Tag: lockdown

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Be Extra News

A Year of “Being Extra”

Today we celebrate Be Extra’s 1st birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US! In the past year, we have accomplished so many things and we are so proud of our amazing team of volunteers and our community for helping us at every step on our journey to where we are now. If you have followed us on social media, liked one of our posts, read one of our blogs, watched a YouTube video, tuned-in to a livestream, attended an event, or donated to us, we are extremely grateful, thank you!  Be Extra- Wellbeing For The Arts CIC was created as a result of the mental health pandemic which was evident in the arts and creative industries. Our aim was to bring wellbeing resources to artists and creatives in accessible and easy to understand ways, and we have most definitely achieved this. We have had many conversations with creatives in the past year who have struggled at some point in their life or regularly with their wellbeing and mental health, and all of these individuals and organisations have expressed how thankful and pleased they are that Be Extra exists and that we are here to raise awareness about wellbeing in the industry. Arts organisations should be taking a greater focus on their creatives’ wellbeing, and we have seen improvements with this in many organisations in the past year, but there are still big changes to be made. In the meantime, Be Extra is here to help you, and we will continue to campaign for wellbeing for the arts at all levels, professionally and in community arts networks. The world is in quite a different place to where it was a year ago: many artists and creatives are able to return to their work and hobbies again, in-person or online, but I don’t think any of us can say that in the past year, not one of us has struggled, be that mentally, physically, financially, with our health, or with our art, questioning our creativity at times. The past year has changed us all, and with that, we hope that we have been able to help you, even if you saw just one of our social media posts, we hope you have taken time to think about your wellbeing, and even done something to improve it, or given you the skills and knowledge to help you help someone else. We know that one’s wellbeing cannot be miraculously improved overnight, it can never be fully “fixed”. but with small, regular steps, we can all greatly improve our wellbeing in time. This is why it is still so important for Be Extra to exist, there is always something that we can work on with our wellbeing, and hopefully, we will always be here to offer you some advice.  Our Director of Media, Emma Kennedy, had this to say about our 1st year: “I joined Be Extra as one of the company’s first volunteers (which is very strange to think about looking back) as the only person on the Social Media and Marketing Team. In time, I joined the board of directors and we have taken on more volunteers and the Marketing Team is now filled with talented and wonderful individuals who I get to work with and share creative ideas with every week. I am incredibly proud of every volunteer at Be Extra, dedicating time to our cause, learning new skills and gaining new friendships along the way. I can’t wait for the future of this company and what the next year will bring!  Through being a volunteer at Be Extra, I have not only helped other artists and creatives with their wellbeing, but I have also seen a big improvement in my own. Of course I still have moments when I struggle with mental health, but I have learnt a lot of wellbeing techniques in the past year which I now incorporate into my daily life, and I have also helped friends and family when they have been struggling. So on a personal level, I am extremely thankful that Be Extra exists, as without it, the past year would have been very different for me.” We like to focus our attention on you and your wellbeing, but today, we’d like to celebrate and share some of the things that we have achieved in the past year: Our social media accounts have become a valuable wellbeing resource for many artists and creatives, where we share lots of tips and techniques in simple ways which people can incorporate into their daily lives. Our team of amazing volunteers has grown and we have developed great friendships with each other (despite the fact that we have never met in-person!) Our Wellbeing Live series has given artists, creatives, and wellbeing practitioners a platform to showcase their art and to discuss the importance of looking after our wellbeing.  Our blogs have been read by hundreds of people where our writers discuss arts and wellbeing topics in an honest and heart-felt way, again showing how important it is to pay attention to our wellbeing.  Our Student Wellbeing Sessions have been attended by students from a range of Universities in the UK, where our Wellbeing Coaches have offered valuable advice to students who have really struggled during lockdowns.  Our Wellbeing Wednesdays series brought wellbeing advice from a Psychologist to many people across a wide range of topics from CBD (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy), to EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique).  We have achieved so much already and we cannot thank all of our volunteers and creative community enough for helping creatives “Be Extra” by taking time to improve their own and others’ wellbeing, bring on our next year! Patrick Hall, PA to the CTO, had this to say about Be Extra: My time volunteering for Be Extra has been phenomenal and I have met some truly amazing people. Lockdown made me feel quite lonely and isolated from other creatives, so it was really great to join such an open and friendly network of artistic people.

