If you haven’t seen the Film and TV Charity research – check out their comprehensive reports here.
Despite the complex and nuanced picture there are two statistics that continuously grab attention:
- Only 11% of respondents think the industry is a mentally healthy place to work.
- 83% say that industry culture has a negative effect on their wellbeing.
Given that the film and TV sector is an exciting, creative and innovative industry which brings pleasure and joy to audiences across the globe in their millions – it feels particularly sad that the people working to create this content and bring it to fruition are struggling within the culture.
For all its huge potential to create jobs and lifestyles which are engaging, exciting and meaningful – there is something about the working culture that contributes to mental health and wellbeing challenges. This is particularly the case for the huge body of freelancers who are the backbone of the industry. Again, the Film and TV Charity research gives us insight into what some of these challenges are:
- Long working hours
- Job insecurity
- Lack of inclusion
- High incidence of bullying, harassment and discrimination
- Loneliness – particularly high amongst neuro divergent respondents and disabled respondents
- Lack of support for those working with challenging content and vulnerable contributors
- A lack of management and leadership training
These factors combine to make the industry a complex and sometimes difficult place to work, and it can feel hard for people to thrive in industry roles. As such, we should not pretend that mental health is a purely individual challenge for people. There is much that needs to be done collectively at a systemic level. The industry needs to support workers, to intentionally create psychologically safe environments for all, to banish adverse behaviours like bullying and discrimination, to address the long working hours culture and both promote and give people the time to train and develop skills. We’ll be writing much more about this in upcoming blogs.
This blog is dedicated to what individuals can and should do to protect their own mental health and wellbeing. For freelancers this is particularly relevant – as their good mental health and wellbeing is at the epicentre of their business and should be treated as such.
For lots of us – we only really think about our mental health when it is actively failing us. When we are feeling overwhelmed, burnout, depressed or anxious. The most important thing anyone can do for their mental health is take a highly preventative approach to it. Looking after your mental health is a daily lifetime practice. It should be intentional and consistent. When I think about my own mental wellbeing – I often think of this quote by Joyce Sunada – which is deceptively and enjoyable simple:
‘If you don’t make time for your wellness, you will be forced to make time for your illness’
Here are our 6FT From top tips from to help you pay positive attention to your own mental wellbeing:
1.Establish Mental Wellbeing Protocols
Identify a set of mental health daily protocols that work for you – *top tip* – keep them small and highly achievable – a cup of tea, deep breathing exercises, listening to music, 5 ins of stretching, walking outside for 10 mins etc.
- USE YOUR PROTOCOLS
- Every single day
- Practise them with great intention
2.Address Your Stress
If you experience a lot of stress this could be putting too much of the inflammatory hormone cortisol into your body and burning you out. If you feel highly stressed a lot of the time – try these:
- Limit stimulants (caffeine, chocolate, alcohol, screens)
- Breathe in for 4 seconds and out for 6 seconds in 1 minute bursts throughout the day
- To get out of a negativity spiral – focus on identifying your 3 biggest strengths and think about how they can help you
3.Slow Down
We exist in a highly reactive productivity culture that can make us feel that if we aren’t constantly moving, problem solving or hustling we’re not living! Resist this – even it feels counter intuitive. You are a human being – you need to rest and play.
- Take regular recovery pauses throughout the day
- Actively embrace some slower forms of relaxation – breathing, stretching, walking, looking at nature, reading
- Multi-tasking is hard on the brain and creates a feeling of frazzle. Spend a portion of your day single tasking – do only one thing at a time.
Written by 6ft From The Spotlight Co-Director, Psychologist Michelle White.
