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Compassion fatigue is an issue that plagues many animal advocates. The problem is that we're often so busy trying to help animals that we don't take care of ourselves and end up getting burnt out. This can lead to depression and anxiety, which impacts not only your mental health but also the ability of you being able to do your job properly. Self-care doesn't have to be expensive or hard; here are some simple things you can do every day that will help keep your spirits high while doing what's best for animals:
Don't forget about yourself.
Remember that you are important too. You may be working hard to help animals, but don't forget that you need self-care and time for yourself as well. It can be difficult to make time for yourself when there are so many animals in need who need your attention, but it's crucial that you do so. If you don't take care of your mental health, then it will be harder for you to do good work in the long run and possibly even cause burnout or depression/anxiety issues down the road if left untreated. So how do we find this elusive balance between caring for ourselves while still doing everything we can for animals?
Self-care doesn't have to be expensive or hard.
Self-care doesn't have to be expensive or hard. It can be as simple as taking a walk, going for a bike ride, or even just sitting outside for 10 minutes without your phone.
Take some time to reflect on what you want from your activism and what you need from yourself in order to keep fighting the good fight. If there are things that are really getting in the way of your ability to do this work effectively, take steps now so that self-care becomes easier later on down the road (for example I've set up automatic monthly donations through my bank account so that I always have money set aside for animal-related causes).
Be aware of the signs of burnout and compassion fatigue, and don't ignore them.
Be aware of the signs of burnout and compassion fatigue, and don't ignore them. If you find yourself feeling chronically tired, unmotivated, bored with your work, or unable to enjoy the things that used to bring joy in life--your friends and family members may be suffering from compassion fatigue as well.
Avoid burnout by taking regular breaks from activism work to recharge your batteries before diving back into it again. This doesn't mean giving up on your activism altogether; instead, it means making conscious decisions about how much time (and energy) each day is going towards helping animals vs doing other things like spending time with loved ones or exercising regularly for physical well-being.
Recovering from burnout can take time but there are some simple steps anyone can take towards recovery: - Make sure to get enough sleep every night so that when morning comes around again tomorrow morning there isn't any sense of dread because all we want is just one more hour before going back into work mode again! - Eat healthy food regularly throughout each day rather than binge eating unhealthy foods only when we feel stressed about something happening in our lives right now."
Veganism is not a one-person job, but sometimes it feels like it is!
It's not just you. You are not alone in feeling this way and it's OK to ask for help. You are not the only one who has to deal with this, or wants to do something about it. There are people out there who want to support you and help you get through it all!
Animal advocates are some of the most compassionate people on the planet. We know that we can't save every animal, but we also know that if we don't try then nobody will. That's why it's so important to take care of yourself as an advocate--you're not just doing this for yourself, but also for all those animals who need your help!