Advice to My Students in Times Like These
I’ve had a number of students come visit me over the last couple of weeks, unsure as to how to balance a life of activism with their classes and their paying work. Here are the words of advice I’ve offered, in the hopes that they might be useful to others, too
- Check in with your boundaries
Ask yourself, where do I need to draw boundaries in order to give myself time and space to replenish my reserves? Are you someone who gives your everything to your friends and holds nothing back for yourself? Do you throw yourself into the work of multiple campus organizations, and find you are exhausted even when you have time off? Remember that you need time to unwind, rejuvenate, and rest if you are to be an effective activist.
- Schedule self-care
Treat self-care like anything else you have to do: put it on your calendar every day. It’s easy for our days to fill up with other things, and we need to rebuild ourselves after expending energy on activism. Look online for lists like this one that can give you concrete suggestions for things you can do to feel more balanced.
- Start the day with a phone call
If you can, make a phone call when you get up. Do it first thing in the morning so that you’ve already done something to make a difference before the rest of your day begins. Call your Representative and/or your U.S. Senators about one issue a day. Look for online guides like this one from The 65 to know what other people are likely to be calling about. This will amplify your voice.
If you have social anxiety about making phone calls check out this post for suggestions for how to handle things. And remember, if you can’t call, there are other ways to contribute.
- Pick one cause/organization you want to support.
We cannot each do everything. Pick a cause or an organization that’s important to you and concentrate your efforts there. Trust that there are enough of us that all the bases are being covered without you needing to lead the charge on every front.
- Pick one thing you can do for that organization
Think of a particular skill you have that’s useful, especially if your organization has local roots. Are you great at graphic design? Offer to make all the posters the organization needs. Awesome at organizing people? See if your local cause or organization needs that help. Choose to donate money if you don’t have time to spare, but do have dollars. Stay focused.
- Curate the news you absorb
The web is full of terrible news, and if we don’t mindfully curate what we read, we can get sucked into despair. For every news story you read that contains bad or disappointing news, go out and find a story about someone / some organization that’s working against that. Build an understanding that for every awful thing that happens, someone’s out there creating a smart, witty, meaningful response.
Related: remember, as far as you’re able, not to get sucked into catastrophizing things. There is plenty that is concrete to work on in the here and now – as far as you’re able, resist the urge to spin out imaginary scenarios in which things go to hell. Remember that there are millions of people in this movement. We have the collective power to generate a just, sustainable, and peaceful world.