The lights dim, the director yells “Cut!”, the cameras stop rolling - but for many actors, the emotions don’t always clock out so neatly. For Ras, a performer and creative whose work spans both screen and stage, navigating the emotional tides of acting means more than just knowing her lines: it means knowing herself.

"The difference between work and acting is that there’s a clear end to my shoot day,"

she says. While her characters might still echo in the back of her mind, the real switch happens somewhere between wrap and her commute home. That ride isn’t just a ride—it’s a soft reset, a way to let the role slide off like makeup at the end of the day.

But not every part is easy to shake off and sometimes, certain roles blur that boundary. Ras shares a moment on set that hit too close to home: playing a character whose strained relationship with her daughter mirrored parts of her own life.

"It scared me how easily I slipped into the character… how quickly the anger welled up."

she admits. After yelling at her on-screen child, Ras would apologize after every take. “I needed her to know that wasn’t me.”

The emotional residue lingered and it would take me a few minutes to regulate my emotions,” Ras shares. “Breathing often helped to calm me back down… but the most wonderful part of recovery was the close-knit cast and crew.” Connection, she learned, was everything, whether through grounding exercises, trusted friendships on set, or the simple act of not judging herself for embodying difficult truths.

For many actors, performance can feel like therapy. But Ras draws a clean line between catharsis and true healing.

"Acting gives me perspective but healing only takes root when I live with the decisions I make."

Playing a character might open a window, but personal growth happens outside the script.

In an industry that often glorifies the hustle, Ras is candid about burnout. For her, the key is noticing when joy starts slipping away.

"Burnout is the result of constantly doing things that give you no joy,"

she says. “Most of us can manage with a few restrictions here and there, but when your focus is solely on the obstacles, you lose sight of the good.” Her antidote? A conscious shift in mindset - taking in the full picture, giving weight to the moments that still feel meaningful.

Mindfulness isn’t just a buzzword for Ras, it’s a lifeline. In emotionally intense scenes, when heartbeats are racing and the adrenaline hasn’t quite worn off, Ras uses her five senses to come back to herself. Sometimes it’s the feel of the floor beneath her feet, other times, it’s the reassuring presence of a castmate or crew member nudging her back.

“I have to build trust on set,” she says.

"So that if I lose myself in the character, I trust they’ll support and guide me back."

🎥 Wanna see how Ras makes the switch from scene to self?

👉 Watch the full convo here: YouTube 💫 And follow @rasath_1 for more soulful reflections, on-set stories, and all the actor-wellness feels.