Record Union takes a step forward to help address mental health in the industry with The Wellness Starter Pack.
If you do a search here on EDM Identity for “Mental Health“ you’ll see countless interviews where the topic comes up. Yet more often than not, the conversation centers on awareness rather than how to improve the situation. Sure, individuals will all have suggestions, and many of them are terrific. But these are often suggestions that work for them, and what helps one may not help another.
A recent report found that 41% of independent music makers don’t prioritize their mental health. And while the majority of those would like to do so, they feel lost and overwhelmed when it comes to taking action. Enter The Wellness Starter Pack from Record Union, brought together industry experts to create a toolkit especially geared towards music makers.
For many who want to address their mental wellness, there isn’t a clear place to start. The Wellness Starter Pack aims to solve that.
The Wellness Starter Pack is aimed squarely at providing actionable steps for those that want to make improvements. Based on direct feedback from independent music makers, this collection of tools focuses on five key areas: eating well, working out, getting enough sleep, emotional awareness, and surrounding oneself with positive people.
With this in mind, The Wellness Starter Pack created a series of videos and articles in each of these five key areas. One industry professional who focuses on each of these areas was selected to create toolkit and provide guidance for those that seek to use it. The five categories and experts are:
- Nutrition: Dr. Lina Begdache
- Exercise: Dr. Joseph Firth
- Sleep: Daniel “Dan” Gartenberg
- Mindfulness: Dr. Jud Brewer
- Positivity: Erik Fernholm
RELATED: The Association For Electronic Music has launched a new mental health guide designed to educate and support those in the music industry.
It’s nice to see a simple and practical approach to getting started on personal wellness.
Producers and performers become more open and honest about their struggles, the discussion is ongoing. But too often it’s just that, a discussion. What these music makers need is a guide, a way forward; and The Wellness Starter Pack provides this.
As always, the individual needs to take action. But using these practical suggestions they can also begin developing repeatable behaviors and assure that they are surrounded with those that support their wellness goals.
Music fans often give each other suggestions, such as caring for your mental health during a rave but performers don’t have a solid support system. Even though ravers are known to suffer a depressive period after a festival, they are often surrounded by family and friends during that time.
Performers, however, are often on the road for endless weeks without a break. With the energy spikes of clubs and festivals, offset by the quiet solitude of hotels and travel, it’s no wonder they are asking for help. So here’s hoping that every performer gets the support that they need to be well.
