Delete the apps! But don’t look away.
The dilemma is this: you care about social justice and know that awareness is a critical part of advocacy. You also know that tuning out due to discomfort is to be complicit in white supremacy and oppression. And, you’re tired. Perhaps you’re feeling hopeless or overwhelmed, but mostly, you know that this isn’t sustainable.
The answer, if it exists, isn’t in this blog post. There is no one-size-fits-all solution for you, as tempting as it may be to search for one. There is, however, connection and community to be found in a common struggle to remind us that we deserve compassion as we navigate these times.
The Case Against Disengagement
If history has taught us anything, it is that we are bound to repeat it when we ignore it. In fact, oppressive systems depend on this and actively discourage engagement in order to maintain the status quo. The right to comfort is one of the characteristics of white supremacy culture in organizations identified by Kenneth Jones and Tema Okun in "Dismantling Racism: A Workbook for Social Change Groups." The bystander effect suggests that even our own social psychology will allow the continued persecution of victims in the presence of others.
But history has also proven otherwise. In the past decade, movements grown on social media have toppled governments overseas and changed our own national conversation. We can no longer bury our heads in the sand and pretend we live in a post-racial society in which injustice does not exist, largely due to movements that urge us to #SayHerName and announce #MeToo. People continue to donate to strangers in need through online fundraisers and donations. Social media activism is not the only form of engagement required to make change, but it can certainly be an effective one that is accessible to those who cannot engage in other ways.
Compassion Fatigue
Still, the vast reach of social media can leave us feeling adrift in a massive ocean of need. Compassion fatigue is the physical, emotional and psychological cost of empathy and the very real effects of this fatigue can lead to burnout. The apathy that you feel doesn’t necessarily reflect a lack of compassion or empathy, but a lack of the energy it takes to care.
It is for this reason that many activists and changemakers, along with doctors and therapists, have championed the value of self-care. If, as Audre Lorde wrote, “the master's tools will never dismantle the master's house,” we cannot combat capitalism’s relentless drive for infinite growth with a similar ruthlessness. We must respect the finiteness of our resources, both external and internal.
Finding Balance
The first law of thermodynamics states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, but it can change from one form to another. If you take the time to recycle your own energy, you will find within yourself a constant source of energy to engage with the sociopolitical movements that matter to you. As warned, there is no one who can tell you what that looks like for you and so this becomes part of the work of social justice: developing a relationship with your own self that can tell you when you need to push past discomfort and when you need to stop to replenish your stores.
What we can, as therapists and care workers, help you with is navigating that work. When you’re ready, reach out for help and remember that rest is radical.
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