perfect example of the ‘toe dip’ method of immersion. The actors were not sleep deprived for the month of rehearsal. They were not required to sacrifice their mental stability for the role. Instead, they had an experience they could refer to each night of performance which would allow themselves to drop into the role they were playing. 

You may consider a similar approach to the role you are playing. What environment is the character most familiar with? Can you visit a similar place near where you live? Are there any visualisation exercises you can do which could emulate an experience the character is familiar with? Is there a safe-substitute for a characters experience. An example of this when playing a character with a military background might be to play a round of paintball, experiencing the intensity of the character’s adrenaline without actually risking your own life. 

Fitness Preparation

Say you’re playing a role which you know will be taxing for you. What can you do in order to prepare yourself for the role physically and mentally? Even if it’s not necessarily an emotionally intense role but there are a lot of lines to learn and you have a lot to do, making yourself a plan ahead of rehearsals to get to where you want to get in preparation is essential.  How physically fit do you need to be for the role? What habits of yours will restrict your ability to access the role? What healthy practices can you introduce into your life to increase your ability to retain lines and information? 

Self-Care for Intense Roles

As we’ve said before: know yourself. This must be the foundation of your self care when playing an intense role. The better you understand what will be challenging for you, the better you’ll be able to prepare yourself and build a performance and character which is safe and sustainable for you. Here are some other factors you may like to consider:

Content Warnings

Have some clear and honest conversations with yourself about what the role requires you to explore. If the subject matter is close to any personal trauma you’ve experienced, perhaps you are better off diving into a different character or project. Only you can know the right thing to do in this situation. Be advised, however, that intensity of a role may increase significantly the longer you spend as the character and going deeper; so even if you feel like you will be strong enough to deal with the subject matter now, that strength may fade during the course of the project. 

De-Rolling

We actors put so much focus on drooping into a role, and very little on leaving the role behind us at the end of a day or project. I’d argue that developing a process for dropping out is as -if not more important than dropping in, especially if it will sustain you over many roles and projects. Consider the following few techniques for dropping out of a role:

• Have a pre and post-performance ritual. Perhaps it’s a song you like to listen to. Maybe it’s a physical action or a particular routine with another cast mate. Whatever it is, develop something personal that you will consciously do at the conclusion of each performance – whether you’re in the theatre or the director has called “cut”.
• Decompress. Though going to the pub after the show with cast-mates is fun and relaxing, it isn’t a sustainable decompression method. Decide for yourself what you need to do to decompress after a performance to leave the role behind you. This might be simply going for a walk or a run, having a shower or sitting quietly for a short while. Whatever you need, prioritise giving yourself the space and time to do it.

For more information, check out our article on How to De-Role: 8 Techniques for Getting Out of Character.

Know Your Rights

You are not alone in the process of performing an intense role, though actors often feel as though they are. There are many resources which you have access to which can support you. 

You have a right to request a professional fight, stunt or intimacy director to be present on set if any action you are required to do makes you feel unsafe or uncomfortable. If access to these specialists in impossible due to budget constraints, you have the right to refuse any act which you do not wish to do. Consent is essential in this industry, and you can never be legally dismissed from a role for withdrawing your consent. Know this and trust this process. An actors safety should always be paramount. 

With that in mind, be aware as you can of what you are required to do in a role. Giving notice to the production team early about things you do not wish to do is really important where possible, as it will give them time to prepare and reduce your stress about having the difficult conversation. 

Have a Coach

Again, you are not alone, though it may often feel as though you are. Working actors, particularly in the U.S., will rarely be without an acting coach. Just like an athlete has a team of people working around them to support them, you have access to support networks too. An acting coach will obviously be invaluable in helping you approach a role, but they can also help you manage the intensity of a role by being a person who is on your team who you can speak to and confide in. 

Conclusion

Intense roles can be a real gift for actors, but great care is needed for them. Our imaginations are powerful forces, and our minds and bodies cannot always tell the difference between reality and make believe. This is why it’s important not only to develop a method for diving deep into a role, but also establishing a practice for self care which will sustain you throughout the process. 

Let’s take a slight tangent for one second here as we finish. It’s interesting to note that in first aid training, participants will be taught who is the most important person in an emergency situation. It isn’t the injured person on the ground, it isn’t the unharmed passers-by. No; it’s you. Looking after yourself is priority number one, (Followed closely by the safety of others). This is because if you don’t look after yourself, you will become another casualty of the situation and only make things worse.

Empathy is an actors greatest asset, but empathy can be an incredibly taxing resource to use consistently. Give your characters the respect they deserve, but look after yourself in the process! Similar to the first aid example – it’s our job to make believe, so let’s keep the drama on the stage or in the camera frame!

The post Intense Acting Roles: Immersion and Sustainability appeared first on StageMilk.

