\n<\/p>\n
Actors are incredibly hard workers. They develop their craft for years, they pour time and effort into maintaining skills. The nature of the industry means that over 90% of actors in any given market are unemployed, so they\u2019re working day jobs, teaching or taking any paid gig regardless of what it might add to their work load. It is an exercise in longevity and resilience\u2014ensuring that you don\u2019t burn out<\/a> three years after your drama school graduation. And because of this, learning how to recharge as an actor is crucial, especially when you consider how much stress and uncertainty you face every day.<\/p>\n Learning how to recharge as an actor is an important skill for any performer aspiring to a long and healthy career. Recharging can be as simple as finding time to rest, practicing basic self care, investing in hobbies and learning when to let certain work opportunities go. Recharging is most effective when it is planned; an actor might relax, but never quite rejuvenate to the point where their energies return. Like any other skill in an actor\u2019s toolkit, learning how to recharge takes time but pays dividends in the long-term.<\/strong><\/p>\n So pour the tea, kick off your shoes, settle down and we\u2019ll dive straight in.<\/p>\n First up: relaxing is not the same as recharging.<\/strong> A lot of people confuse the two, and it\u2019s understandable, seeing as relaxing is a great way to recharge. To relax is to take it easy: it\u2019s a break, a breather, a moment to yourself. Relaxation is the release of tension and anxiety, and allows you to find your centre.<\/p>\n To recharge is different: it\u2019s about regaining the energy you expend doing tasks that wear you down. It takes time, effort and planning. And it\u2019s going to cost you time that you might otherwise spend on your career, or anything else.<\/p>\n And this is why recharging as an actor is so difficult. We\u2019re taught to view such activity as time-wasting, in the same way that we\u2019ve been taught to view burnout as a sign of weakness. But recharging is (in a slightly unhealthy perspective) what allows you to keep working\u2014healthily and safely. It keeps you fresh and at the top of your game.<\/p>\n Less a tip, and more a reminder. Maintain basic self-care in your schedule as a busy artist. Eat healthy meals at regular intervals. Make time for exercise, sleep and relaxation. Be social, even if that is nothing more than a phone call with a loved one on a lunch break.<\/p>\n In theatre production weeks, or during long shoot days, basic self care is the first thing to go out the window. It\u2019s often because people are putting the work ahead of their own, and the high-stress nature of the performing arts requires more than the hundred percent most would give. But this is actually the time to enforce the very things you might let go for your own sake. Strive for balance and take care of yourself.<\/p>\n Extra Tip:<\/strong> If you are truly run off your feet during production times, try to aim for at least one aspect of normalcy in your routine. Can\u2019t get a full eight hours\u2019 sleep? Eat well, or take yourself for a run.<\/p>\n Schedule time in your day and your calendar when you do nothing.\u00a0<\/em>On a micro level, it could be reserving a half-hour to grab a pre-work coffee. It could be a lunch break, or a time in your evening when you put all thoughts of work and career out of your mind and read a book. The macro equivalent would be holidays in your year\u2014if not cocktails on a beach, at least a block of time where you aren\u2019t actively chasing opportunities. A great compromise is actually discussed in the point below this: reclaiming your weekend as a time for relaxation.<\/p>\n The point here isn\u2019t really\u00a0when\u00a0<\/em>you schedule down time. It\u2019s the fact that you schedule it at all. Putting down time into your planner\/calendar\/smart device legitimises your time spent recharging, and highlights its inherent importance.<\/p>\n Extra Tip:<\/strong> Every facet of our industry has a quiet period. Can you sync your down time with that?<\/p>\n This one is a game-changer: aim to keep your weekend (or equivalent, work-free days in your schedule) as free as you can from thinking about or working on your career. Career-driven actors tend to view the weekend as the perfect time to pursue their craft. While it can be useful to have spare days to burn on the perfect self tape or writing a project for yourself<\/a>, it\u2019s not sustainable practice for a long-term career.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not always viable to reclaim your weekend\u2014especially in your early career when rehearsals or independent film shoots will take place on days when everybody\u2019s free. But as much as you can, defend work-free days to recharge and ready yourself for the week to come.<\/p>\n Extra Tip:<\/strong> Try devoting a morning or evening in the week to pursue career goals, in order to keep your weekend free. Prescribed time to work is very healthy, and helps you preserve your prescribed down time as well.<\/p>\n Journalling came recommended to me by a psychologist who said I needed much\u00a0<\/em>less stress in my life as an artist working in a thousand different fields. And to be honest with you, I wasn\u2019t thrilled with that advice. I\u2019d always turned my nose up at the prospect of Journalling: it seemed so self indulgent to me, and, as a professional writer, it felt like I was adding to my workload.<\/p>\n But the reality is Journalling is a chance to unpack your day and your feelings. You think about your troubles, you write them all out and then\u00a0<\/em>\u2026 you close the book. Literally. It\u2019s a great way of checking in and then making a clean break. And then your relaxing and recharging can begin.<\/p>\n Extra Tip:\u00a0<\/strong>You can fold this into your artistic practice as well, by way of the Morning Pages<\/a> technique. StageMilk coach and contributor Frazer Shepherdson<\/a> has written on this subject beautifully.<\/p>\n When we say invest in your hobbies, we\u2019re not talking \u201cGrab some textas, take an afternoon and colour in!\u201d Invest\u00a0<\/em>in your hobbies: allocate time, spend money, get a little obsessive. Actors tend to treat their hobbies as extravagances they can live without. They cost money, time and they don\u2019t\u00a0<\/em>contribute to your larger career (which isn\u2019t strictly true, if your interest is, say, reading plays.)<\/p>\n But hobbies are helpful ways to recharge as an actor and bring some joy to your life. So treat them with the respect they deserve. Don\u2019t be afraid to spend a day learning the bassoon, baking or playing violent video games if it\u2019s going to help you feel more human. Drop some time and money on your passions and treat yourself!<\/p>\n Extra Tip:<\/strong> Hobbies can be a great means of motivation if you are facing work deadlines. Set yourself an enjoyable, useless task as a reward for work well done. Audition submitted? Play the guitar! Monologue learned? Go base-jumping!<\/p>\n One of the most important things an actor can learns in their career is when to say \u201cno\u201d to a role<\/a>. It\u2019s not easy to do, especially when opportunities to work are so fleeting and every job can be a potential life-changer. But if you\u2019re feeling dangerously spent of energy, it can be very healthy to let an opportunity go in favour of rest and recharging.<\/p>\nRecharging vs. Relaxing<\/h2>\n
#1 Basic Self Care<\/h2>\n
#2 Schedule Down Time<\/h2>\n
#3 Reclaim Your Weekend<\/h2>\n
#4 Practice Journalling<\/h2>\n
#5 Invest in Hobbies<\/h2>\n
#6 Let Go of Opportunities<\/h2>\n