The alarm on my phone went off at 6:30 a.m.
I rolled out of my bunk, carefully trying to make as little noise as possible as I gathered my backpack, clothes, and tool bag before exiting the bus.
April Tucker has written some great articles on pregnancy and working as a mom in the Audio Industry, however, I want to focus on something specific: Postpartum Depression (PPD). Currently in the United States parents have been hit hard by the lack of affordable childcare, parental leave options, other childcare support infrastructure, not to mention the earthquake in the Entertainment Industry from the COVID pandemic.
What I’ve found in making art is that once you’ve given birth to your baby – a performance, a film, a sculpture, a painting, an exhibition – you go through a type of postpartum depression. How to get through this?
Did you know that indicators of anxiety and depression symptomology in the entertainment industry are well over the general population norms? (Working in the Australian Entertainment Industry, van Eynde, Fisher, & Sonn, 2016). The following content has been developed by Heads Up, and gives a useful overview of these common mental health conditions.
Deciding whether to share your mental health journey can be a difficult decision. The following content has been developed by Heads Up, and gives information regarding the pros and cons of deciding whether to tell others about your mental health condition. While some of the information may be specific to those working in an organisation in an ongoing capacity, much of the information may still be relevant to those working show to show.
I do not suffer from depression. I’m wired as an optimist but that also doesn’t mean that my life has been all red wine and roses. I have had my share of picking myself up off the floor of helplessness. I’ve also been in the presence and surrounded by many people suffering depression. I have watched them drowning in it, trying to keep their head above water, their pain laid out in front of me. The second most painful thing from actually being in depression is watching someone you love go through it.
Chapter One: To fall in love with Asia is one thing. To fall in love in Asia is another. Both have happened to me.The Star Ferry to Kowloon at night. Lights of Hong Kong behind me. It’s a gift. A dream. A curse. The best thing. The happiest thing. Yet, also the loneliest thing in the world – Anthony Bourdain, Parts Unknown – Hong Kong
When you think of your future self, of the “new you” you want to create, what do you see? How do you feel? Me? I see someone whose anxiety isn’t at the forefront of their daily rhythm. Someone who doesn’t concern herself with the Italian barista judging her for ordering a cappuccino after noon. Oh, I have a detailed clear vision. She eats Greek yogurt with fruit and granola every morning. Tea, meditation, plenty of yoga, quiet and just totally Zen and calm.
In “Cast and Crew – Looking After Each Other On Tour: Part 1” we outlined how the pressures and practicalities of touring may increase people’s vulnerability and susceptibility to mental health problems, or exacerbate an existing condition. If you’ve noticed that someone in your cast or crew is not quite their ‘usual self’, act on it and start a conversation.
The pressures and practicalities of touring may increase your vulnerability and susceptibility to mental health problems, or exacerbate an existing condition. Be aware of your own mental health, and the mental health of your tour mates. If you’ve noticed that someone in your cast or crew is not quite their ‘usual self’, act on it and start a conversation.
Sometimes when you’ve been in the ‘tour bubble’, coming home can be daunting. You may be facing a period of unemployment, or, you might finish one tour and immediately start on the next project without really resting – a recipe for burnout.
I was once asked by a friend to tell me something about myself that he would not expect. I confessed to him that I secretly suffered from occasionally extreme bouts of social anxiety. He laughed. “You? Of all people! Yeah right.” To this day, I don’t believe he ever realized I was serious.
‘The show must go on’ that’s the old stalwart phrase. It’s like a theatrical version of the old stiff upper lip or ‘Keep calm and…’ motifs. It speaks of something noble and virtuous. The chips are down but, by god, we keep on going. It’s admirable. We’ve all heard stories of actors muddling through. In the face of sickness or injury and ensuring the audience get what it came for.
Its been over 2 months since I was sitting on a wet plastic stadium seat about to watch the Opening Ceremony of the 21st Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast, Australia and its just been over a month since I finished working for the same organisation for the past 2 years. Along with many others I had a small part in working towards that point, the Opening of the Games and a week of major sporting events that followed.
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