5 Ways Musicians Can Stay Mentally Resilient

Every musician has days when confidence dips and it becomes harder to remember why we started in the first place. These five practical ideas can help you protect your motivation, keep perspective and stay mentally resilient through the inevitable ups and downs of making music.

Visualisation

The mind is such a powerful tool - and we can train it to work to our benefit. Imagine the venue (or band) you really want to be playing. Sit down close your eyes and think about you on the stage looking out - think about all the other details, such as sounds, smells and lighting - like really imagine you're there.

Build on feedback

As you go through your musical life they'll be people who pay you compliments about your music or how you sounded. Keep a list of this positive feedback and date it if possible. Read through this when needed!

Use resonating phrases

Make a list of positive phrases that resonate with you - one of those for me 'Being the best version of you' when I go into the world of comparing myself with everyone else around me.

Practice reframing

Train that inner voice to speak positivity to you rather than negativity. As an example - instead of saying to yourself 'Oh I always mess that bit up' try → 'I haven't quite got that yet'

Build your resilience

Tap into your strengths as a person and also the people around you in the down times. Also make a point of telling yourself that this is only one point in time and there are the 'ups' to come!!

Practical Ways Musicians Stay Mentally Resilient

Musicians stay mentally resilient by developing habits that help them keep perspective when confidence dips or work feels uncertain. That might mean recognising previous successes, managing negative self-talk, staying connected with supportive people or simply remembering that one difficult day does not define a career.

The point is not to feel positive all the time, but to have practical ways of resetting and carrying on when things feel harder.

ABOUT MARK

Mark is an online session drummer based in Reading UK providing remotely recorded drums to clients all over the world.

His main focus on the drums is to always serve the song and listen to what is being played by the other instruments in the band. It's always about the song.