Everything seems overwhelming, difficult and I just want to put it in the ‘too hard’ basket. I’m sure you’ve also experienced that feeling at least once before. The good news is, that feeling doesn’t last forever. I have a few tools/tricks up my sleeve which I bring out every time I feel like there’s no hope and I’m ready to give up. Let’s take a look at a few ideas for falling BACK in love with acting again…

Falling in love with acting again is all about connecting with your creativity, tracking back to what made you embark on this journey, celebrating your successes and surrounding yourself with like-minded humans who want to see you achieve your goals. It is all about giving yourself the time and space to be the creative you want to see in the world. 

The Artist’s Date

This concept I certainly can’t take credit for. The Artist’s Date comes from one of my favourite creative self-help books out there, The Artist’s Way by Julie Cameron. When I’m feeling uninspired or unmotivated, I plan a weekly “date” with my creative self. It can literally be anything you like, there are only 2 main rules: it has to be something that you do alone, and it must be for at least 2 hours. Some things I’ve done in the past are taking myself to see a new film at the cinema (in reclining seats, with plenty of snacks, of course!), or visiting an art gallery, seeing some live music, sitting in a park and reading a book, painting on a blank canvas, knitting… you get the picture.

The Artist’s Date should NOT feel like work. It should be fun and something you look forward to every week. The idea is not to think too strategically about it – even though you might professionally identify as an actor, there’s no reason you can’t plan an Artist’s Date which nourishes your love for painting or cooking or writing. The point is simply to nourish and nurture your creative self, there are no limits or boundaries here.

Revisiting Your Origin Story

Sometimes it’s nice to be reminded of WHY you fell in love with acting in the first place. Was it a particular film? A play? A moment in high school drama class? Sometimes I go back and revisit the film that originally made me want to pursue acting and filmmaking. It reminds me of the parts of my creativity that film inspired me to explore. You don’t need to take notes or to evaluate the experience, just revisit whatever it was the got you hooked on the acting bug. Simply watch or read for the sheer joy of it and try to remember what sparked your interest all those months or years ago.

Scene Club

Sometimes it’s really inspiring to be surrounded by like-minded, passionate creatives to help you get back on track. Start a group chat with 4-8 of your best actor friends (the motivated, reliable ones). Buy two (or seven…) blocks of chocolate, an ungodly amount of corn chips and set a date and invite them all over to read a play with you one evening or work on some scenes. It can be as formal or casual as you like – as long as you get together and do some work. You don’t need to film it, or publish it anywhere – the entire exercise is just to surround yourself with people you love and have some fun together.

One of the most wonderful parts of filmmaking and theatre-making is the opportunity to collaborate with other creatives and feed off their creative energy. Getting together with some actor mates and doing some work always makes me feel alive and energised. If you live in a remote location or you don’t really have many actor friends then have no fear, come and join the StageMilk Scene Club, where you can connect with hundreds of actors from all over the world and rediscover that love for acting.

Find Your Pollyanna

I tend to be a fairly positive person, but sometimes I get in a rut. I complain, I whine, and it feels like the entire world is set against me. This of course isn’t true, but at the time, it really feels like it. And at times like these, it’s all too easy to get caught up in the complaining and whingeing.

So, instead, I make a point of surrounding myself with POSITIVE people. You know that friend of yours, the one that is frustratingly positive about acting? Yeah, set up a coffee date or a phone call and let some of that unadulterated positivity rub off on you. It is amazing how human beings can adapt to their surroundings, so spend more time around creatives who are inspired and positive and less time around people who are negative or cynical.

Put Down a ‘Fun-Tape’

This does not need to be a 6-month project with a strict deadline and production schedule. Put down a self-tape this week. Why? No reason at all, except other than to have fun. It doesn’t even have to be a good self-tape – make the entire point of the exercise, to have FUN. And then afterwards, you can always press delete. This is a great way to stop making all your acting work about impressing the faceless masses and remember that acting is actually really enjoyable. Maybe pick a scene that is completely wrong for you, but something you’ve always wanted to try. Put down a scene as Batman, or Wonder Woman if you like – it really doesn’t matter! All that matters is that you ENJOY the process of it.

Take a Break

And finally, I’ll touch on the benefits of rest. Sometimes we feel overwhelmed and uninspired because we’re actually way too stressed and busy to see the woods through the trees. And at times like these, it’s time to take a step back. It’s time to rest and recuperate. There is no shame in it. It took me a long time to accept that – I thought rest was “for the wicked”, that I’d simply “sleep when I’m dead”.  I thought I was working hard, hustling, getting sh*t done. But in actual fact, I was burning the candle at both ends and running myself into the ground. And of course, eventually, I crashed.

Take my word for it – don’t do that. It’s unnecessary and of no help to anyone. Not to mention it’s bad for your own health and wellbeing. And I guarantee you, once you take the time to rest, you’ll come back feeling rejuvenated, motivated and inspired again.

