how to avoid activist burnout
five tips from mental health expert Ross Szabo
This week Joe Biden gave a nationally televised speech about democracy and the man who did a bunch of crimes in the White House and briefly blocked me on twitter in 2017, called the president the “enemy of the state.” Casual! If you thought that we had all put 2020 behind us, it seems like it might have been nothing but a nathan-fielder-rehearsal for 2022. With roe being overturned, inflation at an all-time high and avocados becoming an endangered species, the midterms are going to be more fun than ever.
As we prep for a feisty politically engaged fall, it’s crucial to come in rested and refreshed to withstand the next few months of community organizing, whatever that looks like for you. I know many of us already feel toasted from the last few years, which is why making mental health a priority is more important than ever. I know I needed some guidance about how to avoid activist burnout so I thought you might too. That’s why I asked my friend Ross Szabo, an award-winning speaker, author and teacher who was an innovator of the youth mental health movement, for some advice. I trust him because he is the Wellness Director and a founding faculty member at Geffen Academy at UCLA and he’s also CEO of Human Power Project, a company that creates mental health curriculum for people of all ages. He is the author of Behind Happy Faces; Taking Charge of Your Mental Health and A Kids Book About Anxiety. Last summer, we created a mental health series on the intricate ways that gender and mental health can intersect.
He loves our community and he wanted to share some of his expertise with you. I also want Airplane Mode to be a space where you can share how you’re feeling and doing, and Ross has agreed to answer questions if you have any. I hope you enjoy his essay.
Five Mental Health Tips to Lessen Activist Burnout
It’s a really important time in our society to be an activist for an endless number of causes. Whenever people ask me how they can avoid burnout, I take a deep breath and wonder if “avoiding” is even the right term to use. I prefer lessening, because not only do I think it’s more achievable, but let’s be honest, some of these issues we are advocating for require more of us at certain times. We definitely don’t want to be in a place where we then beat ourselves up for burning out and losing our rights at the same time. So, let’s go with lessening. How to lessen the burnouts.
These tips come from being a mental health advocate for the past 22 years. I started sharing my story with bipolar disorder and suicide when I was a teenager. I was thrust into the national spotlight in my early 20’s and became one of the first mental health advocates to create the concept of large-scale mental health assemblies in this country. I spoke 3-4 times a week for 8 years to over a million people before my eventual burnout. After that I joined the Peace Corps and completely left the US as well as everything I knew. So, let’s get you some tips for you to avoid leaving this country altogether unless that’s what you need.
Have some things in your life that you can control. One of the largest causes of bad stress or anxiety in our lives is when things are out of our control. There are a lot of laws and other issues impacting us today that are completely out of our control. In those moments it’s helpful to focus on things you can control. Having a regular routine, reaching out to others, having conversations with people who support you, what you eat and other small aspects you can control can help provide stability as you battle what you can’t control.
Be connected to something bigger than you. Spirituality, religion, volunteering, honoring ancestors, giving back, connecting to nature or just standing in historic places that are so much bigger than us, can help provide connection and truly humble us. Having a connection to something bigger than oneself also helps us see that we are a part of something and takes the emphasis off of an experience just being about us. This often helps lessen anxiety and depression as well.
Stay present. After attending numerous rallies, posting/sharing online, having every conversation you can and taking all of the steps you can think to take; people either start to go through the motions or disassociate, because it’s too much. Regardless of what led you to checking out, it’s important to focus on what you can do to stay present. Yes, being in the present can hurt, but the longer you stay in a place of disconnection the more harm it can cause. Meditating, doing breathwork, talking to someone, creating a morning or evening ritual are examples of what you can do to stay present in your life.
Your advocacy doesn’t have to define your entire life. I know. There are specific causes that you’re passionate about because of your gender, race, sexuality and other identity markers that you cannot change. How can you take a break or have other elements balancing your life, when aspects of your identity that do define you are under attack? None of this is easy. However, it’s also important to remember ALL of the things that define you, especially when one or multiple aspects are under attack. Balancing your life with what you do outside of your advocacy is a healthy way to be able to continue to fight for what you want to see in the world.
Treat yourself like a friend. All of you reading this have an internal voice. Each person seeing these words right now will talk to themselves more than they will ever talk to another person. Now you’re asking yourself if that’s true. It is true. I’m not inside your head that’s just how this works. The loudest voice we will ever hear is the one inside our head. What that voice says to you really matters. It’s important to practice self-compassion and be kind to yourself. When you’re reaching a breaking point ask yourself what you would say to a friend in the same situation. Be kind to yourself. You deserve it.
These are just a few tips that can help. I think it’s also really important to forgive yourself if you ever do burnout. None of us are perfect. Sometimes we invest every cell in our body to make sure that other people see us. Hear us. Or can just acknowledge that we exist. These are some of the fiercest fights of our lives. When you get to that point remember to forgive yourself. Try to learn one thing about burnout. Then do your best to not repeat it again. All of us tend to repeat cycles from our pasts. Changing those cycles in even the smallest ways can make the biggest difference.
