Hi all,
Just wanted to follow on from Chelsea Kauffman's great TLCC2018 forum thread. Living with anxiety and depression can be a difficult ask especially when we are under the intense pressures we get in the arts world such as Presales, Opening Nights and the holiday season. If you have a story you'd like to share, or just some comradery, feel free to share below.
I'll quote Chelsea (hope that's OK) as she said it better than I can.
"So how do you handle being a professional and having a mental illness? How do you cope with insecurities, anxieties, depression, and fear without destroying your team’s confidence in you or without throwing in the towel?
Tell me your story. How do you survive? How do you manage?
I just want to know I’m not alone and that there is a bright future and that I’m doing okay."
I'm our organisations Ticketing, Data Analysis and Tessitura Admin departments so there never seems to be an off season for me.
Chookas (as we say in Oz),
Heath
Like Matt, I wasn't at TLCC either but I saw the thread you mentioned Heath, and I thought it was amazing. Kudos to Chelsea for starting it and to everyone who contributed - and to you for keeping it going here! These conversations are SO important.
I've been in the arts eight years now and it always manages to both inspire and concern me how much people give of themselves to this community. We believe in our orgs and our mission so much, and we all want to give and to muck-in with everyone to get the great stuff done, which is awesome - but often we put ourselves on the line in the process! Finding the balance is hard, but important - and these discussions are a big part of that. I have a chronic illness, and I've found it a real struggle at times. What helped me was speaking to my managers about my challenges, which ultimately lead me to change roles, and then move to 4 days a week. It's been the best decision, and I feel very grateful to be part of a team that allows and supports that.
I think we all struggle with telling people "I need a break" or "I need time out" - we feel like we're letting our teams down, right? If everyone around me is giving 110%, why should I be able to turn it down to 80 for a while? Rest is important though - ask any athlete, they don't train every day. Rest is a key part of their preparation and it enables them to be their best. We should all try to think of rest that way: it's not a "cop out", it helps me perform at my best. I think as individuals and organisations we can certainly try to get better at encouraging and supporting each other to actively book in rest periods around our busy times so we don't burn out. Easier said than done I know! :-)