I write this post in light of the current injustice and discrimination happening in the U.S (but really all over the world) towards the black community.
Let it be known that I stand with you, the Black Lives Matter Movement, and I fight alongside you to defund and reconstruct the police force. That is why I write this post about how to practice self-care while protesting.
I wanted to use my knowledge as a Social Work and Psychology student, but also as an ally and human being, to help re-energize advocates currently out on the streets protesting. This is in its way my own contribution in support of the protests.
What is self-care
Self-care is any activity that helps you to feel rejuvenated, happy, and even relaxed. Self-care ideas can include
- Exercise
- Meditation
- A spa day
- Putting on a mask
- Dancing in your room
- Playing with your dog
- Eating a wholesome meal
- Going to the barber for a shave
Why self-care while protesting is essential
Self-care is already incredibly important on its own in regular circumstances. But self-care while protesting is essential, and a necessity that cannot be forgotten.
While protesting, you may be exposed to violence, vulgar language, gore, racist remarks and actions, and many more horrible things.
If you continue to protest without practicing self-care, you’re going to become burned out, jaded, depressed, and anxious.
To continue fighting for the cause, you have to re-energize yourself so that you’re actually able to go back out there and not get worn out.
That’s why practicing self-care as an advocate is so vital.
Here are 6 self-care ideas you can use while protesting to do exactly that.
1. Taking a break
I know you’re passionate and care deeply about the cause so you want to be there every day, and always be up to date with what’s going on.
But you have to step away once in a while because you WILL inevitably get burned out if you don’t take a break.
So maybe turn off your socials and the TV for a few hours a day. Don’t go to every single protest. Or don’t stay the entire length every time.
And in that time away, do something completely unrelated to the protests. Read a light-hearted book. Watch a comedy. Play with your animals. Listen to upbeat music. Cook something new and exciting. Or sit in silence and simply rest.
I know you’ll likely feel guilty doing this because you think the cause is too important and you shouldn’t be stepping away from it. But the reality is that by taking care of ourselves, we become stronger, better, and more resilient advocates.
We’re able to be more present, to fight for longer, to shout a little louder, to listen a little better. So look at taking a break as work TOWARDS the cause rather than against it.
And I do want to acknowledge that just walking away and taking a break is a privilege. Black community members can’t always “just take a break” because they live through the racism every day. That’s why I think the next point is really relevant.
2. Find support
We are stronger together than we are alone. So it’s really important that we all support each other.
One way to practice taking care of yourself while advocating is to reach out. This can be to a specific community of your identity, a social service provider, a friend, a partner, a spiritual guide, or a parent.
Being able to talk about how we feel and what we’re thinking and being supported makes a world of a difference for our wellbeing. Even more so if it’s someone going through the same thing like in this case, Black individuals reaching out to the Black community for love and support.
This can solidify that you are not alone in this movement, thus making you stronger, and able to continue.
3. Let yourself feel
What’s going on right now is not right in any way shape or form. It is disgusting and outrageous and unfair. And if you DON’T want to cry, punch a wall, throw up, or disappear off the face of the earth, then you are part of the problem.
What’s happening is completely outrageous and it is okay to let yourself feel the effects of that. Trying to numb yourself at a time like this is only going to trap trauma and pain in your body that will come forth in other ways.
If you have no idea how you feel or how to explain how you feel, the next point will help you figure that out.
4. Journal
Journaling is a great form of self-care because it helps you to connect to yourself, and you can customize it to your specific needs.
If you’re trying to identify how you’re feeling, you can journal and write down what’s currently going through your mind. This can help you to reflect and understand yourself better in retrospect.
You could also journal to keep track of what’s been going on with the protests and your thoughts and reflections.
Or as a brain dump at the end of the night to help clear your racing mind.
You could even use a guided journal for something specific like anxiety, depression or self-love if you feel like you need more structure and premade prompts.
Journaling can also just be a nice moment of you time to ground yourself and feel connected in a time when we’re truly feeling the opposite.
5. Practice mindfulness
Due to the nature of the protests, you’re likely thinking about the past and all the racism and police brutality that has happened before.
You’re also going to be thinking about the future and what it’ll look like if we defund the police or if things will stay unchanged. This makes it very hard to stay in the present.
That is why practicing mindfulness (being in the present moment with no judgment) can be really effective for a time like this. It’ll help you to connect to the current moment, and to ground you in a moment in time of disconnect.
Not only that, but protests can feel like an out-of-body experience and you may dissociate. Practicing mindfulness can help bring you back to earth.
6. Practice Gratitude
You can actually do this activity in your journal!
The reason gratitude is so important right now is because we’re surrounded by violence, death, pain, sorrow, injustice, and even pandemic panic with COVID.
This can make it very hard to see anything worthwhile or good on this earth. But with all evil, there is also good. So try looking for things to be grateful for, no matter how small.
It could be a fellow protestor who gave you water, a pretty bird you saw, a nice meal you ate, the smell of your shampoo in the morning, or a bed to sleep in.
Even terrible days hold good things, you just have to notice them.
Continuing or starting to be grateful can help restore your energy and happiness levels, which are likely running low at a time like this. It can also be comforting at the end of a hard day protesting to think of good things that happened.
Gratitude can also remind you of why you’re fighting for this cause: because you believe in what’s right and good. Again, this will re-energize you and help you to keep going.
Final Thoughts
In difficult times like these, we must take care of ourselves so that we can continue for each other. Do not see self-care as selfish; see it as a strength that will improve your activism.
I hope you will give these a go and that they help any protesters out there, on the street or not, to stay healthy and well as they fight.
Black lives matter and we will not stop until we shouldn’t have to argue that point anymore.
For a list of activists and initiatives, please see below:
https://www.instagram.com/privtoprog/
https://www.instagram.com/rachel.cargle/
https://www.instagram.com/thegreatunlearn/
https://www.instagram.com/blklivesmatter/
https://www.instagram.com/wp4bl/?hl=en
https://www.instagram.com/showingupforracialjustice/
https://www.instagram.com/blmlosangeles/
Stay safe, stay strong, and stay together. All my love,
T
I had to take a book I was reading about being a better ally for the black community because it began to feel too heavy. I’ll pick it back up again soon!
It can be really heavy and hard stuff to read and process, so good on you for doing it! I’m also glad you put it down when it became a bit too much but that you’re willing to pick it back up!