How to be an Activist Without Losing Your Mind [Transcript]
No matter what your political beliefs are, it can be easy in today’s climate to feel confused or overwhelmed. Today we are going to talk about three easy tips that you can follow in order to stay active while also taking care of yourself.
Tip Number One
You want to focus on anywhere from one to three issues or causes that are particularly important to you or that you are particularly passionate about. There are so many wonderful causes and organizations out there that we can get a little overwhelmed because we want to help everyone. Focusing on one to three issues is a great way of still remaining active, while also making sure that you are steering clear of burnout. When thinking about what causes or issues you want to focus on, make sure you do a couple of things for yourself.
You want to first of all set a budget – It can be anything from $10 to $100 a month. The other thing you want to be mindful of is your schedule. It can be easy to want to attend every march and rally that is out there, however that can be incredibly tiring and time consuming, and it is not really realistic. Pick one to two marches, rallies, or protests that you can fit throughout your schedule, so that way you can feel like you are participating in something that you are passionate about while also leaving room for your own life.
Tip Number Two
Make it fun! There is a lot of serious stuff going on out there for very good reason, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make activism somewhat enjoyable, collaborative, and fun. Get a group of friends together, with some arts and crafts, poster boards, markers, and paint, and make a fun afternoon of it. You can engage in interesting conversation, have a couple of laughs, while participating in the activist work.
Tip Number Three
Please, please, please find the time to take a break. There is so much going on all the time, it can be easy to get caught up in trying to get it all done. Be sure to take a break from social media and the news every once in a while, so that way you don’t feel overwhelmed and don’t become desensitized to what you are hearing.
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4 comments
Hey Omar,
This is all so important to remember. I love you tip to make it fun! This work is draining and can be frustrating and disappointing when things feel bigger then us, making it fun and feeling connected to a community will help us work longer and harder for these causes.
Such great tips, Omar! It’s so easy to get overwhelmed in this climate. Learning how to stay focused and prioritize your causes is so important.
Thanks Omar for keeping it positive and how to organize ourselves in a stressful climate. With this people can take stressful anxiety and learn the productive and adaptive ways to respond to anxiety and ultimately see some of our anxious and fearful thoughts can turn productive.
Awesome! I really like tip number two! Making it fun is something I think many people don’t think about. Most people get so caught up in their passion about a movement they don’t consider fun. This is great, making it fun makes it feel safer to participate!