For activists struggling with the painful emotions that arise from their work, being self-compassionate might be a valuable source of mental and emotional support. (Shutterstock)
The Conversation: How self-compassion can help activists deal with stress
As reported in The Conversation as written by Sophie Olivia Hanson, PhD student, Clinical Psychology, University of Manitoba:
Why are activists, who are so passionate about their social justice work, so often burned out by those very causes? We don’t often think about activism as a form of labour, but it is. Research on the activists that make up social justice movements suggests that the pressures of activist work, can cause them to experience serious consequences to their own mental well-being.
In some cases they might be driven to leave activism altogether, hurting their activist movements as a whole.
To understand how activists can better manage the challenges of their work, our research examines how self-compassion could be used to help them alleviate stress and avoid burnout.
Read the full article on The Conversation.