Read more: The Art of Relaxing
Read more: 10 Ways for Actors to Practice Self-Care

There you have it gang, a couple of ideas from me on what to do when you’ve fallen out of love with acting. If you also have some hot tips for falling in love (both acting, and dating-wise) comment them below!

The post How to Fall in Love With Acting Again appeared first on StageMilk.

Listen to the audio version of this article…

Below I’ve outlined some techniques you can try out for the next time you need to de-role. Currently, there is no scientific or research-based information in this field. Rather, these recommendations are based on anecdotal evidence and clinical experience. In writing this article, I’ve drawn from the work and resources of The Arts Wellbeing Collective.

#1 Literally De-Role  

The first thing you’re going to want to do is to literally strip off your character. Get out of your costume, your shoes, and leave them at the theatre, or on set, if you can. Of course, this is standard practice in a professional setting where you’re not often permitted to take your costumes home. However, when working on independent or low budget projects, you’re often volunteering your own clothing for the production. Even though they may be your clothes, try to keep a distinction between work and home by leaving them at the venue. If that’s not possible, make a ritual out of packing the costume away into a bag to carry home. It may be tempting to walk home in your character shoes, especially when they’re your own, but creating boundaries, even symbolic ones, can be very effective in separating yourself from your character.  

If your character has physical markings such as tattoos or scars or requires you to wear your make-up in a certain way, make sure that’s something you carefully remove, too. The aim here is to look and feel like yourself, and to feel separate to the character you’re leaving at the venue. The last thing you’re going to want is to look into the mirror, and see the character staring back at you through physical reminders. I personally find that a shower is the best way to wash that character away and to start winding down. 

#2 Let’s Get Physical 

The next thing you can do is get moving! It may be too late in the day for intensive exercise, especially if you’ve just finished a late show or shoot and you’re looking to wind down, but doing something physical can be a great way to get out of your character’s mindset, and into your own body again. 

This part of the ritual can be as simple as shaking out your body – your arms, legs, feet, hands – before leaving the venue. If you’re so inclined, this can be returning home and doing a yoga routine to both wind down and reconnect with yourself – mind and body. If yoga’s not your thing, you can try going on a walk. If you get home quite late, have a little dance in your living room when you get home. If none of these options are available to you, don’t stress. This reconnection to your body can be achieved by finding a comfortable seat, closing your eyes, and taking some deep, calming breaths.  

#3 Play That Funky Music 

Actors will often make a character playlist to get themselves into character, so why not create one for getting out of character? Make a playlist of all your favourite songs and play them as you leave the venue, on your way home, or when you get home. If your character is a particularly dark or emotionally demanding role, it can be nice to compile all of your favourite upbeat and gleeful tunes for this playlist. Likewise, if your character lives in a world of high-octane energy, make this a soothing, chill playlist for mellowing out.

#4 Get Comfy 

 When you do get home, get yourself as comfortable as possible. Performances can be very physically draining. If, on top of that, your role is also psychologically and emotionally demanding, and you’ve had to spend some time socialising in the foyer after your show, you might be pretty wiped out by the time you get home. Strip off those jeans, and get yourself in your favourite, and most comfortable clothes. Think jammies, sweatshirts, trackies and fluffy socks. All of this familiarity and comfort will help signal to your body that you’re safe and that now is the time to relax and let your guard down. It might be nice to choose something to wear that makes you feel like yourself. This could be an old band shirt you sleep in, or your yoga pants; anything that makes you feel like you. 

#5 A Scents of Self  

Smells can be a very powerful way of shifting your emotional and psychological state. Our olfactory senses are closely related to our amygdala (our fear trigger centre) and our hippocampus (our memory centre). For this reason, smells can trigger emotional responses closely tied to memories, a phenomenon known as the Proust Effect. It can be useful for actors to establish a distinction between the character and themselves by choosing a perfume, or deodorant to wear on stage or on set while in character, that can then be removed as they de-role. Likewise, you can utilise a scent that is personal and familiar when you get home to remind yourself of your life and memories outside of this particular project or role.  

#6 Phone a Friend 

If you can, and if you have the energy for this, it’s a great idea to touch base with your family and friends after a particularly challenging shoot or live performance. This can be incredibly important for your mental health and is especially crucial if you happen to be on tour, or away from your family and friends for the project. Speaking to a loved one and asking them to tell you about the details of their day, especially the tiny and insignificant ones, can be a great antidote to the likely dramatic or epic arc of your character and performance. This is also a great opportunity to check in with someone who cares about you; if you are under pressure, or you are struggling with your mental health, it’s often those closest to us who will notice first, sometimes even before we notice ourselves. Therefore, it’s important to check in regularly with your friends and family, both to stay connected and grounded. 

