The Healthy Touring and Practice Diary.
- Team Tonic
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
Expanding upon the Biopsychosocial model discussed last week, I now want to introduce a helpful reflective tool that I have found incredibly useful.
The Healthy Touring and Practice Diary is a tool developed by BAPAM (British Association for Performing Arts Medicine) to support musicians in managing their mental and physical well-being while navigating the demanding touring lifestyle. I was lucky enough to be involved in developing the resource alongside many other ‘on the ground’ musicians and clinicians in the music and mental wellbeing world.
So how does it help?
Encourages Self-Awareness
The diary provides tools for musicians to track their physical and mental health daily, fostering greater self-awareness. By reflecting on sleep patterns, stress levels, and energy, musicians can recognise early signs of burnout or anxiety.
Promotes Better Planning
Touring can be chaotic, with irregular schedules and constant travel. The diary helps artists plan rest periods, meals, and exercise routines, ensuring a healthier balance between work and recovery. Having a structure mitigates the risks of overworking or neglecting self-care.
Supports Stress Management
The diary includes tips for managing stress, such as mindfulness exercises, breathing techniques, and journaling prompts. These tools empower musicians to cope with the high-pressure environment of touring.
Encourages Healthy Habits
By tracking hydration, nutrition, and physical activity, musicians are reminded to prioritize basic self-care, even when the schedule gets hectic. The diary provides prompts for small, actionable steps to maintain these habits on the road.
Fosters Emotional Connection
Journaling in the diary gives musicians a safe space to process their emotions, reducing feelings of isolation. It also encourages them to reflect on positive experiences, helping them stay grounded and appreciative despite the challenges of touring.
Raises Awareness of Resources
The diary highlights BAPAM’s services such as Tonic Music and other support networks, ensuring musicians know where to turn for help if they’re struggling.
By integrating these practices into our daily routine, we can safeguard our mental health, making touring and musicking more sustainable and enjoyable.
One of the most useful aspects of the diary is how it encourages a check in with ourselves. It’s so easy to ignore how we’re feeling when focused on gigs, travel, and everything else that comes with being on tour or in the studio. The diary can prompt us to track things like how much sleep we’re getting, what we’re eating, and how we’re feeling emotionally and physically. By keeping an eye on these areas, we can spot patterns and address problems before they become full-blown issues. For example, if we notice we’ve had poor sleep for a few nights in a row, it’s a sign to make rest a priority before burnout sets in.
Touring often feels like we have zero control over our schedule, but using the diary can help to establish some structure. Even small, consistent habits like staying hydrated, eating something nutritious, or exercising can make a massive difference. The diary encourages us to plan for these moments of self-care amidst the chaos, reminding us that even tiny efforts matter. Stress is also pretty much inevitable on tour, but again, the diary offers practical tools to manage it. There are tips for mindfulness exercises, breathing techniques, and even journaling prompts that can help process our emotions. These little moments of calm help prevent stress from snowballing into something bigger.
The Healthy Touring Diary is also a good practical resource for staying physically healthy. It reminds us to pay attention to basics like eating, drinking water, and moving our body, all things that can easily slip if we’re constantly on the go. Physical health is closely tied to mental health, so making sure we’re taking care of our body can have a big impact on overall well-being.
In short, the diary is all about balance. It’s not trying to overhaul our lifestyle or make touring stress-free (let’s be honest, that’s impossible). Instead, it’s about giving us tools to stay mindful of our health, build small but meaningful habits, and know when to seek extra help.
Using this alongside staying connected in the Tonic Rider Peer Support Groups is a vital part of our wellbeing as musicians.
Adam Ficek hosts a monthly show 'Tonic Music' on Totally Wired Radio, where he talks to various guests about music and mental health. You can listen again to any of the previous show on the Tonic Music Mixcloud page.
