Touring professionals in both the music and theatrical community report high rates of anxiety, depression, insomnia, and burnout. Being on the road means leaving behind comforts and support systems, an inflexible schedule, and the pressure to perform at a high level even when not feeling at your best. Because of the financial instability that often accompanies this career, professionals often feel pressured to take every job in case another one doesn't come along, which can mean long periods away from relationships, which also adds to the stress and shortens recovery time. Touring can be a fabulous adventure and a fulfilling career, but for those times when it isn't, there are places to turn to for help.
RELATED: New Online Tool Offers Mental Health Help For Touring Professionals
Psychotherapist Tamsin Embleton (MA, MBACP), founder of The Music Industry Therapist Collective and editor of Touring and Mental Health: the Music Industry Manual, (use code Touring20 for a 20% discount at checkout) spoke to Live Design about how to prepare before a tour and ways to take care of yourself while on the road.
Live Design: For someone who is just starting out as a touring professional, what steps can they take before going on tour to prepare mentally?
Tamsin Embleton: Set realistic expectations about what lies ahead. Touring is a great way to hone your craft, and it can be a heap of fun and take you to far flung places, but it’s also demanding and it’s realistic to expect some down days along the way. Performing well work-wise over weeks or months requires continual exertion. It’s best to set off on the right foot, setting healthy habits to support yourself on a day-to-day basis.
In terms of your mindset and attitude – remember that it’s a workplace. Be open to learning and taking instruction - pay attention, acknowledge mistakes and show up on time. Having a ‘can do’ attitude and a flexible, collaborative mindset will help you learn on the job, adapt when thing change and integrate into the social framework. Tourmgmt101 has some great tips on touring etiquette which is helpful for rookies.
Make sure you pack your sports gear so you can make use of hotel gyms and local sports facilities. Pack noise cancelling headphones and ear plugs and an eye mask. Make yourself some good playlists, download some podcasts and audiobooks (the audiobook of Touring and Mental Health: the Music Industry Manual will be out this September, and we’ll be offering it at 20% discount from https://store.musicindustrytherapists.com/ until January 2026!). Perhaps listen to them while out on a walk to explore the local area and give yourself a bit of downtime and solitude.
LD: Is there a "self-check" that people can do while on tour to make sure they are not burning out or discounting their mental health?
TE: Picture a bucket filled full of water. You set off on tour and the bucket is full. Along the way, things that increase stress drain some of the water out of the bucket, whilst things that restore energy or discharge stress top up the water levels.
- Where is the water level for you right now?
- What can you do to refill the bucket?
Burnout is the result of chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It’s a sign that something urgently needs to change. It involves three dimensions:
- Physical exhaustion
- Negative feelings, cynicism or detachment from your job
- Reduced efficacy at work
To reduce the likelihood of burnout occurring, it’s helpful to develop self-awareness around how stress shows up for you. Think about a time you have struggled in the past – how did your thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, behaviors and how you communicate change when you were stressed? What are the early warning signs when stress begins to build for you? What can you do at those points to support yourself in future?
Self-care helps you to expand your coping capacity. Think of it as a preventive measure rather than a last resort when you’re running on empty.
Ask yourself ‘how can I support myself through this situation?’ Consider your physical and psychological needs. At times your body will need to move, stretch and to relax. It also needs adequate nutrition and hydration, daylight and sleep. Your mind needs decompression, distraction, entertainment, stimulation, outlets to process what you’re experiencing and connection, amongst other things.
Consider what has worked for you previously and how you might build that in on tour. Get creative, stay curious and find what works for you. Activities are a great way to build connection and they also ground you in the places you visit (which can help reduce overwhelm).
LD: Is it helpful to schedule regular catch ups with family and friends so that if they miss any someone knows to check in?
TE: Yes, great idea – friends and family can be a huge support, especially if you feel you can talk freely with them (and not sugarcoat things). Withdrawal can be a sign that someone is struggling so it’s helpful to have someone checking in on you (some tours have buddy systems that can also help with this).
If this works for you, make sure you let loved ones know when you are in different time zones, and when you might not have spare time, or privacy (i.e. work days and travel days).