#7 Child’s Play 

There is so much play in the work we do that sometimes we forget to allocate ourselves time for leisure outside of performing. Across the board,  people tend to get into acting because they love and enjoy it, and when acting transitions from a hobby into work it’s a moment of great celebration. At the same time, something has been lost – a hobby. To keep your life in balance, make sure you keep up other hobbies outside of your acting work and use these to rejuvenate your mental health and sense of self. This can be anything – dancing, gardening, juggling, video games, reading, watching tv – but do be wary of activities that involve high amounts of screen time during the evening as they can negatively affect your sleep hygiene. 

#8 Meditate 

This is the final recommendation I’ll list here, but it is one of the most effective things you can do to de-role. Meditation has boomed in popularity in recent years, but there remains a lot of confusion about how to do it, and how it benefits your mental health. There are also so many different variations of meditation and slightly different schools of thought about how best to practice it. But broadly speaking, meditation is the practice of training your attention and awareness to achieve mental clarity and emotional stability. There are different techniques you can utilise to meditate: mindfulness, focusing on an object or sound, or even a mantra. The benefits of meditation are generous and infinite, and I would recommend it to everyone, especially actors. If it’s your first time meditating, an app can be very helpful in guiding you through your meditation.

I love the app ‘Waking Up: Guided Meditation and Mindfulness’ by Sam Harris, and ‘Headspace: Meditation and Sleep Made Simple’.

But there is a tonne of different meditation apps out there, so try a few and find which one works for you. Even five minutes of meditation can change the way your mind is functioning, making it a super efficient way to start the day right!   

Conclusion: Stay Safe Out There  

Above are some great habits and rituals for checking in with your mental health while working as an actor in a challenging role. But none of them are a substitute for protecting your mental health in the rehearsal room and throughout a performance.  No one is allowed to make you feel unsafe, in any way, throughout the rehearsal or performance process. Your safety, both physically and mentally, should always be the top priority. No production is worthy of unsafe practices, and no person is allowed to demand anything of you that puts your mental health at risk. Thankfully, we are in the midst of a movement away from the exploitative ego-centric practices of the past, and the false idealism of ‘the struggling artist’. Respect yourself, and others, by setting high standards of self-care and by prioritising safety above all. 

If you do find yourself struggling, please reach out for professional help and advice. And in an emergency, do not hesitate to call your country-specific helplines: 

Australia – Lifeline Australia 13 11 14
United States – Lifeline 1 800 273 8255
United Kingdom – Samaritan Helpline 116 123 

A list of crisis lines by country can be found here.

Do you have any techniques for de-roling and winding down that weren’t listed here? Tell us about them in the comments section. 

The post How to De-Role: 8 Techniques for Getting Out of Character appeared first on StageMilk.

If there is any subset of working society who struggles to achieve and sustain healthy sleep hygiene, actors and artists would have to be close to the top. Our irregular hours performing in theatres every night, or shooting with frequently ruthless early call times, can often make it seem utterly impossible to catch those zzz’s. Add to that the nature of our 21st century lifestyle – our truly addictive social media feeds, those ever-present 24-hour news channels, the guilty temptation of another Netflix binge etc. – and we have a dangerous cocktail that directly correlates with an increase in stress levels, anxiety and depression. None of which help when it comes to getting quality sleep. 

I think we all – theoretically at least – understand the importance of rest, but this doesn’t necessarily mean it translates to our lives in practice. 

I’d like to encourage us to think about why it should, and how it could even turn out to be our ultimate secret weapon. 

Why is rest important?

As we spend roughly a third of our lives in bed, it would make sense to optimise this time as best we can. It may be interesting to note – for example – that elite soccer teams such as Manchester United, Chelsea, and Real Madrid now employ sleep specialists to do just that for their players. 

Sleep gives our bodies the time to replenish our cells, build and repair muscle, release necessary growth hormones, and on a mental level, improve our memory and concentration. Additional fun and compelling reasons include: enriching creativity, maintaining a healthy weight, and enhancing libido. Desirable benefits for anyone – actor or otherwise. 

How can we get more rest?

According to The National Sleep Foundation, teenagers (between the ages of 14-17) require eight to ten hours of sleep each night, while adults (18+) should be looking towards seven to nine. 

Most medical professionals and sleep specialists will also advise sticking to a consistent cycle (ie. waking and retiring at the same time every day) including weekends, to help foster a strong routine. “Catching up” on sleep with a weekend lie-in, it seems, is a myth, and one that could actually prove to do more harm than good. Sorry guys. 

However, you may be pleased to hear that naps have demonstrated surprisingly positive results – with NASA even endorsing taking power naps of 10-20 minutes. To implement effectively, keep to 20 minutes maximum, and opt for a late-morning or early-afternoon siesta. 

To then facilitate the most restful rest imaginable, studies suggest we should set the room temperature at an average of 16-19 degrees Celsius, keep light and sound exposure to an absolute minimum, and finish our last meal at least an hour before going to bed. Similarly, we should strive to switch off all electronic devices about 30 minutes beforehand, but taking advantage of Night Shift or a Blue Light Filter application on our phones and laptops is the next best bet. 

