In the first month since the inauguration, Americans have been engaged in the political process like never before. From marches, rallies and protests to phone banks and letter-writing campaigns, to community organizing meetings, the possibilities for involvement are endless. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the multitude of events and causes with which you can be involved.
For people who feel particularly at risk during these uncertain and unpredictable times — such as women, LGBT people, Muslims and people of color — the pressures can be especially great.
A recent American Psychological Association survey found that, since the election, stress levels in the U.S. have reached their highest in at least 10 years. This makes sense. Uncertainty and unpredictability in the face of ongoing collective trauma can threaten our sense of belongingness and social order.
Getting involved and being active can be important ways to develop social connections, relieve feelings of isolation and worry, and feel empowered — not to mention the rewards of seeing your work make a difference. Yet burnout, compassion fatigue and hopelessness are real risks that can affect not only your well-being but also your capacity to stay connected to causes you care about.
How do you achieve that balance? Here are four tips to help you become or stay involved in causes that matter to you, while prioritizing self-care:
1. Don’t work (only) in isolation. Yes, writing letters and calling your Senators and Representatives are fast, easy and effective ways to make your voice heard. However, if you’re feeling isolated or despondent, you can likely benefit from more community-oriented ways of engagement. Going in person to group letter-writing events and marches and organizing meetings can help you deepen social connections and foster hope.
When you act not in isolation but as part of a community, you can come to experience troubling political events not as something you face alone, but as a collective experience in which you are supported and support others.
[See: How to Prepare Your Body — and Mind — for a Protest.]
2. Find the type of involvement that feels right for you. Not everyone is a protester, and not everyone feels comfortable making phone calls. Figure out what strengths you bring to the table, and offer those. Checking in and offering support to friends and family, and especially to members of targeted and minority groups, is a form of activism. Getting involved in a local organization, even one that isn’t active on a national level, is important too.
If you find yourself feeling burnt out or overwhelmed, it may be that the type of activism you’ve been doing is a poor fit. If you hate being in crowds, you can find other ways to show up that don’t involve a massive protest. Perhaps setting up a regular donation and finding some time to volunteer would be more feasible ways to stay connected.
3. Don’t use up all of your energy too soon. Yes, things are really intense right now. However, even if everything seems like a crisis, we have to be in this for the long haul. Think about what level and type of engagement you can sustain in the coming months and years.
Be responsive, rather than reactive. You don’t have to know every detail of everything that’s happening in the news — you just have to know enough to be effective. Consider your use of news apps and social media, and see if it might make sense to scale back.
Likewise, don’t waste energy on unnecessary arguments. Allow yourself to have time with friends and family that doesn’t involve trying to convince each other of your political views. Focus on being effective, rather than on proving that you’re right.
[See: 10 Ways to Break a Bad Mood.]
4. Know when to take a break — and take it. Even if you intend on showing up to every meeting of the social action committee at your mosque, synagogue or church, or every rally held by an organization you support, there may be times when that isn’t what you need. You need time not just to de-stress, but also to build up and restore your physical and emotional resources.
Assemble as many coping skills as possible, and use them regularly. It might start with a simple activity like taking a hot bath or cooking your favorite meal. You might feel restored by taking a walk in a nearby park or going to a yoga class. Think about self-soothing not just as an approach to coping with difficulty, but as a regular practice to incorporate into your lifestyle.
Don’t let self-care reinforce isolation, though. While individual self-care activities are important, strength and resilience come not only from individuals, but also from communities. Self-care can also look like joining a running club, attending prayer services regularly or singing in a chorus.
If political activism is about creating the world you want to see, make sure your methods of doing that create the life you want for yourself. If that includes emotional and physical health, and low levels of stress, do all you can to implement that now.
[See: 10 Reasons You Should Try Self-Massage.]
For many, the campaign season, election and the weeks since the inauguration have amounted to a collective trauma. Whether you lean right or left, recent political events have created high levels of unpredictability and instability. Activism and involvement can play a major role in your self-care plan, as they can lead to a greater sense of empowerment and connection to community. By getting involved in a way that connects you with others, and knowing your limits, you can be more in control of how you respond to political events and feel good about what you are doing.
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Politically Active? 4 Tips for Incorporating Self-Care originally appeared on usnews.com