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Be Extra News Guest blogs

Lifting Lockdown: roadmapping out of anxiety

by Tash Bowen Over time and with countless practice, we have crafted perfectly feeble excuses to get out of plans. Easily believable and always vague, these white lies are specifically designed to protect our personal time and space. They enable us to avoid judgement from peers about taking time for yourself. Yet, why do we have such an ingrained fear of being honest about self-care? Why do we feel that “because I don’t want to” or “I don’t feel like it tonight” are inadequate excuses to steer away from socialising and take time for oneself?  As a species, we live by a series of carefully constructed rules and patterns to not only ensure our survival, but to maintain the pursuit of happiness. Set structures for behaviour and society enable us to feel comfortable and safe, and chaos threatens this. The pandemic brought chaos. A whirlwind of mass upheaval leaving death and destruction of old orders in its wake. Now, that may sound dramatic when written on a page, but it is nothing short of what happened. Every single one of us was affected to some degree – some more than others. The “lucky” ones managed to only experience a complete dynamic shift in their daily lives, and coped well, but this is still a highly traumatic experience for the individual. Jarring the traditional sensibilities that have been drummed into us since we were little. Now, change rears its head again. After a year of social restrictions, we’re slowly being eased back into normality. *Mental motion sickness has entered the chat*.  With the heavy mist of lockdown finally beginning to lift, there is a new-found appreciation for saying ‘yes’ to plans. We want to make the most out of every waking second that we have with the people that we love. But it is imperative that we do not abandon making the most out of the time we have for ourselves.  Despite being in isolation with the person in the mirror, very few of us actually dedicated time to enjoying the personal freedoms that can be found in being confined to one space. Instead, the weight of the pandemic and the financial, environmental and social stressors that came with it took pride of place in our minds and dominated our energy and thoughts. The list of questions has been and still is endless, but one that springs to mind is why do we still feel guilty about not wanting to say yes to every plan to go to the pub or for a socially distanced walk with friends?  Change can be very stressful. For those whose lockdown had its social benefits, the thought of having to reintegrate back into the previous normality is overwhelming. For those who were affected physically by the pandemic or sadly had someone taken away from them, the anxiety of risking infection is extremely high. Exhaustion, frustration, confusion and hopelessness loom, but we must take our time. We should appreciate that our bodies and minds require patience to accept that some occurrences are out of our control. To move forward, we may need to stay in one place; we may need to maintain certain aspects of lockdown to slowly allow ourselves to physically and mentally adjust. Bear in mind the rules in place to protect you and your loved ones but try and set your own roadmap out of lockdown. You have accomplished a lot over the past year. Now, I don’t mean that you’ve baked an incredible banana bread or learnt a new hobby. Achievements are personal and sometimes small, but the fact that you’re still here is huge and very important. You have not only survived but lived through a global pandemic. This past year has felt like a lifetime, but in the grand scheme of things a year isn’t a very long time at all – and you have achieved so much. Whether you’re ready to return to the old ways of working and socialising or not, you are not alone. Despite isolation, if you need to take more time to ease in social integration, do it. We all have to take the necessary steps to protect ourselves mentally and physically.  

Coping strategies for students in lockdown (Warwick)

Zoom talk on coping strategies to use during lockdown. Led by the wonderful Bethany Garner (BSc, MPsycholsci, MBPsS), who hosted our first online wellbeing series, Wellbeing Live (Winter 2020). FREE ADMISSION. Sign up here. For current or former students of the University of Warwick.

