By: Kari Harrison, LCPC
There is a lot of chaos and turmoil happening in our city of Chicago and in the world at large, but it’s also galvanizing some of us to fight for justice and radical social change. While participation in the fight for justice feels nonnegotiable for many of us, consistent hyper-stimulation can lead to burn out.
If you’re already feeling burn out, or you want to avoid it (because you want to keep fighting!), here are five manageable self-care strategies to maintain your energy and motivation to keep at it…
1. Set boundaries with social media and the news
It is a value for many of us to stay aware and informed around what is happening in our rapidly changing world, but constant social media and news cycle monitoring can become compulsive and intensify feelings of worry and distress. Being in a consistent state of hypervigilance such as this, can easily lead to burn out. Try setting boundaries with your social media/news consumption.
Examples of how to do this might include establishing a rule that you only check the news once a day and setting a timer on your phone that limits how long you are allowed to engage with social media outlets.
It can be helpful to ask ourselves, “how am I serving myself by seeking out more information right now?” and to say to ourselves “this information will be there tomorrow” when we are struggling with establishing these boundaries.
2. Identify safe spaces to recharge in and safe people to recharge with
Find a safe space in a room or corner of your home. Make that space feel cozy with elements that help you feel comfortable and protected. Warm blankets, aromatherapy, and hot/cold showers/baths, and candles are examples of physically down regulating sensational experiences that can calm our central nervous system.
Your hypervigilance is there to protect you, but when you’re in that safe space, tell yourself it’s okay to let your guard down. Consider if there is a friend or family member you can talk to while in the safety of this physical space, be it virtually or in person.
3. Learn to regulate your physical body when you feel anxious or overwhelmed
When we feel anxious or overstimulated, our fight or flight response kicks into high gear. This can lead to us feeling out of breath, overly warm, and left with a physiological buzzing or flickering sensation. Try drinking some cold water, listening to relaxing music, or a deep focused breathwork exercise (breathe in for 4, hold for 4, out for 8, repeat). If we can learn to calm our body, our brain will follow, and this can break the cycle of our anxiety response.
If you have someone close to you who feels safe for you to engage in physical touch with, consider asking for a hug. Oxytocin, the hormone released during physical touch with someone we care about, lowers cortisol (the stress hormone) in our body.
Physical exercise also lowers cortisol, so even 10-15 minutes of exercise to get your body moving can be helpful in managing stress and anxiety.
4. Discover something to be hopeful about if you’re feeling uninspired
The fight for justice is long and arduous, and sometimes the fruits of our labor seem intangible. And yet, there are so many people to look towards and look up to in the moments where we feel powerless.
Try listening to a podcast about someone fighting for change, read a book (or a part of a book) about an activist you admire, or take one small action towards the change you wish to see (i.e. donating, signing a petition, starting a reading group). When we aren’t feeling intrinsically motivated, we often can benefit from a little inspiration from someone/something outside of ourselves.
5. Find likeminded individuals to build your community in this fight
When fighting for radical change, we need people who share our beliefs and values to help hold us accountable, and to lift us up when we feel like giving up. Find some comrades in accountability and check in with one another, connect with one another, and in your moments of rest, create joy with one another.
Rest is not the enemy of change; it is an indispensable part of the fuel for change. Self-care is not selfishness, it is self-preservation. And we need to preserve ourselves and our resources if we want to use our bodies and our minds to support others and to fight for others.
If you need an additional supportive space to process challenging feelings that may be coming up for you right now, consider seeking counseling from a qualified mental health professional. A mental health therapist can hold space for you to recharge, refocus, process, and cope as you continue to fight for what you believe in.