My self-experiment

Armed with this science, I thought I should actually walk the talk and conduct my own self- experiment. Just a heads up: I am most certainly an early bird (or new-born baby), so please don’t judge my waking hours too harshly. 

Prior to embarking on this adventure, I was getting roughly seven and a half hours sleep each night – rising at 5:00am and going to bed at 9:30pm. 

Given the above insights, I thought I’d look to instead shift towards eight hours of sleep each night – continuing to rise at 5:00am, but now going to bed for 9:00pm – and observe the effect over a three month period. I won’t pretend I achieved this every night, but it was actually far more doable than I had originally assumed going into it. 

If I’m totally honest, I didn’t experience a hugely noticeable shift in my vitality by adding this extra half hour, but as it is a) more in line with the recommended guidelines, and b) ended up being unexpectedly viable, I’ve decided to stick with it. Like good diet and exercise practices, some of the results of these habits seem relatively invisible until they start to fully manifest when compounded over time. Though I can absolutely attest to the perks of keeping a fixed schedule, monitoring temperature and light, as well as leaving a buffer between food and gadgets and my head hitting the pillow. 

Naps have also become a familiar friend, and where I once would have scoffed at the need for their existence, I now humbly concede and admit they often make all the difference.

Conclusion

So while Marvel is unlikely to tap you for the next AVENGERS spin-off due to your flawless sleep routine, it might still hold the potential of being your greatest super power. After all, when we reach the stage where talent and drive are a given, won’t it be the actors with a seemingly endless supply of energy and focus who will truly endure? The actors who have committed to making a real investment in their physical and mental wellbeing – however creative they may have to be to make it work? 

I’d definitely invite you to experiment to see if you can find your own sweet-spot for you at this moment in time. Perfection isn’t the goal, and our goalpost is likely to continuously shift throughout life anyway, but why not stack as many of the odds in our favour when and where we can? 

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Body

Start with the physical movement of the body. Physical ability, mobility and fitness is a vital tool in an actors toolkit. Depending on the type of work you are going for, physical fitness can be an essential part, from action movies to musical theatre performers, actors bodies are their worlds and must be looked after for an actor to do their best work. Regardless of whether you are in a tiny apartment or a massive farm backing onto a national park, these are exercises you can do anywhere anytime.

Sweat

1. 3 sets of 10x push-ups (you can modify by putting your knees on the ground if required)
2. Hold a bridge for 1 minute
3. 3 sets of 10x squats (fast on the way down, as slow as possible on the way up)
4. Squat hold for 1 minute
5. 3 sets of 10x burpees

You can add 20 minutes of cardio in there as well – a run, a jog, a swim, up and down some flights of stairs or a bicycle ride. And there you have a great, simple full-body workout to get you sweating and activate all the muscles in your body.

Stretch

Once you’ve sweated it out and got your body feeling alive, it’s time to stretch it out. This is a great time to go to a yoga class or watch some yoga tutorials on YouTube. I love the videos from Leslie Fightmaster, she’s a wonderfully positive yoga instructor from California. If you can’t access that, then try this quick salute to the sun.

1. Start standing with your hands in front of your chest, palms together and breathe.
2. Bring your arms out to the side, above your head at full stretch palms together
3. Take a breath there
4. Palms to the floor and into downward dog, flex through your ankles.
5. Bring your body forward into pushup position, and push forward till your back is arched looking up towards the ceiling.
6. Move back into downward dog
7. Bring your weight back onto your feet and spinal roll (very slowly) back to a standing position
8. Bring your hands back in front of your chest back where you started.

In addition make sure you stretch out your big muscle groups like quads, hamstrings, arms, chest and shoulders. Also, take some time to stretch your intercostal muscles, to expand your ribs, right arm up, take it over towards the left side of your body and hold it. Then swap. When stretching, hold each position for at least 30 seconds. You want to feel warmed up, loosened up and ready to work.

Mind

After completing some stretching and/or yoga, it’s a perfect time to centre your mind. Meditation is a fantastic practice to start doing regularly. There are some great apps out there like Calm and Headspace as well as approximately a million YouTube channels that can help in this. For my very basic version try this:

Sit cross-legged on the floor in the middle of your available space
Concentrate on your breathing, breathing in through the nose, and out through the mouth slowing it down to a count of in for 3, hold for 3 and out for 3.
If your mind wanders, bring it back to the breath.
Start with just five minutes and work your way up from there.

