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
Hey All,
Time for conference again.
I'm excited! But also already completely overwhelmed.
Among other things, I just found out that I'm probably going to be the only person from my organization attending this year.
That hits me as an anxiety double-whammy, because on the one hand, I'm going to be by myself in a strange city surrounded by hundreds of my closest strangers. Then on the other hand, there's also the anxiety of trying to hit all the important sessions without being able to spread everything out among my team members.
This comes on the heals of my "work-spouse" Almarie, who attended conference with me last year, leaving my org suddenly.
Anyone else feeling stressed about conference? Feeling overwhelmed? Feeling alone?
I would love any advise about how to conquer TLCC with a team of one.
Thanks,
Shelly
Hey Shelly,I feel your pain. I'm also solo again this year and while I'm a bit better at managing my depression and anxiety than last year there will definitely be pretty hairy times. I also get a big laundry list of things people back home want to hear about. The debrief presentation when you get home can be a mini conference in itself. Last year I blocked out a mini Google slideshow each night to help me dump down the days learning. Don and the Community Team have added some great white space and quiet tables as a party of their DEAI (Diversity, Equity, Accessibility & Inclusion) which is worth calling out https://tlcc2019.tessituranetwork.com/accessibility--inclusion
Also sing out if you feel the panic coming on. I've got a personal policy that I've shared at work - if ever anyone in the team is at breaking point (mad/sad/whatever) then I'll drop everything for 30mins and we go for a walk and vent (I listen). I'm open to extending that to anyone at the conference as well. I get almost no learning/work done when I'm getting crushed by depression &/or anxiety and I'm pretty sure I'm not alone.
I just did a TNInspire on this for the ANZTRUC conference over here that grew out of this conversation last year and it was so worth it for me. I was just chatting to Chelsea on FB about it (now that she's no longer with a TN org).
Just so you know I'll be on your team - it's never just one.
Cheers,
And then I cry at work because of the love and support in this network of amazing people. I second what Heath says Shelly. If you need a shoulder, an ear, someone to sit with at breakfast/lunch/dinner to talk to about things other than TLCC or Tessitura....I'm here for you. You are never alone.