Being an actor or a model is a profession that can bring extreme highs and lows. Constant criticism and a subjective audience paired with the undercurrent of political games can leave a talent drained and feeling hopeless at the end of the day. On the other hand, the soaring elation one feels when acing an audition, receiving a scarce compliment, or while actually on set realizing your dreams come to life, can release endorphins with which no drug high could compare.
These extremes are a part of life, but can be very challenging when living in the real world day in and day out. This is exactly what we read about in tabloids when a celebrity is having a bad day and projects their anger toward an innocent party. Even in the high times, a show of celebration can be made at an inappropriate time and cause a talent to seem selfish or thoughtless. With such an extreme emotional life, it’s easy to find yourself out of control and reacting to things in ways that people around you find unreasonable or inappropriate. So how can you reign in this rollercoaster emotional ride and still be seen as the normal human being your public wants and enjoys? I hate to say it, but there are no easy answers to this quandary.
Before we discuss ways to give you back the control over your emotional life, it’s important to take a moment to give yourself grace. Close your eyes, breathe deeply several times, and realize that some part of you has an ability not everyone can share. That ability is the ease with which you can share other’s emotional life; the power to pull on fear or malice to keep us on the edge of our seat; the potential to move us to tears in a bittersweet moment. These faculties tell us that you are compassionate, understanding, aware, and open to the feelings and needs of those around you. Pat yourself on the back and know that in many cases, those attributes are strengths.
By accepting that your strengths are assets which need to be cared for with responsibility and discipline, you will be able to give yourself grace. That self-appointed grace isn’t a license to harm, but rather a comfort to know that you can make mistakes and will have the ability to react professionally and compassionately with those who were affected when you do misdirect an easily available emotion on some innocent party.
What emotion do you keep so close to the surface to make it readily available? Has it ever escaped unintentionally?
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