Words written by Michael LoBue…

So I’m on my very first bus & truck tour… as time goes by, all of us crew are getting to know each other and then I start to notice, most all of us have something in common… in one way or another, most of us are “running from something”.  We all have a different back story and different circumstances at home but it’s clear, most of us are avoiding our personal pain… the thing that needs our attention the most.

When you live/work show production in the entertainment industry, it’s easy to get lost in it all.  You can cloud your vision with the mystique of the lifestyle, you can easily mask your pain with unruly behaviors and/or substances and it becomes all too easy to get carried away.  You don’t have to immediately deal with anything in “the outside world” and you figure you’ll “straighten it all out at some point”.  Whether it’s a traumatic past or a tumultuous present, it is all too regular to back-burner one’s own personal struggle with core issues, while working inside of this industry.

I’ve lost years to burying my emotions, avoiding realities and unconsciously looking to relieve my pressures in any way I could; never addressing my mental health head on.  My troubles never went away or lessened, I just became numb to them and in turn, they continued to plague my life over & over again.  I survived through coping mechanisms and after years, those were no longer working for me, I lacked the proper tools needed to better myself.  I was “broken” and I didn’t know how to help myself, that’s when I reached out to backline.care for professional help.

This industry is truly unlike any other… the hours we work, the miles we travel, the expectations to produce flawless outcomes in an ever changing environment, none of it is ordinary.  Mental health & well-being did not exist in this industry or it was only for “the stars”, the ones with means to afford it.  There was no support, until now… thanks to Backline.care and other similar groups that are specifically focused on our industry, we can begin the healthy process of self-change.

Allow yourself to begin to heal, to align your mind, body & spirit, to drop the emotional weight you’ve been carrying for so long…  help your mind and in turn, it will help you.  Do yourself the favor and reach out to these new resources that are springing up in our industry, start the process and it will change your life for the better, I promise!