Take Direct Action, Get More Benefits

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Take Direct Action, Get More Benefits

There are two things I’ve been hearing a lot during this quarantine. One is a question and the other is more of an uncertain statement:

“I feel lost, unmotivated, unsure what to do.”

“How can I help the struggling people/organizations that I love not go under?”

I must admit - although these are both tinged with the sadness and anxiety of our present moment - I’m heartened by the love and care that has poured out of our communities online. A desire to do something at all is a marker of self-care, and a desire to give is a marker of care for others.

And that is beautiful.

But acknowledging that beauty doesn’t provide an answer to the above queries, both of which are searching for fulfillment.

So, how can we take some direct action - for ourselves and those around us - that will provide fulfillment? And are there other benefits as well?

Here are some thoughts.

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Calling All Craftivists

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Calling All Craftivists

(This blog was inspired by multiple episodes of The Spark File podcast - it’s well worth the listen!)

Since the inauguration of our current President just over 3 years ago (read: 9 lifetimes ago), there have been reports of people feeling the effects of a new phenomenon, which has been labeled as:

“Activism/Social Justice Fatigue or Burnout”

Burnout was originally defined as:

“A state of physical and mental exhaustion caused by one’s professional life.”

But Activism Burnout? This phenomenon is not restricted to professional/work environments. Many people feeling this phenomenon are quite young and still very much in school.

Activism Burnout is due to having to constantly fight against the larger state of being of a society, country, legal system, and world in which social injustices and humanitarian crises are running rampant, fed by those who couldn’t care less about other humans or the future.

Oh, plus - ya know - the normal everyday stressors of individual life.

So, what to do?

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