Rest and Recuperate
IYA LUV!
We don't get medals for being on social media and sadly, we don't get medals for taking a break from it either! It's difficult to find that balance sometimes, when habitually we turn to scrolling news feeds to fill our free time. No matter how positively you try to be on these platforms, they still take their tole from time to time.
I'm currently logged out of a few of my social media accounts, the ones I use religiously anyway! I found that it was becoming a very negative distraction to what I actually needed to prioritise... what was really important!
At the moment, I am going through quite a bad bout of anxiety and mental health in general. There have been days, especially in the last week, where I have been consumed by worry and fear and have thought such negative thoughts that I've lost all sense of direction and clarity. Clarity is something I crave a person. If I have it, a clear direction seems to follow and if I don't, that's when anxiety seems to rear it's head.
Like I said, you don't receive a medal from signing out of Facebook or Instagram but what I've found in taking a step back from them, is I've been able to refocus my thoughts and my mind onto what is truly important and what's truly important is: me, my mental health, doing things for myself that will allow me to feel happy or energised or anything remotely positive without posting about it online.
Some of the stress I have been experiencing is absolutely self-inflicted however! I've said yes to many things and so my diary had filled up so much that I didn't have any breathing space to just be, to sit down with a cuppa and not do anything, even for 10 minutes! That's not cool.
I don't like letting people down, never have, never will and sometimes cancelling plans can feel like you are letting someone down.
WRONG!
Are we letting someone down in being honest with them about how we are feeling? I don't think we are. If anything, speaking aloud what's going on in your mind or in your life can be beneficial to both yourself and to the people around you. We can help each other by doing this and I think there are many people that would WANT to help you, given the opportunity!
I must admit though, despite taking time away from social media, rescheduling plans and putting my focus in the right places - I still feel anxious! I still feel like I'm doubting myself in most instances. Honestly, my anxiety hasn't felt this bad for a few years! I think I'm more aware of this because I'm an actor: we have to be so in tune with our emotions and with our bodies! So I can see, quite transparently, how my behaviour and actions have been affected by what's going on in my head and quite honestly, I've felt trapped by it!
There's something I know I can do which always seems to help me: exercise. I often find, no matter what kind of day I am having, that doing a workout or even going for a walk in the park, is beneficial to my head space. You're physically exerting any negative energy that's built up within you, you're regulating your breathing and increasing your heart rate and at the end of it all, you've got loads of endorphin's being released in your brain, making you feel better! I even have a workout vest which says, "Strong body | Strong mind" and I do believe that those two go hand in hand.
Ironically though, it did take me 146 days to complete a 30 day workout challenge and the following day, when I decided to start another 30 day workout challenge, I may have damaged my hip... (again)... in just two days of doing workouts! Sigh. Seriously... I think I need to stick to Yoga for a while.
The point is, exercise, in whatever form it takes for you, is a good thing and don't knock a quick walk to the shop if that's all you feel you can do in a day. You're smashing it!
The last thing I wanted to discuss with you is audition anxiety, something every actor and performer will be oh so familiar with. It's been a busy time for me of late with various auditions going on and lots to prepare. I always find that no matter how ready I actually am, I don't truly believe it.
TRUST YOURSELF!
I have reminded myself of this every day in the past week and honestly, I think you should do the same for however long it takes until you do. Of course, we're still going to feel pre-audition nerves and anticipation, that's a given, but what we can do is alter our mindset to that of, "I've got this, I know what I'm doing and I'm going to smash it!"
This is what I trained for, it's what I am most passionate about, what I truly love to do and above all, that will shine through in an audition room I believe and if you're a performer reading this, remember that and own every second of your time in front of those audition panels.
Writing this blog has already helped me and so if you're reading this: thank you. I hope that if you're feeling low or struggling with aspects of your life at the minute, that you are reminded by reading this blog that you aren't alone, in any way!
Here's me before I did my hip in, tired and stressed but smiling my way through it!
