Modern WisdomCristoph | Mental Health As An International DJ | Modern Wisdom Podcast 111
At a glance
WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT
Inside DJ Christophe’s Life: Jet Lag, Anxiety, and Relentless Touring
- Christoph, an international DJ from Newcastle, discusses the reality behind a seemingly glamorous touring life: exhaustion, loneliness, jet lag, and mental health struggles. He explains how his career evolved from long local club sets to global tours with his hero Eric Prydz, emphasizing work ethic, musical integrity, and long‑term thinking over short‑term hype. A major portion of the conversation focuses on how extreme schedules, substance use, social media pressures, and constant travel can fuel anxiety, insomnia, and intrusive thoughts, and how he’s begun to manage these with routines, medication, and mindset changes. He also touches on creative process, career strategy, and the need for balance, structure, and honest conversations about mental health in and beyond the music industry.
IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING
5 ideasTouring success often hides severe mental and physical strain.
Behind the images of packed festivals are days of no proper sleep, constant flights, jet lag, and long stretches alone in hotel rooms, which can significantly impact mood, cognition, and overall mental health.
Work ethic and musical integrity can define a DJ’s trajectory.
Christoph credits playing long sets, reading crowds, producing at least one track or edit a week, and refusing to compromise his sound (even walking offstage rather than play the wrong set) as key to his long‑term rise.
Unchecked sleep deprivation and jet lag can mimic or trigger serious mental health crises.
After days with virtually no sleep, Christoph describes delusional behaviour, compulsive online shopping, and intrusive thoughts of crashing his car, leading to a diagnosis and temporary antidepressant and antipsychotic medication.
Social media portrays a curated highlight reel that distorts reality.
He emphasizes that followers see only the peak two hours of a show, not the boredom, illness, and isolation around it, and warns friends not to compare their full, messy lives to his curated posts.
Basic lifestyle factors are powerful levers for mental stability.
Christoph finds that training in the gym, eating well, getting some routine and sleep, and occasionally going teetotal between tours dramatically improve his mood and resilience on the road.
WORDS WORTH SAVING
5 quotesIt's not all as glamorous as everyone thinks it is.
— Christoph
I'm a daft lad from Newcastle who's been lucky enough to follow his dream and does a job that he wants to do.
— Christoph
The only way you're gonna go to sleep is by smashing your car into that lorry across there… that's when I started to think, 'there's something wrong.'
— Christoph
What you're looking at when I'm posting things on Instagram… is a load of fucking shit.
— Christoph
You can't put a price on happiness… there's nothing that can't be solved if you figure out a plan.
— Christoph
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