Getting in touch with your activism discomfort matters, and you don’t need to burnout to do it

How would you describe your activism?

I must admit that I am the kind of activist that mostly shows up behind the scenes. You probably wouldn’t know I am one of the people behind a campaign, a graphic, that email you opened, fixing a broken mood board for a meeting, or the fight to change the framing of how an issue is talked about. I like to work collectively, and I rarely take credit for something when it comes to activism because it clearly isn’t the point.

There is nothing wrong with that, but there is an element of hiding behind the curtains that serves me and no one else. That’s not necessarily always a bad thing, but it definitely is in this context.

Let me get down to why.

I know that part of me chooses to contribute in this way because I am afraid. To get things wrong, to sit publicly with discomfort. And my privilege allows me to do this and to convince myself I can justify it.

It’s not that I am silent, but I will oftentimes avoid expressing myself politically and publicly with my own words. It is kind of ridiculous, considering I do this for my day job. But it feels safe to do it there: someone else will look at my words before they are published, and that gives me a sense of shared responsibility that calms my nervous system down.

Outside of that, I’ll mostly repost things that others have put together. And that is the right thing to do sometimes. There is no need for my voice to take up space where there isn’t enough space made for others, or where my perspective is the last thing needed. Some content is also speaking my mind to a tee, so it makes sense to share it instead of watering down the same message.

BUT speaking out with my own words has got its place. It is part of my responsibility as a white person to contribute to the dismantling of white supremacy and all the oppressive and discriminating effects that it has permeated in society.

That is the case for me because using my words publicly is where I find discomfort. It is where my ego gets in the way. By choosing what feels comfortable, I deny the space for growth. The kind of growth that is needed for shifts to happen.

So, I am working on that. I am working on using words with my name next to them to say what needs to be said and be less scared of what it means if I get things wrong. Because the point of me speaking out is not to always get things “right”, but to allow space for learning and change to happen — both within me and around me.

So, I encourage you to sit with your discomfort too. To understand its roots.

Hey, I’m not talking about all sorts of discomfort. It is perfectly healthy to choose not to engage with certain ways of doing activism, to not engage with a specific issue or situation because it is triggering a trauma response.

I am a survivor of sexual abuse who has severe anxiety and going to marches and protests is rarely accessible to me for example. Personally, I have accepted that this is totally okay because it will ultimately make things worse in the long term. By forcing myself into a situation that triggers me beyond ways I can cope with will take significant amounts of time and support to come out of and it will most likely result in me disengaging for a while.

Damages in this situation are much higher than the benefits. And there are other ways I can engage that are more impactful, that don’t involve overstepping my boundaries in this way.

That might have been a hard pill to swallow, but things became easier when I discovered that there are so many options to explore. Options to connect with the discomfort that are not harmful. Options that involve listening to our bodies, to our intuition, to our shadows as guides into understanding how we can make transformation happen.

I promise: you can do it too.

In this situation as in many others, you don’t have to do it on your own. You can ask a trusted pal or a professional to help you overcome your fears. You can start by exploring the situations where the discomfort is little and step by step understand better your boundaries and strategies to help you grow in your activism.

And you can take breaks, even if it is a small one to catch your breath. Rest is a radical act, revolutionary even — in capitalism. You don’t need to be an “active-productive tornado”, to spread yourself too thin, to make a difference.

Because guess what: we need for activism to be sustainable.

And for it to be sustainable we need compassion, healthy discomfort, and a good handle on our boundaries. Taking care of them and your needs is what can allow for energy to flow more easily into change. It is a big part of what disrupts burnout from exhausting us into inaction. Taking care of yourself is part of collective care and vice versa.

We need this, and you know it. So, I encourage you to take a moment today or this weekend to ask yourself about your activism discomfort.

And if you can: make a sustainable plan to shred it to pieces.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it.

Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.