5 Self-care tips for Activists

In this fast moving world, self-care is just a word for everyone, you hear about it every now and then but then forget it. Even for the young change-makers and activists, sustaining your most valuable resources — your mind and body should be your priority.

As a person of influence, working day and night often results in burnout, stress and anxiety, which isn’t good for this dynamic and fulfilling vocation.

Bottom line — to be able to maintain a positive attitude towards your work despite the great challenges is embracing self-care. It not only impacts you but also the people whom you are fighting for.

Most importantly “self-care isn’t being selfish” rather it’s taking care of your well-being without hurting anyone. Self-care is “attending to your own needs such that you are content, focused, motivated, and on your game, as defined by John Duffy, PhD, a clinical psychologist.

If you’re someone who knows the importance of change and revolution in this world, here are some self-care tips to help you be more impactful.

1. Listen to Your Body

In this fight for change, you often forget to listen to your own body. Even superheroes need rest, a balanced diet, nutrition and sleep to gear up for their next big day.

Stressing your mind over “doing it all” or the need of “coping with it all” alone is not healthy and feasible. It’s okay to feel tired or zoned out sometimes but what’s more important is paying attention to that alarming voice.

To be a good and healthy activist building a routine for your bedtime, turning off all the tech devices for a time frame and taking some time out from work to indulge in any creative hobby is worth it.

2. Understanding Your Feelings

It’s okay to be vulnerable. your experiences shape you — family experiences, unfaithful experiences with the world or societal experiences. This often develops a void within yourself which needs to be understood and guided.

“At least working on our piece of the suffering pie provides some relief. But I think we become more effective agents of change when we are nurturing our happiness and personal growth”- Ravi Chandra M.D., psychiatrist,

Developing a deep sense of empathy and trust within yourself can help you to heal from inside. You can either choose the inner fight first or keep ignoring your vulnerabilities — choice is yours.

3. Reach Out to Your Community

Sometimes reaching out to your tribe, sharing your bad days and challenges can be more valuable.

“The beauty of the community we’ve built is that we take turns carrying the load rather than have the burden fall on one person”, Carmen Perez, co-chair of the Women’s March. Sharing how you feel with the people of the same ideology can be a sense of relief because “you are not alone in this”.

Understanding self-care as a collective goal is more important. So, pick up the phone and go and talk to your other buddy activists, pure your heart out.

4. Developing Your Inner Caregiver

If your idea of a good activist is “The one who gives up his own well- being for others” then, it’s time to change it.

Set an example for others in your community by positioning yourself as a healthy and inspiring activist.

“ It’s key to do the inner work when building resilience, to know that you are fundamentally okay and therefore not measuring your self-worth through the successes and failures of your social change work”, Holly Hammond, Founder, Plan to Win.

Creating a culture of self-care can shift the activist mindset to a healthy-growth mindset, which is necessary for any revolution.

5. Practise Mindfulness

Even though you are an activist, you don’t have a solution for every problem and that’s ok but to find one, meditation and yoga helps you to pause and then hit the restart button.

Human rights advocate, Gemma Houdey, speaks about mindfulness,“My mindfulness practice has helped me see the human in who I’m dealing with. I feel my vulnerabilities, and from there, I see that ‘the other’ has those vulnerabilities too. Taking this approach helps me to interact with them from a different place that is healthier for me and, I believe, more effective for meaningful dialogue.”

Understanding different people’s perspectives and realizing that neither you nor they are perfect in every sense is the key to being mindful and staying grounded for your purpose.

As human beings, we all are fighting for one thing or another — can be in our mind, or in the rallies. And if a life of resistance and everyday activism is your new normal, remember to take care of yourself because the best of you is needed.