How to take care of yourself during stressful times

Have you also been feeling burned out and stressed out as we race to the end of the year?

?In 2020 I interviewed Marianthe Smart , an actress, writer, and producer of the award-winning Web-series Booked.?She was also nominated for a Naledi Award, for her lead role in Revlon Girl, and was a writer and actor in Hey Jude, a short film.

And in this interview, she gave such gems on how she looked after herself while they were performing the Revlon Girl, at Graham's town festival and in Johannesburg for more than a month with multiple performances a day.?What made it even harder is Revlon Girl is a highly emotional piece based on real events that happened when a mining tip collapsed and took out nearly a hundred children at a school in Wales in 1796.

This play looks at 5 women whom all lost their children in the disaster. Revlon comes from Bristol to give a Make-up demo to the ladies, to help the ladies uplift themselves. Deep things come out of the 5 women, and it looks at the strength of women & the power of hope. “It is very difficult to do this work for a month” -Marianthe said.

?So how did Marianthe look after herself and what can you do to self-care during stressful or emotional times at work?

·????????Eat properly – have more than 5 fruit and vegetables a day. Ensure that your blood pressure stays stable and take snacks and food with you to your work environment.

·????????Marianthe’s preference is a Mediterranean diet which has less fat, but see what works for you.

·????????Sleep properly, have at least 7 hours of sleep a night.

·????????Exercise releases endorphins-find exercise that gives you joy. Look after your body it's your tool. Maianthe’s character sat for a maximum of 5 minutes of the play and stood for the rest of the performance in high heels. Before and afterward she would do stretches to help her lower back. Performers are very aware of their bodies, but even if you sit at a desk ensure that you move your body more and stretch. “When your body is happy your mind is happy”. Marianthe Smart

·????????Prioritize yourself

·????????And say NO

·????????Realise when you need to sleep in and journal.

The value of journalling:

“You just let everything out, about your day, say everything in your head and no one else is going to see it. It is just for you. It helps you emotionally to debrief.” -Marianthe Smart

Marianthe’s colleague, Christine van Hees was able to write a one-man play from her previous journalling, this is a highly effective tool for mental health but also for creativity.

?The Morning Pages:

Write out 3 -4 full pages dumping your thoughts, because only after that will the beautiful creativity come out.

?Other techniques for when you have anxiety or feel overwhelmed:

·????????Hyperfocus on something:

Look out the window and look at a tree and just hyper-focus on the leaves. And what happens to your brain is it zones in on what you are seeing and forgets the anxiety. Find something around you that you can count, like the blades of grass in front of you, a blind, or anything else.

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·????????Breathing techniques:

Breathe in for a certain count and breath out for the same count. Then increase the numbers to as much as your lungs can take. You start focusing on that breathing, and everything else fades away. It's about giving oxygen to your brain and your mind that allows you to feel calmer.

?How to stay positive:

Monitor your thoughts, reframe them, eat an apple and carry on. Positive thoughts are as important as having positive people around you.

?What would a typical day of filming Hey Jude look like?

·????????They would wake up at 4 am

·????????Drive out to Harties

·????????Have breakfast together

·????????Get their make-up done and get into their costume for the scene

·????????Warming up their physical bodies as well as vocal warm-up exercises.

·????????And then filming.

·????????They would get home at 9 pm at night.

I hope that you can try out one or many of these techniques to take care of yourself, as we race toward the end of the year.

Here is the full interview