The media/entertainment industry can cause you to get burnout easily if you don’t take care of yourself properly. In college, I remember attending a journalism class where the professor told us that journalists don’t always take care of themselves (i.e. sleeping, eating) and that most people who want a career in journalism will never have a family.
Point blank.
I always stress to sleep and eat properly and make time for yourself, family and friends, but sometimes it can get so chaotic that I just don’t know how to put the brakes on, which is exactly what happened at the end of last year. I had lost complete control of my life and I didn’t realize it until a few months ago. It’s a scary thing to admit because I am always in 100% control.
At the time, I was in very high demand to execute liquor events (remember how I mentioned how crazy it gets during the holiday season?) and write news stories that I just didn’t know how to slam on the brakes and say no. Then I had my full time job on top of it and I was trying to date someone. I remember being so loopy and losing lot of sleep and weight from emotional stress – a full 10 pounds to be exact.
As of these past 5 months, I am not taking on any new projects, that’s the last thing I want to be doing. I fulfilled my contract obligations that I had signed months prior all the way until February and gave it my all, the best that I could.
Right now what I am enjoying is volunteering around town, attending church on Sunday’s (then of course getting brunch), visiting my “unofficial” niece in LA, exercising, spending time with friends and blogging for you guys. That’s it. The thing I love the most about blogging right now is that I own all the content and I’m not signing away my creativity to a publication. I could but I really don’t want to at this time.
I have been making peace with a lot of aspects and people in my life and just basically trying to figure some things out about myself and relaxing. I’ve had a lot of time to calm my mind and talk to people. The biggest thing I realized is that I always try and see the good in people no matter how rough it gets. I always see that positive side and how they make me feel from it.
I also set some goals for myself to achieve inner happiness that may be beneficial for any of you going through a rough time:
Attend a place of worship. I never thought that attending church would make me feel good and happy. I grew up Catholic and went to church with my family. My father even put me through a Catholic high school. But obviously when you’re young, you kind of rebel from your religion and just go off and do your own thing. I started getting in touch with my religion again a couple months ago and it really makes me feel grounded.
Don’t put everything on a timeline. I had to learn how to not put everything on a timeline – not people, but my career or other aspects of my life. I always felt like I have to accomplish it within a certain amount of time. I’ve been doing media work since I was 9-years-old, and as much as I love my career, I started to feel like I was on a whirlwind. My main goal now is to take it a day at a time.
Volunteer your time. I talked about this in another post about the importance of volunteering and giving back to your community. This really makes you feel like you’re making a difference and also makes you more of a well-rounded person.
Meditate. My friend Payal kept telling me to mediate to relax and give myself a sense of peace. I have yet to do this but look forward to trying it in the coming weeks.
Listen to music. Music has always been my biggest life safer. I’ll listen to anything depending on my mood. I grew up playing the piano and competed around the Twin Cities. I was even a state champ at age 13! I actually considered a career as a music producer growing up because I love mixing sound. Instead I did radio work and was even a publicist for a band at one point. Music just sets me free and takes away all the pain.
Take a walk on the beach. Listening to the ocean really clears the mind along with taking in the fresh air. I also enjoy watching the dogs splash in the water, lovers walking hand in hand or just watching the sunset.
May you find peace, love and happiness in your life! 🙂
Photo Credit: Richmond, Finer Minds, Freedom Outpost, University of Oregon