Responsibility, Prioritization, Respect, Communication, Self Care.
Subjectively, these are the modes of a functional, modern activist. Burnout is a term we typically hear in reference to physical strain on the body only. Take on too much manual labor without rest, and suddenly we have no more energy to give to our task. Seems pretty straight forward- Rest, manage your stress, change your diet, take daily walks and according to society you should be good to go until retirement. The factor that is finally coming to light, especially discussed in the millennial population, is the “Body and Mind Connection”. In Chinese medicine, this is the pillar for all things healing, and in recent years with the broader acceptance of holistic therapy in America, the body mind connection has grown in understanding, and is much more widely integrated in lifestyle that includes yoga, massage therapy, meditation, cryotherapy and other forms of self care. What is self care really though?
Self care simply put is the ability for you to become a warrior instead of just a vessel. How can we expect to complete our task with abounding courage, effort, and stamina if our bodies, and minds are not thriving. To fire at 100 percent, we must begin to think of the body and the mind as one entity. One controls the other, and works in equilibrium within the human system. Misalignment of this system is an additional epidemic that has been plaguing humanity far longer than coronaviruses.
Anxiety about illness is one example we can isolate for the purpose of discussing how the body and the mind interact as a system. If we believe we are getting sick, or are fixated on illness as a constant fear- “Does my throat hurt.. I think my throat hurts, and I wonder if Ill get nauseous as well.. oh shit I didn’t wash my hands when I made coffee earlier, WHAT IF I AM INFECTED”. A classic toxic thought pattern to your human system. Inevitably, if we believe mentally that something will happen, our body from stress can inevitably fall ill, our immunity goes down like a firewall unable to protect against an invisible threat. Stress alone is a toxicity within our human system because of one of two nervous states that the body has to choose from. The sympathetic nervous state aka “Fight or Flight”, and Parasympathetic aka “Rest, Sex, and Digest”. Obviously fight or flight is the culprit when it comes to overloading our human system. The sympathetic nervous system is very important when it comes to survival, however there is a broad misuse of this system. When the body goes into fight or flight, a chemical called Cortisol is secreted, which is our stress hormone. This hormone inhibits critical thinking, sleep, and reproductive organs from firing optimally. In a survival situation, this is an awesome function as cortisol increases our ability to defend ourselves, but in the context or anxiety overloading our system with cortisol absolutely effects our ability to heal from injuries, rest, and ultimately.. practice self care.
In reverse, the mind also follows the body. If we continue to subject ourselves to stressful situations without self care, our mental health suffers. Cortisol has overloaded our systems to the point where the mind has no time to recharge, and we are locked into a cycle of stressor, and reaction. To respond is to calculate. To respond is to rest, critically think, and focus ourselves as warriors with great stamina. Within the context of activism how can we best serve others, if we ourselves are broken, and struggling mentally, and physically? The answer is simple. We must recharge. Like a warrior before battle we must strategize, meditate, attack, and follow through.
RESPONSIBILITY- It is our responsibility to be humanitarians. The Black community and indigenous people have suffered long before America was founded. Much of the Black communities’ history has been enslavement, and survival at the hands of white conquerers, and in modern day there is a theme of celebrating culture, without fighting for their rights. It is our responsibiity to be warriors. To practice self care for the purpose of being the strongest fighters we know how to be. To bring change to a world where policing in America, no longer brings violence and fear to a community who deserves equality, and reparations. If you are on social media, you may be feeling overwhelmed, and the truth is that is good. We all need to be. What we must do is make our body mind healthy so that we can handle, and process productive information, protest peacefully, and communicate successfully with others who project racism.
PRIORITIZATION- We must prioritize our input, and output. Our 5 senses can become overloaded, and their is a limit to how much we can absorb at one time. Just like taking an exam, there is only so much studying one can do before you are reading something out loud, and absorbing 0% of the information. This may be one of the easiest ways to practice self care. Just like studying, we need breaks. If you constantly live on social media, you will become overloaded, and I believe thats why activism often will strike very hard at first, and fizzle out over time. People want to get back to personal normalcy. Activism is something thats integrated into lifestyle.Its a long fight that requires mental endurance. In order to be responsible activists, who carry their message effectively for a long period of time, we must rest, and critically think about what we say (output), and how much we can take in at one time (input), as overloading this system is the quickest path to burnout. Meditating at the begging of the day is a great way to practice prioritization. Begin with clearing your mind. Sit with yourself until you can focus on breathing, until you stop thinking about how long you’ve been sitting for, what time you need to be at an appointment etc. and once clear, add one thought at a time and process your feelings, and logical morality about what change you want to prioritize today.
RESPECT- This is a pillar for all things. A foundation for success. A foundation for community, but being apart of a community that dosent respect themselves is a useless cause. Self respect is more of a conversation, than something I can effectively convey in an article, so I will leave it at this: To respect our bodies and minds is essential, and comes down to an individuals needs being met. If our personal needs aren’t being met, we cannot meet the needs of a community. One cog in the machine is malfunctioning, the whole machine fails. To be strong for others, we must respect ourselves, but most importantly we must learn to forgive ourselves for our past. Forgiveness, despite common thought does not mean we must surround ourselves with what has happened in the past, and work on changing it in the present. Forgiveness only means that we can accept, and let go of what we have done, so that we may affect a positive change for the present and future. If there is something that pops up in your thoughts daily that you regret.. good! You are halfway there to confronting it so that you can be a warrior for its positive change now. To free yourself, is to be productive, and use your energy for productivity.
COMMUNICATION- What I really mean is listening. Effective communication is call and response, but as a reform activist, if you aren’t Black, listen to Black voices around you. Wait for direction. Conserve your energy for the right protesting, research where your money is actually effective. If you donate, and feel like you have finally done enough, you just simply have not, and that donation was to satisfy something personally. The keyword here (that I am not seeing thrown around right now) is selflessness. We must donate selflessly, we must act selflessly. God gave us all gifts, and we must be resourceful, and figure out where our gifts fit into this equation. Giving money, and feeling burnt out is a waste of effort. Experiencing a protest, posting about it, and feeling burnt out is also a waste. Use your parasympathetic nervous system: critically examine where you can contribute the most effectively, and worry about fight or flight when you are at the event. To best love on others it is essential that we STOP LOOK & LISTEN. To be a warrior means following strong leadership, whatever your cause. Perhaps there are ways you can lead! Examine your gifts.
reefRX is, and will continue to stand with the Black, and Indigenous communities facing racism. Regulation of police, equality, and justice to those who have committed murder is our top priority. All are welcome at this wonderful event hosted by skater, and activist; Prezi Oki. Start time is 5pm at Blue Banks Skate Park. 623 Madison Ave, Albany New York. Sign making materials will be provided. Look for the reefRX banner, and don’t be shy, we’d love to start a conversation with you.
reefRX 