Voice

So your body is warm and loose, your mind is centred and focused, now the last thing to do is to warm up your voice. There are three parts to any good voice warm-up. Breath, sound and text. Here are some example exercises you can try:

1. Lie on the ground, with your legs straight and flat on the floor.
   As you breathe in, bend your knees, and lift them up to create 2x 90 degree angles.
   And as you breathe out, lower your legs back to the starting position. Your legs should touch the ground just as you run out of breath. Repeat 12x rounds.
2. *Standing version*
   Start with your legs wide apart, tuck your tailbone under and lengthen your spine. If you can’t do this, your legs might be too wide.
   Take your head and upper body down towards the floor as you breathe out
   Come back up to standing on the inhale.

Once your breathing is long, powerful and settled, you are ready to move on to the next activity: adding in sound. If you liked the first two exercises on breathing, you can keep repeating it, but now add in some sound. Inhale, and then exhale on a soft “Oo.” You can work your way through all the vowel sounds, and then finish on an “M” (hum). Make sure this sound is making your lips vibrate, bring it right forward. Do not let it sit in the back of your throat as this could cause damage.

Also try standing up, begin to hum, softly at first. Start on an ‘M’ sound. Try and find a pitch that is as low as you can hit with power behind it, while ensuring the vibration is on your lips, not your throat. Once that sound is nice and powerful, try throwing it across the room! Pick a spot, and do a throwing action like a baseball pitcher and throw the sound with the action. Do some sirens, exploring your range from the top to the bottom of your pitch range.

Add in some articulation, pretend you are playing the drums with only consonants: b, d, g, t, s, p, l, k etc. Try out a few tongue twisters. Keep it fun, and engaging. If you have done the same thing a few times recently try something new to keep it interesting! We have heaps of ideas here.

Then finally text! Get that play out and read out a monologue, practice some of your favourite Shakespeare, recite a poem and if possible do it with all the vocal power you’ve been generating without yelling or causing damage. Need a database for scenes, monologues and Shakespeare? Become a member.

Conclusion

Now you should be feeling warm, limber, energised and centred. The first time you do this, it might take a while but as you go along and get into a routine, you could do all of this inside half an hour. After which, your body your mind and your voice will be ready to work. Imagine how much your work could improve if you did this every day! Challenge accepted?

The post An Actor’s Workout appeared first on StageMilk.

Relax though, you’re not alone. We’re all guilty – actors and non-actors alike. We all have things in our lives that concern us and worry us. We can worry about world peace, worry about Trump or worry about whether the casting director (CD) liked us in that audition we just did. Sometimes our worries become all-consuming: we wake in the middle of the night, find it hard to get to sleep or simply begin to question our decision to be an actor. However, usually, the thing that we focus on and put our energy into, is the thing that will grow.

If we focus on our concerns and fears, there is a good chance that they will grow and become overwhelming or paralysing. In other words, instead of reacting to, or worrying about conditions over which we have little or no control (such as whether or not our audition was good), we can instead focus time and energy on things we can control and influence. One of the simplest yet powerful things we can influence, is the language in our heads.

A legend of the world of management and business is Steven Covey. He wrote The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (1989). The are some amazing insights for actors in his book (especially habit seven, if you’re someone who could improve your personal time management for example). Habit one, of the Seven Habits, is all about recognising what you can control
and what you can’t.

Covey argues that when we recognise concerns and worries bubbling up, we should stop and ask ourselves whether it’s something we can influence. If we realise we can’t, that it’s out of our control, then ask “why am I putting so
much energy into that?”. Covey suggests instead that we invest our energy into things that we can control.

Take a simple, audition based, example. Lots of people get nervous – to the point of throwing up – prior to an audition (or job interview, or public speaking…). If this happens, we ought to stop and ask if it’s something we can influence. If we look at the ultimate casting decision, maybe no. But we could influence our performance during the audition. Rather that worry and tell ourselves “I always get nervous and make a fool of myself – I’m a terrible actor”, we can turn that around. We can remind ourselves that we’re not “always” nervous; that the CD actually wants to see us; that the last feedback we received on a self-tape was great; that we have a couple of days to be off book, so we can self-tape it, watch it back, get some advice, coaching,
support… etc. It might not influence the outcome, but it can influence our performance (which might just influence the outcome after all).

After the audition the worry and self-doubt naturally creep in and we question our “choices” and all the things we “should have” done or “didn’t do” and we start the downward spiral. Again, is it something we can control? No. We can’t
influence that. It happened – why lose sleep over it? But we can influence next time by making note for the future.

So why do we do this to ourselves? Our inner voice is always there – it barely shuts up. For most of us, every time the positive voice gets some airtime, it’s shut down by a chorus of negative ones (they’re loud sometimes right?). Maybe it’s a defence mechanism from our “fight or flight” wiring to stop risky behaviour; maybe we learned it growing up. Either way it can be unlearned – or at least managed, using the power of our inner voice “for good”.

Self-talk determines how we feel and behave; by changing our self-talk, we can change how we feel and behave. This idea has its origins in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (or CBT). When something happens to us (an event) – like getting a bad review for example, our inner voice will start yapping.

