Working in Hollywood is not the easiest choice in the world. For those who chose filmmaking and production as their career field, it is a crazy ride of massive highs and miserable lows: the premiere may feel ecstatic, but the production can be physically and emotionally devastating. To survive in such a way of working, consider these tips from Los Angeles resume writer professionals on how to keep it together and ensure your growth in Hollywood.
1. “No” Is a Full Sentence
Learning how to say no can be one of the hardest soft skills for any dedicated professional to learn and put into practice. But it’s important to set boundaries, even if your dream job makes the call. To start, you must first assess the typical demands of your day and learn to articulate and prioritize what you have on your plate.
It can be helpful to recognize that saying “no” to things that are less of a priority frees up time and energy to say “yes” and attend to other things that are important to you.
2. Take Breaks
Hollywood is not a place for a nine-to-five schedule. But even the dream factory employees can find 30 seconds for a break. And here are the gains:
- Improvements in concentration;
- Stress reduction;
- Engaged feelings;
- More enjoyment from work.
3. Make the Most of Your Lunch Break
Whatever the schedule, you must have a lunch break. Take this time to unwind your mind, think of your own stories that keep you up and things you value about the job opportunities on your way to Hollywood. You can take this time to enjoy your meal mindfully. You can also do short meditations or breathing exercises if your stress levels are high or you experience chronic stress.
4. Keep Your Health a Priority
Recognizing the importance of maintaining your physical health, emotional well-being, and mental fitness is the first step to making it a priority. Try making space for the following to maintain your well-being:
- Daily meditation;
- Movement/exercise;
- Social connection;
- A gratitude practice;
- Committing to using your paid time off.
Remember, health is a crucial physical and emotional well-being complex. Hence, pay attention to each of the factors to stay generally healthy.
5. Show Yourself Compassion
One of the most important ways to achieve a work-life balance is to let go of perfectionism, especially in a creation-centered world like Hollywood. The stress caused by perfectionism accumulates over time. The longer you pressure yourself to perfection, the worse you can feel in the future.
It’s essential to recognize that life isn’t always easy. Everyone struggles and you aren’t always going to get it “right.” Recognizing this truth allows you to create a shift toward a more compassionate growth-and-learning approach to work and life. This can help to support a sense of balance.
6. Communicate Your Boundaries
Set and communicate your schedule to the crew so that you have clear boundaries. Easily put, be available only when you have to. A straightforward way to achieve this is to set up automation for alerts from the studio. This way, individuals lift the pressure of checking emails and messengers constantly.
7. Invest in Your Interpersonal Connections
Lack of strong relationships increases the risk of premature death from all causes by 50%. That’s nearly as harmful as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Conversely, solid connections and social support can improve health and increase longevity.
Make sure to spend your time nurturing relationships that matter to you. If you take the previous steps to unplug, you’ll be able to give more attention to the people you spend your time with, as social life is as much of a full-time job, and its salary is your emotional comfort.
8. Don’t Forget About Your Family
Book some time you will spend with your loved ones exclusively. For this to work, everyone in your family must prioritize this time. Make sure you’re all on the same page. You can also set this time apart to call family members or other loved ones who live far away: the point is communication, so you can make this work even if you are miles apart.
9. Prioritize Quality Time
Rather than spreading yourself so thin that nothing feels satisfying, identify what’s truly important to you. A values exercise can be a helpful way to clarify and reason for yourself. Based on what you learn, take an honest look at how you spend your time. Which activities and relationships are life-enhancing, and which are soul-sucking?
With this information in hand, define where you’ll devote your time. Make sure to prioritize high-value relationships and activities. Important: don’t forget that one of those relationships is with yourself. When you have downtime, enjoy that quality time to re-energize.
10. Start Small
Healthier behaviors can support your sense of personal well-being. These could be behaviors like staying active and or improving your eating habits. But those habits can be challenging to establish. The other key ingredients for success are the ability to do the behavior and a dependable reminder that prompts us to do it.
One way to succeed is to make something so simple and so tiny that you have no excuse not to do it. You’ll be able to do it even when you’re in a rush if you’re sick, or when you’re distracted.
11. Ask for help
High-achieving professionals in filmmaking occupations are often guilty of taking everything upon themselves. They don’t want to “bother” anyone by asking for help or feel challenged to live through everything alone.
To keep your psyche healthy in Hollywood, consider that asking for help gives other people the gift of giving — and being part of a solution and support system. This builds the benefits of mutual relationships for all involved. If friends’ support is insufficient, consider talking to mental health experts with corresponding qualifications.
To Wrap It Up
Success in Hollywood is a childhood dream for many people. Yet, making this dream come true must not go at the expense of your well-being and quality of life. If it feels too overwhelming, take a step back to practice healthy habits and find the right ways to keep it together.
