Firstly, Amber, thank you so much for sharing such an honest and introspective piece. I believe your courage in addressing these issues is a step towards making the community more welcoming, understanding, and supportive for everyone.
As someone dedicated to improving the well-being of animals and motivated by the present-day unfathomable horrors of factory farming, I find solace in the fact that the heavy emotional toll we experience mirrors our compassion and drive to make a difference. However, I’ve been in the animal advocacy and EA spaces for long enough to know that having these negative and overwhelming emotions are really toxic to our mental health and makes our work more unsustainable in the long term. I actively choose to focus on solutions, actions, and people that energize me now, not projects/people that I feel I should engage with for the greater good. Boundaries are something you must impose on yourself, not upon others. It’s been an amazing cognitive/emotional switch and I’m happy to discuss it more with you if you are interested. :)
Once again, thank you for this reminder that it’s okay to experience the spectrum of emotions associated with these important gatherings, and it’s crucial to have these dialogues for the health of our community.
Firstly, Amber, thank you so much for sharing such an honest and introspective piece. I believe your courage in addressing these issues is a step towards making the community more welcoming, understanding, and supportive for everyone.
As someone dedicated to improving the well-being of animals and motivated by the present-day unfathomable horrors of factory farming, I find solace in the fact that the heavy emotional toll we experience mirrors our compassion and drive to make a difference. However, I’ve been in the animal advocacy and EA spaces for long enough to know that having these negative and overwhelming emotions are really toxic to our mental health and makes our work more unsustainable in the long term. I actively choose to focus on solutions, actions, and people that energize me now, not projects/people that I feel I should engage with for the greater good. Boundaries are something you must impose on yourself, not upon others. It’s been an amazing cognitive/emotional switch and I’m happy to discuss it more with you if you are interested. :)
Once again, thank you for this reminder that it’s okay to experience the spectrum of emotions associated with these important gatherings, and it’s crucial to have these dialogues for the health of our community.