EASY CHIN-UPS FOR THE SOUL
Actor and Positive Psychology coach Laura Pike shares simple things performers can do to look after their mental health.
1. GRATITUDE
One of the fastest ways to boost your positivity is to express gratitude. It has the ability to heal and energise you, and change your life.
Ways to express gratitude:
- Write down three things you’re grateful for at the start or end of each day.- Express your gratitude to a loved one or yourself in the mirror.
- Write a letter of gratitude to someone you may not necessarily have expressed it to. Once the letter is written, call or visit that person and read it out loud.
2. RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS (RAoK)
No matter how small, a kind action that takes the focus off yourself and onto someone else can boost your mood and create a ripple effect of positivity. So get creative on ways to do something kind and selfless for someone else.
Examples of a RAoK:
- Buy a coffee for the person behind you in the cafe queue.
- Leave a letter in someone’s letterbox or in a library book.
- Gather a few cast members together and choose a crew member who goes above and beyond to receive a bundle of love from you all: letters, hand-picked flowers, chocolates or a cake.
3. REALISE YOUR STRENGTHS
Identifying your unique strengths can help you realise what you’re good at or capable of doing, and also give you energy when you perform that action. It benefits both you and the people around you.
Ways to realise your strengths:
- Complete the free VIA Survey (at viacharacter.org) to find out your top character strengths.
- Book in with an accredited Strengths Development Specialist to develop your Strengths Profile, revealing your realised and unrealised strengths, learned behaviours and weaknesses.
- Use these strengths to help set clear, tangible goals for your career and future.
4. SAVOURING
Savouring has a direct impact on your wellbeing by keeping you in the present moment and thwarting hedonic adaptation. In plain language, it can make you remember the good stuff in life and have longer lasting happiness. It helps you to be thankful for the experiences you’re having, as you’re having them.
Ways to make the most of savouring:
- Take part in a positive experience and truly savour it, moment by moment. Breathe in and take a moment to realise why it makes you happy.
- When leaving an audition:
Take a moment to realise what moments you were proud of and have gratitude for the opportunity to be in the room and to be seen. Celebrate the moments you nailed and the challenges you overcame, then share your findings to a loved one.
- Choose one small thing, each day for a week, to truly savour. It could be a meal, a walk in nature, a bath or a catch-up with a friend. Be consciously aware of each moment to moment, and how you felt before and after.
5. MINDFULNESS
Mindfulness can have incredible effects on our health and wellbeing. It can decrease stress, anxiety and depression, boost resilience, improve sleep and teach you to become more aware of your thoughts, feelings and body sensations.
Three types of mindfulness and ways to use them:
1. Single-pointed concentration:
Sit in a comfortable position that feels right for you, pick an object, sign or something still to focus on. While focusing on this point, allow your breath to slowly come in and out and feel each sensation, moment by moment.
2. Analytical meditation:
Loving kindness: Sit in a comfortable position, close your eyes and imagine yourself feeling perfect love for yourself, thankful for all that you are, exactly as you are. Breathing in and out, repeat to yourself: “May I be happy, may I be well, may I be safe” — or use whatever comes naturally to you. Then, allow your mind to think of those around you, loved ones near and far, and send this message out to them as well. Breathe this love in and out until you feel the time has come to slowly open your eyes and take a moment to let it integrate and sink in.
3. Moment-by-moment awareness
Take yourself for a walk in nature and notice your surroundings, moment by moment, as they unfold. The waves crashing against the rocks, the trees blowing in the wind, the colours of the flowers, the texture of the grass beneath your feet or the sand between your toes.
Allow your breath to be calm and constant, breathing in and out as you explore and discover the beauty around you.
Fantastic mindfulness apps:
- Insight Timer
- Buddhify
- Calm
- Headspace
These are just a few of the many ways in which you can nurture and look after yourself, not only in the entertainment industry but in life in general.
The Equity Wellness Challenge
As part of Mental Health Awareness Week (Oct 6–12), we on the Equity Wellness Committee, along with healthcare professionals and performers, have come up with a week-long Wellness Challenge that members can join. There will be daily challenges, space for journalling and tips to take care of your mental health each day. Closer to the date, the Equity Wellness Challenge booklet will be available for members to download, with opportunities to share benefits and support one another in our mental health and wellbeing.
Laura Pike is an actor, member of the Equity Wellness Committee, and founder of Lights Camera Flourish, a wellbeing business that uses practical Positive Psychology tools to help people in the arts. Laura has a Diploma in Positive Psychology and is an accredited Strengths Development Specialist with the Centre of Applied Positive Psychology (CAPP) in the UK.
