How does battling mental health affect content creation? How do you fight past it and keep going? We have a solution!
For most, a bad day is exactly that – just a bad day, however for those battling the likes of depression or anxiety it can be a far more crippling experience both mentally and physically.
Having suffered with depression since age 16 I know exactly how harsh the effects of this illness can be.
The exhaustion, the fatigue, the anxiety! All can leave you feeling doubtful of your own abilities, lacking in confidence and mentally impaired when it comes to having the drive to carry on no matter how much positivity you receive.
But how does that differ when it comes to creating content? How do the effects of this illness prohibit you from reaching your potential?
In truth, the battle can be a far tougher one to say the least!
No matter how confident you may be in your own ability to create content, on your worst days you can feel unconfident in your creativity and unconvinced that the content you are creating will have any appeal to your audience.
How do you move past this?
In truth, you have to keep pushing forward! Focus on what you have achieved so far and allow yourself to feel proud of the work you have done as a whole.
The reality of the situation is this! As long as your content’s in the limelight then you will always have those who either don’t approve of the views you are expressing or the points you are putting across.
Instead of dwelling on this however, use this criticism to fuel your passion, take the negative and turn it into a positive.
The fact people even have views in the first place means that your content is getting noticed by others.
Now, it’s all very well saying this, however on the worst of the worst days even getting out of bed can prove a challenge.
That means that your creative side will surely take a lot to pull through, however the most important thing to remember is this! IT’S NORMAL TO FEEL THIS WAY!
Also remember, you ultimately have full control of what you create, when you create it and how that happens.
Your follower numbers will also fluctuate at times too and this is perfectly normal.
Just remember, you’re not doing anything wrong, it’s just how most algorithms work and there’s always that chance that people’s individual tastes have changed over time too.
As long as you create content you believe in, then others will believe in it too.
Never focus primarily on the amount of followers you have, but instead focus on the quality of the content you are putting out.
Beating the block!
On the hardest of days you will find that mind blocks will come along in abundance.
This is due to the demanding toll your battle with depression is taking on you as a whole.
It’s hard to focus when you have so much in front of you, and in this situation you need to step back and take stock of everything happening around you. Prioritise it and work through everything at your own pace.
Remember it’s ok to take time for yourself, it’s ok to put family life first and most importantly you need to allow yourself to be selfish every once in a while too.
The block will pass, the inspiration will come and most importantly as long as the community is at your side and the industry continues moving forwards then ideas will be aplenty.
Believe, Achieve, Succeed!!
No matter how hard your day may end up being, remember this! BELIEVE IN YOURSELF, because others also believe in you. That’s why they chose to follow you in the first place.
You’ll find that your followers will always have your back too and no matter how hard things may appear on the outside, deep down you know you can keep moving forwards and keep fighting the fight, bringing your passion to those around you in the process.
As long as you tell yourself you can, then you will. As long as you believe you can achieve the standards you most desire, then you will and as long as you keep driving your inspiration into the content you believe in creating most, then YOU WILL SUCCEED!
There is so much opinion within the world right now (this year more than ever), however in reality the only opinion which realistically matters, is yours.
It's ok to not be ok!
In conclusion, no matter how driven you stay and no matter how great things are going you will have times when you feel like giving up and this is also perfectly normal too where mental health is concerned.
The key in these situations is to reach out to either your friends or family and draw strength from their support and kind words.
there are always times when you will ‘not be ok’, however in these situations the worst thing you can do is keep your feelings to yourself.
Allow yourself to be vulnerable and reach out to those you care about most.
We all need the support of others every now and then, and that’s ok! There is no shame in admitting that.
At the end of the day your schedule for creation, your levels of content and the balance between life as a creator and life outside of your brand is always in your hands.
It’s extremely important to remember that as long as you maintain your passion, take breaks when needed and channel your inspiration when it’s there, you really can defeat the evil effects mental health can have on you and keep driving your content onwards and upwards at every turn.
Joe.