How to Protect Your Mental Health as a Working Musician
- Dandy O
- Aug 13
- 3 min read
Making music is vulnerable work. Performing, releasing, promoting, repeating—it asks you to give a lot while receiving no guarantees in return.
You’re expected to be creative, available, online, responsive, and consistent, all while staying true to yourself. That balance is hard to hold. Especially when money is tight, feedback is vague, and progress is nonlinear.
The good news is you're not alone. And you’re not powerless. There are grounded ways to protect your mental health while staying in the game.
1. Redefine Success Often
Success in music isn’t one moment. It’s a moving target. A booking, a feature, a message from someone saying your song helped them through a breakup, these all count. Let your definition shift as you grow.
Burnout often starts when you tie your worth to a single outcome. Keep your goals flexible and your wins personal.
2. Make Space for the Quiet
Creativity doesn’t thrive under pressure forever. Some of your best ideas won’t show up when you're rushing between gigs or doomscrolling at 2 a.m.
Protect some space each week where you don’t have to produce, post, or promote. Just listen. Go for a walk. Play something no one will ever hear. Let silence be part of your practice.
3. Set Boundaries with the Industry and the Internet
You do not owe every follower a response. You do not need to be available every day to be taken seriously. You do not need to say yes to every opportunity.
Boundaries are not walls. They are filters. They help you protect your time, energy, and self-worth. If a platform, person, or project consistently drains you, you’re allowed to step back.
4. Build a Creative Community, Not Just a Following
You don’t need thousands of fans. But you do need a few people who get it.
Find collaborators, other musicians, even one or two friends who will listen to your demos or remind you what matters when everything feels too loud. Community is one of the most protective forces in this industry. Lean into it.
5. Separate the Work from the Self
Your music is part of you. But it’s not all of you. A rejected pitch isn’t a rejection of your worth. A quiet crowd isn’t a reflection of your value.
Try saying this to yourself after any performance or release:This was something I made. It’s not who I am.
It may sound small. But it builds a boundary where you can keep growing without breaking.
6. Let Your EPK Do the Talking Sometimes
Part of mental fatigue comes from having to “sell yourself” constantly. When you use a tool like EPKit to build your electronic press kit, you give yourself a break from explaining everything every time.
A clean EPK says: I’m serious. I’m ready. Here’s the work.
That’s one less thing to worry about, and one more place where your clarity can do the talking for you.
Final Thought
Being a musician takes emotional stamina. Protecting your mental health isn’t a luxury. It’s part of your toolkit, just like your gear, your voice, or your process.
Creativity asks a lot. It requires a sensitivity, a depth, and a willingness to feel things that many people spend their lives trying to avoid. That’s not weakness. That’s the same strength that makes you an artist.
The part of you that feels deeply is the part that connects. That shines. That creates something honest enough to reach someone else.
There’s no one right way to do this. But there are better ways to stay in it.
Keep your world a little quieter than the noise around you. Keep the right people close. And remember that making something honest is always worth it.
Resources for Musicians Seeking Support
If you’re struggling or feeling overwhelmed, you don’t have to figure it out alone. These organizations offer trusted, accessible mental health support for musicians and artists:
Backline
Mental health and wellness support for music industry professionals
MusiCares (via The Recording Academy)
Mental health services, recovery programs, and financial assistance
Sound Mind Live
Mental health resources, community, and live events for musicians
SIMS Foundation
Mental health and substance use support for musicians and their families
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Call or text 988 any time for free, confidential mental health support
Comments