How Streaming Can Affect Mental Health: Do’s And Don’ts For Creators
Streaming and creating content can have indirect side effects on the mental health of creators alike. Good and bad things can happen to individuals who work in the space. Let’s face it, at the end of the day, if you want it to be your source of income, it’s a job. It has its good days like any job, and sometimes they can be absolute garbage. Streaming and creating content is like any other job because you will have days that will drive memories to cherish. Imagine building the bonds of friendship over an emotional moment within the story of a game. You might even find members within the gaming community who have shared similar life events and build significant support structures.
Conversely, there are days when you’d rather not see your chat to save yourself the headache. No matter how big or small, sometimes even a minor thing can ruin your entire day. Some things will happen within this space that can be very emotionally draining.
Are gamers and streamers anti-social?
Starting as a creator can be a wild adventure. It’s best to start by treating it as an extension of your hobby. The best communities have been created by friends who already game together. Humans being social creatures, naturally find themselves attracted to other social gatherings. If you are anything like me, the flare gun went off, and you’re questioning the validity of these words as you pass the 1000 hour mark of the next single-player game thinking, “But H4m, gamers are an anti-social crowd, that makes no sense.” To this, I reply, “But doesn’t it?” Our ears perk up every time someone mentions a game we love, when someone watches a video nearby and you recognize the same sound effects, or when we hear someone’s new way of playing. To this point, people want to be a part of something. Your friendships are one of the most critical features in streaming because social habits help you make new friends within the streaming space.
One of my streaming mentors once told me to spend as much time or more nurturing relationships outside of being live. If you spend two hours a week streaming, you should spend 2+ hours engaging with your community. This can be your direct friends, people who come into the stream to chat, or other members within a game category. Invest time finding other creators like yourself and engage with them. At no point should you bring up streaming or content creation unless they directly ask you. It wouldn’t feel natural IRL walking up to someone at their job and say, “Hi Bob, I’m Joe. I also sell TVs, so you should stop by.” Friendships are about authenticity and interests. Building genuine relationships not only help your content offerings but also helps you.
Your friends are the greatest tool in streaming
Your best support comes in the way of your friends. Sure, having your friends there to keep the chat flowing and poking fun at you constantly ( YES YOU, MODS) feels great and looks good on paper. The focus is on what they do for you mentally. The definition of a friend is “A person who has a strong liking and trust in another person.” That established trust means that when you are struggling with the pressures of feeling inadequate, or when you think you can’t get a grasp on things, you have someone who understands you for you, and you can talk to someone. It is said that having good friends has twice the effect on a person’s life that working out does. Shore up your defenses against some of the “work stress” battles by surrounding yourself with good people.
Some of the best creators out there have spent months being a part of communities, playing with people regularly, and building bonds. When they finally go live, they have a network of people who know them and are excited to spend more time with them. What will you do in the future to help establish better friendships as a creator?
Practice breaks and learn your limits
I want to start by saying if you fall into this category, it’s not your fault.
Many people feel the need to stream 8 hours a day, five days a week, to succeed. Many of those same people don’t last long in the creative space. It can be challenging for one person to develop new and engaging ways to make your daily stream broadcasts feel unique. This is why friends are so powerful. Friends offer a unique and exciting diversity by allowing new ideas to be a part of the experience, and it leaves viewers always hearing something new.
Alone the battle can be tricky. The risk of burnout becomes immense because of the dense focus on consumers binging content in today’s age. Everything we watch and do has become on-demand. People don’t realize that it also affects the view on what they see in your content. This consumption style puts an active pressure on you to constantly develop something new or engaging to stand out and keep up viewer retention.
It’s not to say that you cannot stream as a break, but it can help if you make sure to schedule your live broadcasts in between those breaks. It’s okay to take “mental health days” from time to time by taking short breaks from social media or switching up your content offerings for a day. Practice strong creative habits by spending time away from electronic devices for greater than 15 minutes. It’s cliche, but find a place to go to escape distractions and environments you are around regularly.
The psychological aspect is that we attach “work” or “play” to places or things we do. Your hobby may have just become your “job,” and now it is no longer your “fun” space. This place can help you become creative and think of new ideas while also relieving tension by being in the work environment or keeping you from being distracted by fun things like video games or music. I love to make a cup of coffee and sit out on my back porch. I can let my mind wander, and it has been a place where I can come up with my most creative ideas.
You also need to know your limits and when you are weakest. Be honest with your headspace among your friends. It can be hard to convey some of our emotions, and it requires trust from our peers. Even if they don’t come to your stream, these friendships will make or break your success story as a content creator or streamer.
Advice is just that, listen to you first
Often the same people say what you should and shouldn’t do use them as absolutes. There is more than one way to the top as a digital creator. If anyone says “you have to,” “don’t play that, or “you can’t/can only,” don’t listen to them. There is a lot of common ground in the content creation business. Numbers don’t lie, right? Is that person also thinking about the time of day? Previous friendships? What their common interests are within the community? Most people judge success by their face value accomplishments. It’s almost impossible to compare yourself to others because of all the factors that go into your success story. It is wise to look at numbers despite what people say, but it shouldn’t make or break your decisions.
You know you best. You know when you need time away, when you feel up, when you feel down. Know your limits, and stick to them. Stream because of yourself, not others. That is the one constant of which you can’t lose sight. Do not let these outside forces tell you what to do with your channel, even if it isn’t what some people expect or predict for you.
We all need help sometimes. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it most. Find your friends and keep them close. It’s easier to make lemonade with more than one pair of hands.
Remember, you are loved. If by no one else, then me.
