Maintaining Your Well-Being While Changing the World

Many people have gotten more involved in social activism and community work, recently. Seeing the divides in political positions, opportunities, and lived experiences, many of us have declared that we cannot, in good conscience, passively wait for others to make the world a better place. While this work can be rewarding, it can also be hard. Sometimes it’s anxiety-provoking, and sometimes you might feel discouraged about the progress you are (or aren’t) seeing, or about the state of the world in general. There can be feelings of overwhelm, about all that needs doing, and hopelessness about how things are going. You might find you really want to disengage, or maybe you have disengaged, and now you feel guilty. We have some good news: psychology research has some ideas for keeping ourselves afloat. Let’s start with how to manage the emotions that come along with this work. Monitor and Respond to Your Mood: Be vigilant, and notice when you’re starting to slide (Snapping at kids? Finding it harder to get out of bed?). You need to stay afloat to do this work and perform your other roles. What works for you, with respect to self-care?  Rediscover knitting, music, candles, or soft blankets. These things don’t have to be hugely time-consuming. Positive reinforcement: Pick at least some activism activities that are themselves reinforcing (read: enjoyable). Go into the community and work with children. Do something with friends, rather than alone (or, go and make a...
Source: PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: depression featured happiness health and fitness psychology self-improvement emotional wellbeing wellness Source Type: blogs