If that self-talk is negative (“I’m a terrible actor”), it will impact our emotions (which will in turn be negative: depressed, sad, angry, frustrated etc) and as a result, our actions will generally be negative as well. For example, we may feel our first take in the room was shitty, so our self-talk will say “I’m an amateur, I can’t act” then we start to panic, over-think, stress and get upset… then what happens is that we bomb the second take… (sound familiar?)

It is possible for us to turn this around. It’s a bit like the old idea that the first step to recovery is recognising the issue – or (for the science nerds) in Quantum physics, a particle observed changes its behaviour…

Albert Ellis, (a US psychologist, who developed the field of Rational Emotive Behavioural Therapy) best explained it by saying we cannot always control the events that happen to us, but do have the power to think rationally about them and thereby change our unwanted emotions and ineffective actions.

Another psychologist who has done some amazing work on self-talk is Sydney based Sarah Edleman, author of Change Your Thinking. Edleman refers to negative self-talk as faulty thinking (an accurate description!)

Edleman breaks down a range of typical negative thoughts and looks at the likely feelings that they might evoke in us. For example, the thought I’m a bad actor might evoke the feeling of inadequacy. I can never learn my lines: anxiety; my agent isn’t working hard enough: frustration; every other actor I know is working: incompetence; that was the worst audition ever: embarrassment. And so it goes on in an all familiar way.

Once the negative self-talk has triggered a negative emotion, its likely to play out badly. Feelings of inadequacy may play out with us not trusting our acting choices, or the positive feedback we usually get, or giving up acting all together – because, you know, working behind a desk pays well… In the case of the other examples: anxiety may play out in full “fight or flight” growing physically ill, hyperventilating and triggering further anxiety every time we pick up a script. Frustration may play out to losing our temper with our agent or even our supporters, damaging relationships and leading to them not working so hard for us in the future. Embarrassment may lead to an avoidance of auditions, a preference to play the audition without risks and ultimately delivering a boring performance. The interesting observation that I make is that many of the possible actions or outcomes of this negative self-talk and negative emotion is that they can frequently result in the thing we are trying to avoid (a self-fulfilling prophecy). A bad audition → embarrassed → take less risks → bad audition (the cycle continues).

When we hear this sort of negative self-talk in ourselves, we have the opportunity to recognise it and observe it for what it is. Then we can take action. When the self-talk becomes positive, our emotions are positive, and our behaviours invariably will be positive too.

These same examples might play out differently (and positively) if we change our thinking.

I’m a bad actor – changing the thinking: “am I though? What about that amazing feedback from Andy last month, and my agent loves me. I got that recent call back too – I didn’t get the job, but they liked me” – leads not to inadequacy, but self-empowerment; the action might be being more confidence going to the next audition.

I can never learn my lines – changing the thinking: “never? Actually that’s BS. It’s probably just this script. What’s worked before for me? I might ask some other’s in the group what their approach is. So what if it’s not perfect in the audition – I keep hearing CDs don’t want perfect – can lead to being confident, relaxed, calm; and the action can exploring new ways to learn lines and nailing it (or being less focused on perfection next audition).

This is a list of typical faulty thinking labels. Recognise some (all)? I find it extremely useful to use these labels to quickly snap my thinking back to being more positive: “hmmm I’m mind reading again”.

Adapted from Edleman, S, Managing anxious patients Cognitive behaviour therapy in general practice, Australian Family Physician Vol. 36, No. 3, March 2007

To wrap up… if as an actor you find yourself listening too much to your own negative self-talk and it’s getting you down, here is a great tool from Edleman’s book. Take a moment to reflect and use this “monitoring form” to see if you can change your thinking… unless of course you enjoy self-loathing and want to keep undermining yourself …

Download Thought Monitoring Form here.

The post Talking down the self-talk appeared first on StageMilk.

