It’s okay to take a break sometimes.
Activism can of course be rewarding and, more importantly, has been the cornerstone of most substantive social change and cultural upheavals for hundreds of years. However, being part of the groups actively pushing for these important changes can be mentally draining on the individual.
These feelings of exhaustion and burn out are completely understandable, and you should never feel as though you are less of an activist because you need time to recuperate and protect yourself from deteriorating mental health. Below are five things you can do to help combat feelings of activism fatigue.
- Be honest
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Firstly, it is important to be honest about what you want to achieve in your activist efforts, how much time you can dedicate to your cause(s), and why you are doing so. It is important to do this in the first instance as it allows for clearer personal boundaries to be set in order to help protect your mental wellbeing. Secondly, by establishing why you are dedicated to the particular cause it can aid in recognising your potential for performative activism, which of course can be detrimental to the overall activist work you aim to achieve.
- Surround yourself with a good support system
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In 2014 Amani Al-Khatahtbeh – founder of Muslim Girl – was targeted with humiliating and degrading comments while surrounded by other activists during a protest. After this traumatising ordeal she completely burned out and stopped her work in activism all together for two months. Upon returning to her activism she sought out a support system within her circle of activist friends who she knew would be able bring emotional support during undoubtedly stressful times.
It is important to have at least a couple of people who you can trust to listen to your concerns and ideas about your activism, and that you can trust to work with you through the different emotions that are bound to spring up while fully invested in your activism.
- Back-to-basics self-care
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Self-care is important for mental wellbeing and productivity in all areas of your life, but seeing as activism can often be emotionally draining it is even more important to keep up to date with even the most basics of the practice.
And when I say basics, I mean the basics; showering, eating a meal, keeping up basic hygiene, reading a book etc. If you can keep up with even the most basic types of self-care and fit them into a regular routine it allows you to be more prepared and relaxed to deal with issues pertaining to your activism. In short, by keeping to regular routines of self-care you can often eliminate the overarching stresses of life that can creep up out of nowhere, thereby reducing overall stress levels to better achieve your activism goals.
- Build up your coping bank
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A coping bank is your go-to list of activities and behaviours that give you a sense of fulfilment, relief, and replenishment when you’re feeling burned out. Activities on this list can include; reading a favourite book, practising a pastime (some personal favourites of mine are crotchet and embroidery), and joining a club or group that isn’t linked to your activism or cause you are fighting for.
Completing these tasks are in themselves a form of self-care, but I have differentiated between the two because I would argue that the self-care routines should be done all the time and worked into a regular routine. However, the activities in your coping bank, while they can be employed at any time for any number of hours, are for times of complete decompression and therapeutic relaxation.
- Step back and feel secure in saying no
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In a tweet written by poet Lindsey Young, she states that “Resistance is NOT a one lane highway, maybe your lane is protesting, maybe your lane is organizing, maybe your lane is counselling, maybe your lane is art activism, maybe your lane is surviving the day. Do NOT feel guilty for not occupying every lane. We need all of them.”
If you’re feeling burnt out and overwhelmed it is perfectly acceptable, in fact I encourage it, to take a step back from your activism to give yourself time to recuperate. It is okay to say no to that protest, or information request, or other activity that you feel will stretch you further than you can go. Similarly, as Young’s tweet highlights, don’t feel like you need to do everything possible within a movement. You can choose to pick one thing you are good at, for example graphic design, and then work in that area exclusively, perhaps creating imaginative social media content.
Overall, being an activist, and working for change can be greatly beneficial to the psyche, but it can also have many detrimental effects if you do not keep yourself safe and protected from burnout and emotional exhaustion. Hopefully, these small pieces of advice will help you continue to do the amazing activist work you are doing, while keeping you happy and safe.