Everyone has mental health and so do you.
by Ryan Pedersen
**Disclaimer: This article is not meant to diagnose or help cure any mental health disorder. It is being written to let you know that you aren’t alone, that others are experiencing the same things as you and that there is hope for the future. We recommend meeting with a professional, licensed therapist to diagnose and help treat any mental health disorder that you may be experiencing. If you are experiencing extreme depression, including thoughts of self-harm or suicide, please reach out to a therapist or call 988 to get immediate help.
In January of 2023, I had just wrapped two almost consecutive seasons of a streaming show and was looking forward to a few weeks off before jumping back in to work. That few weeks turned into months. The sporadic work that most of us have experienced is not really enough to catch up on the massive hole that so many of us have found ourselves in while also paying our current bills. I also know that there are still many that are struggling to see that hope on the horizon and are continuing to struggle through these changing times. Our mental health has taken a massive toll during the last year, and I think that it’s very important that we talk about it.
Elevated depression, psychological distress, and anxiety are all things that can affect us during sudden or prolonged unemployment. Obviously, a large reason for these symptoms is caused by financial uncertainty but there is more to it than that. The loss of employment also causes a loss of our routines and creates a perceived lack of purpose. Combine that with the other changes that our industry is going through and you create a situation that most, if not all of us, have never experienced before. We are lucky to live in a time where there is an increased willingness amongst society to address mental health issues and work things out with professionals. Basically, it is OK that you are feeling these things, it’s normal, and there is help.
I would consider myself to be fairly positive and optimistic but the last few months have become increasingly difficult even for me. I have definitely struggled with depression, anxiety, and stress, leading me to wonder if this is the “new normal.” I’ve thought about leaving the industry in order to find more stable work. Though, like many of you who are reading this, I am unsure of other things that I would be good at or qualified to do. I also really love what I do, which also makes it difficult to change professions. So how do we maintain hope, reduce our stress and anxiety, and find happiness in our work situation?
Depression is defined as a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest in things or activities you once enjoyed. It can also cause difficultly with thinking, memory, eating, and sleeping. It’s normal to feel sad about or grieve over difficult life situations, such as unemployment. But depression is different in that it persists practically every day for at least two weeks and involves other symptoms than sadness alone. We are feeling down or sad about work. This is a temporary state that a lot of us are going through. We can treat ourselves by keeping busy, working out, or spending time with friends and family. We have an opportunity to strengthen our personal relationships. I think it’s important to check in with your friends. Ask them how they are doing and let them know they can talk to you when they are experiencing a difficult time. There are also licensed therapists that can help and there is nothing wrong with seeking professional help. Therapy has been very beneficial in my life.
Not all that are unemployed suffer from depression and being depressed doesn’t mean you are unemployed. But I’m willing to bet that everyone reading this has suffered the effects of stress and anxiety. Just like with depression, there are many levels of anxiety. It can be normal in stressful situations such as public speaking or doing a job interview. I think in our line of work, stress and anxiety go hand in hand, especially when it comes to our financial responsibilities. I would bet that most of us have had at least one of these thoughts in the last year: How am I going to pay my rent/mortgage? How am I going to care for my family? What will I do for money if/when my savings runs out? What am I going to do for healthcare? Am I ever going to work again? And then we go deeper into: Am I not good enough at my job? Why won’t people hire me? Did I do something wrong? Why am I the only person not working? These types of questions create a distortion of our reality; only to lead us down the road to depression and ever-critical thoughts of our self-worth.
I think that our line of work has created an environment in which we overwork ourselves in order to get ahead. But I ask, are we really getting ahead by overworking ourselves? I believe that we are not. We ask for more time to be with our families, but we also seek out more overtime because of the additional wages. This creates a huge stress on our personal lives. It also puts a huge stress on us financially because we get used to that extra overtime money and when that disappears, it becomes really apparent. We need to adjust our work/life balance and in return, our stress and anxiety will decrease. We will budget more appropriately. We will spend more time with our families and friends. We will get to enjoy life a little more every day.
We should remember how lucky we all are to get to do the type of work we do. We have cool jobs! But let us also not forget that they are just our jobs and that we have our families and each other, as well as ourselves to look out for and take care of. We should each take time to evaluate our current situations. Reach out to those who you know might be struggling even if you yourself is struggling. We are lucky to be in a union and I believe that part of that responsibility is looking out for our brothers and sisters. Let’s build each other up and provide each other with opportunities of success.