"Making It" and Mental Health

This week on the blog I’m going completely different again and going a bit more personal. I have now been trying to build up my work in costume for about a year and half since I got my first professional credit starting in August 2017. Since then I have had a number of ups and downs, periods of working every day for months and then periods of having no work at all for months on end. During these peaks and troughs my mental health has definitely dipped up and down. I also have a lot of friends in a similar position to me and, in fact, most people just coming out of university and trying to start their careers are really struggling, not only to get a steady stream of work, but also to stay positive through the rollercoaster of changes. So, in light of this, today I want to explore ways in which I’ve tried to maintain good mental health through all this uncertainty and trying to find my feet and “make it”.

Massive disclaimer that in no way am I a trained professional in any of this. These are just some ways that I’ve found help me when I’m in a rut, sending out hundreds of job applications and not hearing anything. Or simply just in periods where I haven’t known what my next job or move in life will be, and I just wanted to share those tips. By no means do I think I’ve “made it” and I’m very much still using these tips as I try to navigate my way through the difficulties of post-graduate life. I’ve collected these from trying to get into working in costume but I hope that they can relate to anyone whatever they’re trying to do.

1. Find a self love practice that works for you

The first major point I want to make is that it’s so important to find something that keeps you grounded. Find something that can help you to feel centred and calmer when everything seems like it’s going wrong or like everything is stagnant. I’ve tried a bunch of different things but it’s important to find something that helps you personally. Something that is calming for one person might cause a lot of stress for someone else, so if you don’t know what is calming and relaxing for you then try out a few different things and see what works!

Try and do one of these activities at least once a day to build up a habit, even if it’s just for a couple of minutes a day. You’ll really feel the difference and feel like you’ve accomplished something even on those days when you really don’t want to do anything.

Here’s some examples:

• Yoga - this is my personal favourite, I think it’s a great way to get out of your head and really connect with your body, there’s plenty of beginner tutorials to get you started for free on YouTube (my personal favourite is Yoga with Adriene https://www.youtube.com/user/yogawithadriene).

• Meditation - I enjoy this but I know many people struggle to switch off their head, but there’s plenty of guided meditations for free on YouTube if you’re a bit unsure of where to get started (my person favourite is Kireiki Healing https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJa4jSLgxtsdnD8J9zdmZGA).

• Cooking - now this is an example of one that actually stresses me out, but I have many friends who find cooking really therapeutic, and also at the end you have a meal that you’ve prepared yourself that you can be really proud of! (If you don’t know where to start just Google a recipe for your favourite meal).

• Exercise - this could be anything, for me I find running really useful to get out my head, but whatever works for you, whether it’s an at home workout from YouTube or going into the gym, you can do it however you like.

• Writing - again this could be anything, just free writing in a notebook, or setting yourself a goal of writing a poem, play or a novel! If you enjoy get scribbling or typing, creativity can really help you to feel like you’re accomplishing something while enjoying yourself.

• Painting/Drawing - you don’t have to be any good at drawing but sometimes using colours and paints to get your emotions out of your head and into the physical space can be a great way to understand what’s going on in your head or just to do something with your hands for a bit. Similarly to writing, creativity can really help you feel like you’re accomplishing something while enjoying yourself.

2. Eat and drink well

Now this one doesn’t seem like a big deal, but eating healthy meals can actually really improve your mood and make you feel good about yourself. Think of eating well as gifting your body and thanking it for keeping you going. It is very true that what you put in will come out, both in mood and in other ways…

Also, when you’re in busier periods try to make sure you still keep to three meals a day. I definitely struggle sometimes with getting so caught up in a project that eating is the first thing to go out the window. If you aren’t giving your body the fuel it needs then you’re never going to be able to be as productive as you can be. It will also help keep you in a good state of mind.

Remember to drink plenty of water as well! Buy yourself a hard plastic, metal or bamboo water bottle and try to challenge yourself to see how many times you can refill it in a day.

3. Own your successes

Don’t be scared of celebrating when you’re on winning streak or something good happens! If you’ve just landed a great job, you don’t have to brag but congratulate yourself. It’s not a bad thing to be proud of the work that you’ve done. Try not to focus too much on the “what next”, try instead to focus on the present as much as you can and really feel the positivity flow through you. You deserve these successes and they will keep coming, even if it does take a lot of time and a lot of effort. If you feel comfortable enough to do so as well, tell people! Go out and celebrate with those closest to you, revel in the joy for a bit.

4. Practice gratitude

Make time every day to think of at least 5 things that you’re grateful for. It could be as small as a pretty leaf that you found on a walk the day before. Whether you physically write it down, or just check in with yourself every morning, just try and find things every day that you are thankful to have in your life. That way, even if there are negatives, at least you know there are always positives somewhere.

5. Put the losses in perspective

Of course, sometimes there will be losses. There will be down times and there’ll be times where you feel ready to just pack everything in. In these moments of course give yourself some time to really feel those emotions, because sometimes it does really suck that you didn’t get that job that you spent hours on the application for, but try not to dwell too much on these. It’s important to understand our negative feelings but we can’t let them own us. At the end of the day, not getting a job isn’t the end of everything, remind yourself of what you’re grateful for and don’t see it as a fault in yourself. They just went with someone else, it doesn’t make your application bad. Just because you didn’t get this one doesn’t mean you won’t get the next one.

Also, remind yourself of the people you admire and aspire to be like. I’m sure that at least one of the people you admire will have been rejected at least once and had to go through all the ups and downs that you are going through right now. Also, remind yourself of how long these people have been pursuing their dreams. Most of the designers I admire are at least a few years, if not over ten years further into their career than I am, so know that everything unfortunately does take time.

6. Find something you enjoy doing to do in your free time

Finally, find something for yourself to do when you’re sick of sending job applications, that still feels productive and like it’s taking you somewhere. For example, that’s why I started this blog! I actually began this blog as an exercise for myself for when I had gaps in my costume jobs to ensure that I kept myself actively working on something related to my field that I was in complete control of. It doesn’t have to be a blog, but it can be anything that you can be in complete control of that makes you feel like you’re getting somewhere or that you simply just enjoy doing. Whether it be reading, writing, a dance class, whatever inspires you!