We are so lucky to be returning to the stage this year
PIBF is one of the few global festivals able to put on shows, and incredible privilege which is not lost on us.
Day-to-day living and planning a festival have taken great effort this year, and neither could be possible without incredible support.
Supporting ourselves, our own wellbeing and of those around us will lay the foundation for artists to return to our ‘business as usual’
It’s business as unusual, which is why it made sense to engage Angela from Mind & Life Counselling as a sponsor for our festival this year!
As a festival, we are supporting the return of many local artists and audience members to venues and stages, our interview with Angela below is one of many important mental health and wellbeing conversations we will be having throughout the festival in 2020!
We spoke to Angela about wellbeing, feeling ‘rusty’ and how to better manage the dreaded ‘Glitter Crash’:
Q: Tell us about what Mind & Life Counselling offer?
Angela: My lived experience and a need to support my community drove me to create Mind & Life Counselling. It was created to be a place of acceptance and a safe place to engage in your hopes, dreams and fears at your own pace.
We all go through times in our lives that we find difficult, stressful and anxiety-laden. These times can leave us sad lonely and exhausted. As a therapeutic counsellor with an open mind, I believe that each of us is an individual with our own valued life experience.
No matter your age, cultural beliefs, sexual orientation or gender life is a journey and we all deserve a great story. At the end of our lives, that’s all that’s left behind the great stories we leave for the next generation. Make them laugh, make them cry but above all else make it memorable. Let me help you create a life worth living and loving. After all, you deserve the best version of you that life has to offer.
Q: You’re on board as a sponsor this year, and you’re part of the PHAT forum – tell us about your involvement?
Angela: Mind & life counselling is not just a business to me it is the culmination of my journey, experience and passion to help others as they have helped me. Giving back to the community especially the performing arts community is personal for me. I have seen first-hand the passion and commitment that flows through performers; the talent, passion, commitment the fabulousness of it all & the downside.
Performers to me are a special breed of human, they give of themselves to their craft sometimes to their own detriment. It is my sincere hope that if I can help one person who is suffering from “burn out” or “glitter crash” to find a more sustainable path forward, then I will have achieved a positive and healthy outcome.
By collaborating with PIBF this year, we’re out to promote a positive mental health message in what has been a difficult time for the Arts community due to COVID-19. My passion is to connect with and support those in the Arts community and the community at large who are ready to walk the path to a life worth loving and living.
Q: Do you think creativity (and for some, performing) are important for mental health and well-being? How so?
Angela: Creativity is a wonderful human attribute we all have it but some of us engage in it to a greater extent.
Some people play sport as an outlet for mental health. Performers use their creative brain to indulge in their passion which sparks joy, this releases endorphins which are the feel-good hormones. These endorphins are an essential part of any good mental health balance.
Therefore artistes who are able to channel their creative ability into performance are not only sparking joy in others they are looking after their own mental health in a positive and healthy manner.
Q: With a small cohort of creative slowly resuming their business, do you think it natural feel a bit ‘rusty’ and even a bit nervous or vulnerable when we step out on stage? Do you have any tips to help us feel our best before we get out under the stage lights again?
Angela: COVID-19 for many of us has brought unprecedented circumstances to our lives. It has shown the soft underbelly of our economy which in turn has had a monumental impact on a performer’s ability to earn a living and doing what they love.
For many returning to work comes with many positive and negative emotions such as increased anxiety. Not only have we felt the economic vulnerability as our livelihood has been shut down, but performers will also be feeling a little rusty and underdone due to factors like a lack of practice, exposure or lowered self-esteem.
My advice is to step into the vulnerability it is part of who you are, take those feelings and channel them into something positive. Showing your vulnerability takes courage being a performer is courageous to use those feelings and channel them into a powerful performance.
Q: Some performances and events can bring up some big emotions – usually lots of excitement, big themes and a ‘glitter crash’ – do you have a few tips for performers and audience members to 
mentally de-compress?
Angela: Escaping from a life you have created to self-care is not self-care. Create the life you love so that living does not need to be escaped from.
As part of that self-care look at the big picture yes you love your performance and you plan everything down to the smallest detail and you execute it to perfection. What we tend to forget about is that once the buzz ends we are left with a “void’ or “glitter crash”.
Firstly, As part of your preparation for your performance plan how you are going to energise your mind and body. Plan your performance and plan your exit from your performance.
When developing yourself care plan make sure it involves how you prepare for your performance; fuelling your body with good food, having some downtime so that when you do perform you are fresh and vibrant. Secondly, put in place things that will revitalise you so that the crash isn’t such a monumental fall.
Thirdly have a plan in place for after your glitter crash. Your plan can include plenty of sleep, good food, massages, vitamin D (sunshine is a great mood enhancer) and spend some time with people who make you feel good.
To get in contact with Angela, find out more about Mind & Life you can do so via email, or follow them on Facebook!
To get tickets to the PHAT forum in Perth on 27 October, book them in today kitties!