Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am a huge advocate for mental health. I am a firm believer that your mental health is just as important, if not more important than your physical health, and that it deserves to receive the same amount of care and devotion that your physical health receives. Maintaining positive mental health can be super challenging, but I feel that that may be especially so for those of us in the creative industry. As a matter of fact, a lot of photographers will tell you that they are introverts and that they have extremely high social anxiety, myself included. And if we’re being honest, it takes a lot for me to muster up the energy to actively engage in conversation with clients. But, over the years of inevitably working with people, I’ve discovered a few ways to help myself overcome this anxiety-fueled beast and keep my mental health in check. Trust me when I say that I’m so awkward they make memes about me, but my hope is that since these tricks have worked for me, they may work for you, too.u that I am a huge advocate for mental health. I am a firm believer that your mental health is just as important, if not more important than your physical health, and that it deserves to receive the same amount of care and devotion that your physical health receives. Maintaining positive mental health can be super challenging, but I feel that that may be especially so for those of us in the creative industry. As a matter of fact, a lot of photographers will tell you that they are introverts and that they have extremely high social anxiety, myself included. And if we’re being honest, it takes a lot for me to muster up the energy to actively engage in conversation with clients. But, over the years of inevitably working with people, I’ve discovered a few ways to help myself overcome this anxiety-fueled beast and keep my mental health in check. Trust me when I say that I’m so awkward they make memes about me, but my hope is that since these tricks have worked for me, they may work for you, too.
#1 Speak to a mental health professional
One (key) way that we can take care of our mental health is to talk things out with a mental health professional. Our friends and families are obviously such a nice support and encouragement but talking things out with an unbiased third party is more helpful than you may realize. Even more so, mental health pros are trained to pick up on things that may be contributing causes to deeper issues. Don’t stop talking to you’re the folks in your corner, but keep an open mind about hiring a pro, too.
Resources: Find the right therapist for you with GoodTherapy or Psychology Today, or chat with a professional no matter where you are with the app Talkspace.
#2 Remember that clients are still human beings
Something that always creeps into my mind is the worry that the awkward version of myself will be the one whom the clients meet right away. Then, I’ve psyched myself out and convinced myself that I’m not cool and that now my clients think I am such a loser. Odds are, they don’t think that at all, but anxiety and the desire for social acceptance convince me otherwise. In times like these, I remind myself over and over that clients are human beings, too, and you know what? Human beings stutter. Human beings trip over their own two feet and human beings mess up. It’s natural and it’s 100% okay. Just be yourself and remember that the person that you’re photographing woke up, put on their clothes, and brushed their teeth the same way that you did.
#3 Breathe
Okay, okay, I know you’ve heard this one before, but if we’re being real, it totally works. I have been in situations where I felt like such an outcast. I am an introvert and it is so unbelievably hard for me to fit in. My mountain people accent (thanks West Virginia) gets the best of me, and I instantly become the girl who everyone likes to mimic. Obviously, I know that more often than not people are just joking around, but there have been times where it hurts me to my core, and I end up in the bathroom wiping tears away. In times like these, I remind myself to breathe. I take deep breaths, inhaling through my nose and exhaling through my mouth. I have even gone as far as to take a few minutes and let my mind drift away to my happy place (hello mountains of Montana). In a few minutes, I feel rejuvenated, refreshed, and ready to get back out there and join the group. During times when I am waiting in my car for a client, I turn down the radio (or crank it up if that’s your thing), take a few deep breaths, and whisk my mind away to a happy memory. My mood is instantly improved, and I am ready to get chatty with my clients.
Resources: Try out meditation apps like Breethe and Headspace.
Keeping your mental health in check is difficult, but so, so important. You cannot expect to cater to your clients’ needs if you do not cater to your own first. The fact of the matter is that anxiety is real and the different versions of it can be found within so many of us. It does not have to be debilitating if you don’t want it to be, but only you have the power to make that determination. Although these methods have worked for me, there may be others out there that have worked for you. If that’s the case, feel free to share them below. You never know who is reading and who may be encouraged by your words to better their own mental health. Take care of you and tell that anxiety of yours that you aren’t going to let it control you anymore.
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