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Guest blogs

Better sleep in lockdown

BETTER SLEEP IN LOCKDOWN – WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, START SLEEPING – WORK HARD SLEEP HARD By David Cato The worst thing about the current pandemic is also the best thing about it – we’re all going through it. Across the world, online, in the papers, and on social media, the economic and social effects of our current situation are impossible to avoid. Not a second goes by without someone reading a news story, watching a documentary, or hearing someone’s recent experience and going, “holy crap, me too!” None of us are alone in this, even if we sometimes feel that way, and that’s why we can share in detail our own journeys, like my struggles with sleep, energy, health, and time management; I know that at least some of you out there will read these words and think to yourselves, “yep. Me too. I can relate.” I’ll admit it. I’ve always taken sleep for granted. Never really bothered to think that much about it. Ironically, during my time at university, lectures about sleep by a certain lecturer (who will remain unnamed) were a favourite nap time for many students. Curious. But it’s so easy anyway right? I’ve been doing it for decades. I spend over 30% of my time alive doing it, more than enough to qualify me as an expert in any other task or activity. It took me a long time to fully recognise the impact poor sleep was having on me. It took a global pandemic. The lethargy, the mind fog, the lack of any real drive to move, to act, to do things. I’d just adjusted to feeling this way over time and accepted these things as a sort of “new norm”. And it’s not like I can plead the excuse of ignorance here, after all, throughout my highs and lows and various mental health challenges over the years, I’d gained a general understanding of good sleep as an important contributor to a properly functioning mind, and good overall health. But knowing isn’t enough, implementation is key. I’ve heard the lesson a million times, we all have. Teachers, parents, pop-sci articles; all saying “Sleep is important. Have an early night.” Yet somehow, somehow, I still had to wake up from a few consecutive nights of good sleep, look back at my previous week’s self, and think “wow. What a difference!” for the lesson to fully sink in this time. Once I’d relearned how to force myself to bed on time, placed the phone out of reach and had a few good nights’ worth of sleep, it’s like my eyes were fully opened and my higher executive functions were accessible to me once again. Suddenly I’m planning, problem solving, remembering list items, acting decisively and with purpose. Over the previous few months, I’d almost forgotten what it was like to have energy. Mobilising myself to get up at a reasonable hour to do the very basics; hygiene and grooming, cooking, cleaning, shopping, tidying, is so much harder when I’m not (physically, as well as mentally) running at 100% capacity. The lesson here? We all have to recharge each night, properly, in order to perform (at a base level) for a full day. And all of those things, each small in it’s own way, collectively join to form the backbone of my basic daily life. With a clean eating space, a full fridge, and an organised and uncluttered living space (contributing to an equally uncluttered mind, I’ve found), the next tier of responsibilities and requirements are suddenly achievable! They no longer appear as the daunting, insurmountable cluster of mind-numbing tasks that I’d been so desperate to avoid. Maintaining relationships with loved ones (scheduling regular phone calls mostly), socialising with friends (digitally, of course), exercising and stretching my body, and paying attention to my diet and nutrition, all become so obvious to me. It’s as though once you have the underlying things sorted out, the next series of important tasks that rely on them are suddenly right in front of you, like the obvious next step to take. It’s extremely difficult to go from doing none of these things well to all of them in one go, but, taking things one step, one day, one task at a time, it all becomes possible. Progress, not perfection. And then, with all these aspects of ordinary life being worked on and maintained as a matter of daily or weekly routine, I find I have the mental bandwidth to take on new tasks too. I can seek employment, develop and maintain a professional image, cultivate a (limited) online presence. I realise I have the additional mental resources available to learn new skills, balance a workload, even withstand the soul crushing black hole of constant rejection that job hunting has become, and balance a positive hobby or two, like drawing sunflowers. Badly (I’m working on it). Essentially, a key discovery for me has been that, sleep is the primary foundation upon which all higher functions and abilities must be supported. No one has everything handled perfectly, and there’s only so much we can do to improve at any one time. But if you feel like you aren’t quite firing on all cylinders lately, haven’t got access to the full suite of mental and physical abilities you usually have at your disposal, or feel low in energy and mood without any more obvious causes, I can’t recommend pushing your sleep a few notches higher on your list of priorities enough. It’s been a game changer for me. Multiple times. Hopefully it’ll stick this time.  This blog was written by the wonderful David Cato. A graduate in Psychology and Criminiology, David is a huge advocate for mental health awareness. David is also one of our fabulous Outreach & Development volunteers. Read more about David in our second Meet the Team blog.

