The Manifesto 11#
I have many conversations with my clients about how hard it is to look after yourself and your mental health, especially when you are touring, have limited time and generally feel exhausted and low. I get that. I get that when we feel depleted or emotionally flat, all we want to do is go to bed and tune out. Sometimes that’s exactly what we should do.
But not always.
There are many ways that positive activities can help when we are low or even depressed. But how do we get started when inspiration and motivation are hard to come by? We start slowly. Establish some keystone habits such as a good sleep routine, healthy food choices, alcohol-free days or one social activity a fortnight. These new habits should be moderately challenging but not depleting. They can have a knock-on effect and lead to other healthy habits and life changes. By establishing these basic keystone habits, we maximise the odds that we’ll stay on track in other ways. I like the idea of treating our mental health issues like we would a physical injury. The physiotherapist encourages us to keep working an injured shoulder. Reps then ice. Reps then ice. Keep it moving. Stretching and strengthening are necessary for healing. In the same way recovery from emotional lows or even depression is about gradual healing, one step at a time. Life consists largely of the choices we make. During these difficult moments when you need to stretch and strengthen, remember, sometimes you only need to search for small choices.
Kareena. x
Kareena Hodgson was a full-time professional international circus performer for 20 years, who is now an accredited Counsellor/life coach and The Manifesto is her professional consultancy. She is uniquely suited to working in the mental health space within the performing arts. She is also the Senior Editor, Executive Coach & Moral Backbone of Carnival Cinema.
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