some links on activist burnout I think are useful
Susan Song
I just wanted to share some links on activist burnout. In my very
limited experiences organizing, I've come to find that when it comes
to issues of mental health, the groups I've been a part of often don't
have a built-in infrastructure or method when it comes to discussing
issues of mental health and self-care. Thus, I'm hoping that someone
struggling with burnout might find these useful.
As I'm currently struggling with activist burnout myself, I've
discussed and am interested in starting a local activist/radical
mental health support group. While not medically or clinically
informed, I think it would be useful to have a space for
activists/radicals to talk to other activists/radicals about our
experiences. The impetus for this is I believe that sometimes
institutionalized approaches to better mental health where the
knowledge is centered in the medical authority can often miss some
things relevant to being an activist. If anyone is interested in this,
email me!
In medicine and in mental health, I think elements of prevention and
self-awareness can be helpful, but sometimes burnout is inevitable,
just given the nature of our work and the environment in which it
happens. At least in my experience, I've found that it's not useful or
productive to engage in negative thoughts about my activist abilities,
my previous work
Anyway, I hope folks find these links useful and that if you find them
useful, that you forward them out to your friends, colleagues and
comrades engaged in activist work. They're good bookmarks too. :)
Apologies if I've copied some of you twice.
http://www.newtactics.org/en/blog/new-tactics/self-care
http://contemplative-scholar.blogspot.com/2008/05/lessons-from-burnout.html
http://www.radpsynet.org/docs/wollman-burnout.html
http://action.aclu.org/site/PageServer?pagename=AS_burnoutprevention
http://lifehacker.com/5548150/how-to-reboot-your-sleep-cycle-and-get-the-rest-you-deserve
Love and struggle,
-Susan
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Radical Education for Autonomous Persons
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"Whatever doesn't kill power is killed by it."