LD: Are there any apps you would recommend that are helpful—whether for diet or yoga or any of the routine things a person does when they work regular hours from a base but might let slide when on tour?
TE: I use iBreathe for breathwork (it’s pretty basic but does the job). I also like this Tara Stiles Youtube video which you can do on your bed or bunk to stretch out tension and wind down before sleep, which can be helpful if you’re feeling amped up. I use this Tara Stiles 30 min yoga workout when work stress ramps up - it helps me discharge stress and helps me mark the end of the working day.
Here are a few apps recommended by the authors of Touring and Mental Health: The Music Industry Manual:
- 1 Giant Mind
- Headspace
- Calm
- Insight Timer
- The Breathing App
- MyFitnessPal
- One Fiit
- Glo
- Fabulous
- Sleepio.
For more suggestions, visit touringmanual.com.
LD: Do you have any advice or resources for a professional who is not yet in crisis but is not happy and still has an extended period of time before they can go home?
TE: Firstly, I want you to know that you’re not the only person who struggles on tour. Many people suffer behind closed doors because of job insecurity, shame, cultural factors, or not knowing where to turn.
That’s exactly why we set up our 24/7 online mental health support service – to provide confidential support to anyone who is on the road and is dealing with anxiety, stress, depression, a problem with eating or substances, relationship difficulties, self-esteem issues, work-related problems or something else.
Talking things through with a therapist or coach can help you to figure out why you feel the way that you do, and what you can do to feel better. It can help you regain perspective, blow off steam, problem-solve, set or stick to recovery goals and figure out what all of this means and what really matters to you.
There are also some fantastic services and online peer support groups such as Suzi Green’s the Back Lounge or Roadies in Recovery. Email us for a print outs of services you can put up in your crew rooms and dressing rooms: [email protected]
LD: For people who have been out on the road for a very long world tour and are used to it, do you have any advice for returning to "civilian" life? It must be hard switching lifestyles so completely.
TE: The fantasy of coming home might be quite different to what it is actually like. You have to adjust to a change in status, responsibility and pace… You might feel a sense of displacement or disconnection – as if you’re not sure where you fit. You might also have a bout of post-tour flu which is your body’s way of telling you it’s been under a lot of stress for a prolonged period.
Be gentle with yourself, it might take a bit of time to recover and reintegrate. Find ways to nourish your body and mind. You might have to relearn how to look after yourself now that you’re doing your own laundry and preparing your own meals. Perhaps there’s a pile of bills to pay, or something that needs fixing.
On a personal level – your professional life has received a lot of attention, but it’s come at the cost of your personal life. Think about how the tour has changed you, and consider who you are when you are not in that role.
Relationships may need concerted effort to get back on track – be interested in what’s happened for the other person. Try to be present. If you’re coming home to a partner or family, respect the routine’s they’ve created in your absence. Ask how you can help, if someone has been solo parenting in your absence. Give children time to warm to you again – cycles of separation and reunion have an impact and can be disruptive.
I cover this in depth in Chapter 30: Post-Tour Recovery, in Touring and Mental Health: the Music Industry Manual, so do check that out.
Tamsin Embleton is an award-winning psychotherapist, editor, and music industry health consultant based in London, UK. She is the founder and Clinical Lead of the Music Industry Therapist Collective (MITC), a global network of psychotherapists and health clinicians who have worked in the music industry and now specialise in supporting those within it. MITC provides individual and group therapy, backstage mental health services, and workshops for major clients including Warner Music Group, AEG, Atlantic Records, Kobalt, and Music Norway.
In 2023, Tamsin released Touring and Mental Health: The Music Industry Manual, a landmark publication offering robust clinical guidance, cutting-edge research, and practical tools to help performers and crew manage the physical and psychological challenges of touring. The book includes contributions from leading performing arts clinicians and personal reflections from artists and professionals such as Nile Rodgers, Katie Melua, Philip Selway, Kieran Hebden (Four Tet), Lauren Mayberry, Jake Berry, Tina Farris, Taylor Hanson, and many others. Topics covered range from trauma, addiction and anxiety, to group dynamics, sleep science, nutrition, and post-tour recovery.
The book was named a Rough Trade Book of the Year in 2023.