It’s Okay to Feel Like This

By Jenna Pastuszek

Weird times, right? 

We’re thinking about y’all right now. 

In an IVS Community Call this morning, I said that it’s okay to feel like David After the Dentist  right now. 

Do yourself a favor and rewatch this classic. 

It’s okay to mourn the loss of everything- your jobs, your schedule, your social events, your  upcoming auditions/callbacks/gigs, your bougie workout classes (just me?), your next vacation,  your daily run ins with friends/colleagues/clients/strangers, your classes, your graduation, your  prom, your upcoming Hamilton tickets, your sense of normalcy, etc. 

In order to move forward, we have to acknowledge that we’ve lost something. Once we  acknowledge our feelings, we can grieve, mourn, and thank the past for all it did for us. 

And then, and only then, can we pick ourselves up, both in person with ourselves and virtually  with the support of our communities, and move forward. 

We can forgive ourselves for spending the last week sleeping in, relaxing, reading, watching  Netflix, baking and eating baked goods, taking walks, worrying about friends/loved ones/the  world. 

And in this slower tempo, we can still trust our intuition, our inner artists, and our inner  productive selves to re-emerge when they feel safe and ready. 

For some, that’ll happen right away. For others, that’ll take some time. 

For some, this sense of unlimited time is freeing, and for others, it’s suffocating. And that’s okay. 

Meet yourself where you are right now. You’ve been given a beautiful gift of quiet and an  opportunity to have the time to sit and listen to what your inner voice is saying. You have the  gift of being able to stop and listen to what your body and soul need. 

Take care of yourself and those around you. 

And when you’re ready to be productive again, you’ll find the inner creative inspiration, drive,  and excitement that have and will continue to be part of who you are to move forward into a  new normal, a new future, and a new industry.

Reach out if we can help. Together is the only way we’ll get through this tumultuous time.