1. Start meditating. It is proven that meditation contributes to a more grounded sense of wellbeing. If you’ve only got time for 5 minutes of quiet, then so be it. 5 minutes per day, is better than 1 hour every 3 months.
2. Train for a marathon/triathlon/competition. An actor’s career lacks structure and often we feel like we’re floating and not working towards any definitive goals, because most of it is out of our hands. Signing up for a marathon, or a competition of some kind, is a great way to feel like you’re moving forward and working towards something.
3. Try something new. I’m a big advocate of challenging yourself, stretching yourself and trying new things. Flame throwing? Flamenco? Flute? Why not! One day I tried Horseriding for the first time with my cousins, and I discovered it was the most enjoyable, relaxing and adrenaline pumping activity I had ever done! If I’m ever feeling stressed, now I just jump on the back of a horse and walk around the countryside for a while – you physically CANNOT wipe the smile off my face! You never know what your saving grace activity could be, so why not explore?
4. Assess your diet. You are what you eat! If you’re putting junk into your body, it’s likely you’ll feel like junk too. Cook your own meals – it’s cheaper, and much healthier. I also find cooking to be therapeutic – after a big day, I sip on some Kombucha and chop veggies and enjoy a home-cooked meal. Good food is also essential for energy – if you’re on set from 4am – 6pm, or have 4 auditions in a row, you want to have the energy to not only get through it all, but smash it out the park.
5. Reach out to friends.  We are inherently social beings, so reach out to your circle of friends and spend some time around other creative, inspired people. The best remedy for feeling down, is to surround yourself with people who care, and who can help pull you out of it. (However this does not mean coffee-shop bickering about this actor, and that director. Gossiping helps NO ONE.)
6. Go to the theatre or cinema once a week. Get yourself to the theatre or the cinema as often as possible. Find ways to stay inspired. If I see a great film, I’m riding on a high for about a week after it! You are creative, and you are an artist – nurture that side of yourself.
7. Retreat. Sometimes it’s okay to retreat – to take yourself out of the busy city and the hustle of life, and just take a few days to rejuvenate and revitalise. This could be a structured yoga retreat, silent retreat or meditation retreat. Or it could be renting out a converted shipping container AirBnb for 2 days, turning off your phone, and disconnect from reality for a little bit. If we don’t take time away from the grind, it can wear us down and become unbearable.
8. #TreatYoself. Donna and Tom from Parks and Recreation treat themselves once per month. And I think you should too! Do something for yourself each month that makes your feel warm and fuzzy. It could be anything from buying a new pair of jeans, to watching movies in bed all day on a rainy Sunday. If you separate your ‘treat yoself’ times, from your work times – you’ll find it much easier to focus on the path ahead. If it’s all blurring into one, and you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel – draw some lines. I’m so busy I have to schedule ‘Treat Yoself’ sessions in my Google Calendar otherwise I won’t do it!
9. Organise your finances. I’m not exactly Wall Street material, I hate organising my finances, in fact I avoid looking at my bank balance as much as possible. But it’s important to put some sort of system in place, so it’s not always on your mind. We’ve got a whole article on budgeting here, check it out!
10. Vision Board. And before you ask, NO – vision boards are not just for teenagers! It’s awesome to visually remind yourself of what you’re working towards and collate images that inspire you. My screensaver is a digital vision board – I look at it first thing in the morning and before I close my laptop at the end of the day. You could also do it on a pinboard, or collage, or in your diary. Whatever works for you.
11. Learn from the best. There’s not much use in taking advice from an actor friend who’s on the verge of giving up, and has lost all their passion for the craft. Learn from the actor’s who are passionate and in love with the work. I find Podcasts a good way to discover and listen to artists, and I often find myself taking note of things that are discussed to add to my vision board for later! Check out the top podcasts for actors and how to consume them here.
12. Write out your goals. Set goals for 1 month, 6 months, 1 year, 3 years and 5 years. Don’t overthink it – they can be ever-changing and you can adjust as you go. It’s important to physically write down what you’re working towards to cement the idea into your mind. Stick them up in your room somewhere you’ll notice them, or stash them in your wallet if you’re a more private person. It’s important to remind yourself why you’re doing this, and what you’re working towards.
13. Declutter. Marie Kondo the s*#t out of your house! Reduce the objects surrounding you that no longer hold purpose for you. Holding onto those old audition scripts? Chuck em in the paper shredder, and let go of the resentment you were holding on to at the same time. When I’m feeling down or frustrated, I just reorganise my wardrobe and take a load to the charity shop. I often feel bogged down by the amount of physical belongings I have, and doing a clean somehow makes everything seem clearer.
14. Sign up for a team sport. Not only does releasing endorphins make you feel less anxious and stressed, but working with a team and being social also leads to a sense of achievement and happiness. Either join a pre-existing team and make some new friends, or make your own team. Sometimes I get so tired of being competitive about acting, and playing a competitive game of Touch Footy is like pressing the reset button.
15. Connect with family. We are busy! But whether family is 200 miles away or just down the road, make sure you make time to connect with family. They are the people who love you unconditionally, and though they can frustrate you to no end, they can also offer lots of support.
16. Ask for help! Whether it’s seeking professional advice from a counsellor or psychologist, or talking to a friend, let someone know if you are struggling. When you genuinely reach out about your struggles you will be amazed by the response. Saying how you feel out loud can be a massive first step.
17. Work on your acting! It’s amazing how many actors I know that are struggling, and it’s simply because they aren’t doing the thing they love. You don’t have to book a feature film to do some acting. Find a monologue or scene, and work on something.
18. Give away something. Ok, this article is already bordering on some self help advice, but this one is massive. I think so many actors struggle because they see themselves as lacking. But actually you have a lot. A lot more than most. Can you give away some books, or clothes, or even better – some time? Volunteer at a charity or with your local community theatre.

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