Lots of love,
Rebecca x
We don't get medals for being on social media and sadly, we don't get medals for taking a break from it either! It's difficult to find that balance sometimes, when habitually we turn to scrolling news feeds to fill our free time. No matter how positively you try to be on these platforms, they still take their tole from time to time.
I'm currently logged out of a few of my social media accounts, the ones I use religiously anyway! I found that it was becoming a very negative distraction to what I actually needed to prioritise... what was really important!
At the moment, I am going through quite a bad bout of anxiety and mental health in general. There have been days, especially in the last week, where I have been consumed by worry and fear and have thought such negative thoughts that I've lost all sense of direction and clarity. Clarity is something I crave a person. If I have it, a clear direction seems to follow and if I don't, that's when anxiety seems to rear it's head.
Like I said, you don't receive a medal from signing out of Facebook or Instagram but what I've found in taking a step back from them, is I've been able to refocus my thoughts and my mind onto what is truly important and what's truly important is: me, my mental health, doing things for myself that will allow me to feel happy or energised or anything remotely positive without posting about it online.
Some of the stress I have been experiencing is absolutely self-inflicted however! I've said yes to many things and so my diary had filled up so much that I didn't have any breathing space to just be, to sit down with a cuppa and not do anything, even for 10 minutes! That's not cool.
I don't like letting people down, never have, never will and sometimes cancelling plans can feel like you are letting someone down.
WRONG!
Are we letting someone down in being honest with them about how we are feeling? I don't think we are. If anything, speaking aloud what's going on in your mind or in your life can be beneficial to both yourself and to the people around you. We can help each other by doing this and I think there are many people that would WANT to help you, given the opportunity!
I must admit though, despite taking time away from social media, rescheduling plans and putting my focus in the right places - I still feel anxious! I still feel like I'm doubting myself in most instances. Honestly, my anxiety hasn't felt this bad for a few years! I think I'm more aware of this because I'm an actor: we have to be so in tune with our emotions and with our bodies! So I can see, quite transparently, how my behaviour and actions have been affected by what's going on in my head and quite honestly, I've felt trapped by it!
There's something I know I can do which always seems to help me: exercise. I often find, no matter what kind of day I am having, that doing a workout or even going for a walk in the park, is beneficial to my head space. You're physically exerting any negative energy that's built up within you, you're regulating your breathing and increasing your heart rate and at the end of it all, you've got loads of endorphin's being released in your brain, making you feel better! I even have a workout vest which says, "Strong body | Strong mind" and I do believe that those two go hand in hand.
Ironically though, it did take me 146 days to complete a 30 day workout challenge and the following day, when I decided to start another 30 day workout challenge, I may have damaged my hip... (again)... in just two days of doing workouts! Sigh. Seriously... I think I need to stick to Yoga for a while.
The point is, exercise, in whatever form it takes for you, is a good thing and don't knock a quick walk to the shop if that's all you feel you can do in a day. You're smashing it!
The last thing I wanted to discuss with you is audition anxiety, something every actor and performer will be oh so familiar with. It's been a busy time for me of late with various auditions going on and lots to prepare. I always find that no matter how ready I actually am, I don't truly believe it.
TRUST YOURSELF!
I have reminded myself of this every day in the past week and honestly, I think you should do the same for however long it takes until you do. Of course, we're still going to feel pre-audition nerves and anticipation, that's a given, but what we can do is alter our mindset to that of, "I've got this, I know what I'm doing and I'm going to smash it!"
This is what I trained for, it's what I am most passionate about, what I truly love to do and above all, that will shine through in an audition room I believe and if you're a performer reading this, remember that and own every second of your time in front of those audition panels.
Writing this blog has already helped me and so if you're reading this: thank you. I hope that if you're feeling low or struggling with aspects of your life at the minute, that you are reminded by reading this blog that you aren't alone, in any way!
Here's me before I did my hip in, tired and stressed but smiling my way through it!
Lots of love,
Rebecca x
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