The life of an actor is often hectic and stressful, with the long hours that come with auditioning, rehearsing and performing. It can be all too easy to forget about taking care of your mental health as you strive for success in the industry. While it’s important to pursue your career goals, it’s equally important to take steps to ensure that your mental health remains strong and healthy. We hope this article can give you some helpful tips on how to take care of your mind while you’re achieving your dreams!
KEEP YOUR BODY HEALTHY AND MOVING
One very important aspect of mental health is movement and achieving the best physical health that you can. This looks different for everyone, so take the time to reflect on what is best for you. You might want to talk to your family doctor too. It doesn’t have to be anything drastic – just thirty minutes a day of walking can make a huge difference.
TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT FOODS MAKE YOU FEEL YOUR BEST
Again, different bodies respond best to different diets. You probably already have a pretty good idea of what fuels your body and makes it feel its best, so do what you can to include this in the majority of your meals. Make sure that you are powering your body with whatever it needs to feel good so that you are able to handle those long days of auditioning and acting.
FIND A NETWORK OF SUPPORT
Having someone you can talk to when you’re struggling or need some extra encouragement is so crucial to maintaining your mental health. Maybe you like to spend time chatting with your family or friends about things that you are finding difficult. Or maybe you have some colleagues in the industry or fellow actors from your time in acting school who you trust. Whatever the case may be, make sure that you’ve got some good people in your life who can help you out when you need to vent or are looking for advice.
CREATE AND STICK TO A BUDGET
Finances can be a huge source of stress for anyone. To eliminate this type of worry as much as possible, it’s a great idea to come up with a monthly budget for yourself, taking into consideration your income and what your fixed bills and other expenses are. Doing your best to stick to this budget is a great way to ensure that finances cause as little stress in your life as possible.
MAKE SURE TO SCHEDULE BREAKS FOR YOURSELF
While your instinct might be to attend every single event that comes your way and stretch yourself super thin, taking a break is essential to maintaining good mental health. If you keep pushing yourself until your body and mind can’t take it anymore, then you’ll likely be forced to rest by some kind of illness or sheer exhaustion. This can set you back when it comes to achieving your goals over the long term.
MAKE SURE YOU ARE HAVING FUN
It’s easy to forget sometimes that acting is supposed to be fun! Make sure you’re enjoying the work that you’re doing and the roles that you’re taking, because if you notice you’re not having fun anymore, this can also affect your mental health, and it might be time to reevaluate what’s going on.
We hope these tips have been helpful in understanding how important it is to take care of your mental health as an actor. We wish you luck on the road ahead – don’t forget to take the time for yourself too!
