The ways actors self-sabotage are vast and varied, and the reasons why are no less numerous. But this industry has enough obstacles without you playing the villain to your own hero. Of course, avoiding self-sabotage is easier said than done. It’s insidious and often difficult to recognize, much less stop. The journey to combat this hydra-headed impulse is tedious and long, but a rewarding one that will benefit your health, as well as your career. Here are just a few places to start.
Key Insights
- Self-sabotage often disguises itself as perfectionism, procrastination, or fear-based decision-making.
- Identifying personal triggers helps actors interrupt destructive patterns before they impact auditions.
- Long-term change requires addressing the root causes of negative self-talk, not just surface behaviors.
How do actors self-sabotage?
The first step is naming the problem, which means recognizing behavioral tendencies as self-sabotage in the first place. This can be difficult, as there’s no one-size-fits-all experience. Here are just a few to look out for:
– Talking yourself out of auditions
– Procrastinating or neglecting to prepare for auditions, giving yourself an excuse to fail
– Letting perfectionism rule your work
– Avoiding bold artistic risks/acting from a place of fear and conformity
– Apologizing for your work
– Blaming external factors, instead of taking accountability and learning from mistakes
– Waiting for permission to succeed
Truly, these just scratch the surface. But knowing which tendencies are your personal traps can help you avoid them.
Know what triggers it.
Once you realize how you tend to self-sabotage, try to identify when. What triggers the destructive behaviors? Do your insecurities act up when you have an opportunity you really care about? Is it fear of failure, or fear of success? Does it get worse when you have too much time, or not enough time? By narrowing down the circumstances under which you tend to self-sabotage, you can catch it early.
How you can recognize and redirect self-sabotage.
Once you know how and when you tend to self-destruct, it’s time to redirect. What is a mental reframe, or positive behavior substitution, that can help you shake it off in the moment? Sometimes quick physical activity, like jumping jacks or wall push-ups, can help interrupt the stress cycle. Or maybe having a routine for preparation helps give you a sense of calm the night before a big audition. Just like there is no one way to trip yourself up, there is no one way to heal. Try different strategies until you find one that sticks.
Treat the source.
Most times, it’s not about the audition, it’s not about the role, it’s not about your scene partner or any of the other things you’re hyper-focused on. Getting to the source of self-sabotage takes time, introspection and probably therapy of some kind. This is the kind of self-care to practice year-round, not when you’re in the waiting room. But getting to the root of your negative self-talk will make it so much easier to build a kinder voice in your head.
Give grace.
Even with your best intentions and efforts, you’ll have bad days. The demons will win now and again. Beating yourself up for this only makes it worse. Take what information is useful, forgive yourself for being human, pick yourself up and move on to the next. Resilience is just as important a part of this as preparation.
Knowing the enemy and knowing yourself sometimes come to the same thing. But the more you invest in these techniques, the more time you’ll get to spend in the shoes of the actor–and the person–you want to be.
Key Takeaways
- Recognizing your self-sabotage patterns is the first step toward regaining control of your career.
- Reframing fear and building preparation routines can redirect harmful habits into productive action.
- Practicing self-compassion strengthens resilience and helps actors recover quickly from setbacks.