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Guest blogs

Working as a creative freelancer in lockdown

You don’t need me to tell you that the period we are living in right now is pretty unusual.  No matter what industry you’re coming from or the job that you do (whether it’s creative or not), the job market is a stressful place to be wading through.  Throughout lockdown, I have been working as a freelance writer and content creator. I’m very lucky in that, although I am a creative freelancer, I work as a writer – so the cancellations that have impacted countless other creative industries have not restricted my work.  However, I do have some sense of the difficulties that lockdown has imposed on my age group generally, and any other individuals who are working in the same field as me. It is my hope that this piece will resonate with other freelancers out there, who might be facing the same stresses and challenges as I have been.  Just as a little bit of background info for you, I graduated back in 2019. I technically still class myself as a post-grad (don’t think I’ll be able to get away with saying that for much longer though). I got a job as an in-house writer for a creative agency, and I was there for almost a year before I moved back home to write on a freelance basis. This, completely coincidentally, came hand in hand with the start of lockdown. So, during the pandemic, I’ve been building my freelancing career. The surreal thing about freelancing during the lockdown is the fact that, not to be too unprofessional in admitting this, but you’re essentially sat typing away in your joggers all day. In some senses, that’s the brilliant thing about it. Plus, I love to be kept busy (but I can’t sew, so I’m not really made for lockdown’s conventional hobbies). For me, it’s been great to be able to throw myself into my work during this period.  On a day-to-day basis, I find the job’s successes, new contracts coming in and receiving praise from employers to all be fantastic plus points of the job. I’m incredibly lucky to be in a position where I can pick and choose the types of work that I take on, and I’m so grateful to be able to say that I truly love what I do.  However, the negative side of working completely on your own is the isolation of it all. Sometimes, you can be left with the unnerving feeling that your work doesn’t really exist. It’s a hard sensation to explain. But, with a lot of the ‘ghost writing’ projects that I do, you essentially write a thing, send it off and then never see it again. Working on a screen all day, then sending quickly-written work to people that you’ve never met and then it’s gone forever – it’s rather surreal at times.  If you are self-employed, self-motivation, organization and self-management are always tricky matters. But (at the risk of sounding like I’m sitting on my high horse), these skills can be especially tricky to master if the work that you’re doing is creative. You’re bound to have an off day here and there, and sometimes, there’s nothing that you can do about that.  When you’re working on creative pieces, an off spell might mean that the work that you do on that entire day is pretty rubbish. And that’s part and parcel of the deal. But over lockdown (where, let’s face it, we’ve got nothing else going on), that can really get to you. It’s all too easy to start really beating yourself up about your skills.  One of the other most common problems with working as a creative freelancer is being underpaid. All too often, potential clients undervalue our skill set, because it’s seen to be something that ‘anyone can do’. There are so, so many writers out there, and businesses looking for someone to hire know that.  I worked with an American client for about a month, and they were paying me $6 per 500 words of my writing, and I would write as much as 20,000 words for them a week. It was hard being paid very little for a lot of work, and then churning out so many words can leave you feeling very demoralising at times. This can certainly lead to self-confidence knocks.  With hindsight on my side, if I could go back and tell myself one thing, it would be that it is so important to stick to a fair rate and that, if it means losing the odd job here and there, so be it. In order to break this cycle of underpayments, we need to respect each other as a creative community and stick to our rates, so that no one else is being inadvertently undercut, or forced to drop their rates to compete with ours.  I want to end by absolutely stressing that, all things considered, working as a creative is incredibly rewarding. Being able to write all day long is the most wonderful, fullfilling job.  As with any creative career, managing your mental health is a routine that you need to spend a bit of time learning to perfect. It is a skill in-and-of-itself, and one that it is absolutely imperative that we take seriously.  The support that BE-EXTRA provides as a community has been invaluable to me. Time and time again, Katherine has pulled me out of a little rut, or provided me with fantastic advice (particualry guidance r.e. Twitter!). I cannot overstate the importance of feeling as though you’re part of a creative community. Independent work can feel so isolating at times, and it’s been fantastic to feel as though I am within of a hub of like-minded creatives, going through exactly the same things.  Overall, if you take one thing from me and my little ramble, it would be that one of the main areas of growth that you will face when you start out on a self-governed creative career is working to bolster