Remember Green, Yellow, Red
Wellness is a multi-dimensional aspect of the human experience. Our sense of well-being can be impacted by experiences from past, present and/or anticipation of future. Wellness can be linked to physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, mental health.
GREEN = safe, welcome and included
YELLOW = cautious, concerned
RED = distress
Regulation vs. Dysregulation
When we are in the green zone (feeling regulated), we are all systems go!
What gives us energy? It may be different from person to person.
Given the stress of working to deadlines and budget, dropping to the yellow or red zones (feeling dysregulated) can happen.
Often dysregulation is linked to feeling: Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired
Remember: HALT
Then ask: What needs aren’t being met? And what can we do next to meet them?
Everyone Has Access Needs
Access needs are awareness of BARRIERS or ISSUES that prevent participation, access and performance.
Awareness of and respect for individual access needs helps us to create a space where we can thrive not just survive.
You can keep your access needs private and attend to them individually or you can share relevant information with the appropriate crew member (first aid attendant, mental health / wellness coordinator, head of your department, producer, etc.) and request specific support.
Access needs may be simple (like HALT) or complex. They can be personal, cultural, and/or systemically linked to intersectional elements of one’s identity. We are familiar with medical, mobility/visual/hearing/dietary needs. We must also be aware of identity needs, for example, the need for gender neutral washrooms, and the use of pronouns.
Most productions and organizations now have policies that address anti-colonialism, anti-racism, anti-homophobia policies. Mental health and wellness policies are areas where we could do better.
As Media Arts Leaders (directors, producers, writers, cast, crew) we can create our own safer creative spaces policies for when we are working with others.
For additional inspiration and guidance check out:
Association of Mental Health Coordinators
WIDC offers a Team Wellness Starter Toolkit workshop that presents these tools and provides an opportunity to practice them in a safe learning environment. If you are interested in participating in a WIDC SCS Team Wellness Workshop for Leaders, please reach out to enquiries@widc.ca
For more in-depth learning, WIDC recommends the services of organizations who specialize in mental health and wellness which can be found in the WIDC SCS Resources pages