What can I do to help? Activism and Mental Health

Realising the world is an unjust place, where bad things happen and inequality is insidious, is always going to be a difficult thing to cope with. Some of us come to this understanding early, through our own varied experiences of oppression in whatever form it takes for us, and some only learn through the experiences of others. Even when we have experienced oppression in some form, the vast majority of us will still need to learn from others about a form of oppression or disadvantage we haven’t directly experienced. We are all products of our unique time and place in society, the experiences we have, and the experiences we haven’t had. 

Our mental health is something we all experience all the time, whether it is generally good or bad, we have a mental illness, we’re facing a rough patch because of our circumstances, we’re in recovery or we are becoming more aware of the world being an inherently unfair place. Often a specific incident is a catalyst for us to have a new understanding of the world, it’s injustices and then start to ask what can I do to help? Sometimes it’s personal, but often it’s something which sweeps society at a particular time, in a particular context. Just looking at my various social media platforms at the moment, I have calls to action from; Black Lives Matter over the death of Floyd George and the subsequent riots for justice across the USA, a call to recognise the danger to BME people posed by the police in the UK, Tattoo Me Too calling out a prominent tattoo artist for decades of sexual harassment and assault and a recognition of it as a wider problem in the industry, Refuge warning that the rates of domestic abuse have soared due to the COVID 19 pandemic and lockdown measures, with the murder rate having doubled and use of online services rising by 950%, Amnesty UK highlighting the particular danger to migrant women and children, and ongoing concerns over COVID 19 deaths in care homes, the disproportionate representation of BME people being effected and dying, and the lack of PPE for front line workers.  

None of these issues are new, and none of them exist in a vacuum. They are all ongoing problems our society faces, but particular events have led to them being more visible at this moment in time. From the point of view of activists, this means that there is a new opportunity to make big changes to our society because more people are engaged with the issue. There is a sense of urgency, not just because these issues are serious in themselves, but because progress is made through the sheer amount of ordinary people coming together to say that we will no longer accept the status quo, so that those who have power are compelled to change a system which actually works in their favour. There is no other reason for them to do so, so we need to take these opportunities when we see them, or risk losing them and having to wait until another one emerges. Meanwhile, people are literally dying. 

This is overwhelming for those of us who have had the time and space to come to terms with the world as it is, along with those who are only just beginning to see the reality in front of them. When calls to action appear, it’s hard to decipher what that might mean for us as individuals. So here’s a bit of advice on how to navigate this.

1 Do what YOU can do.

There will be lots of suggestions, requests and demands from people who are directly affected by the issue as to what people should be doing to help, especially those with privilege. When we are talking about a whole demographic group of people in theory, that’s easy to do, as we can sort people into two groups; oppressed and privileged. But as individuals, our identities are more complex than that, and intersectional theory tells us that we are made up of multiple facets and experiences, some of which may prevent us from taking the action we are being asked/told to take. It is absolutely imperative that we listen to those most directly affected. However, we all have different abilities for different reasons, and there is usually a plethora of different opinions from within this vast group as to what the right course of action is. Eventually, you are going to have to decide for yourself what you are able to do, based on your resources and your best judgment at the time. 

2 Educate yourself, at a pace you can manage.

It is a feat of emotional and intellectual labour to unpick the stories our society tells us about the social systems we live in. Absolutely try to learn about different forms of oppression and reflect on your place in the world, but make sure you take a break when it all gets too much. Effective activism needs sustainable action over the course of lifetimes, and if you burn out, you hurt yourself and it doesn’t benefit anyone else. So read, watch and listen to the things, but make sure you practise self care too, and that very much includes fun and laughter. We need to have light and shade in life, and the light will help us when we have to deal with the shade. Or the pitch fucking black as it sometimes feels. (I’m an advocate for dark humour and swearing, myself.)

3 Feel all the feelings, and get help from appropriate sources.

You are likely to feel ALL the feelings when you are learning about the various ways our world is fucked up, and about the amazing people trying to unfuck it (technical terms.) It is super important to feel these complex balls of emotions, and to recognise if you are triggered by them. Absolutely ask for help if you need it, but respect the boundaries of the people directly affected by injustice and inequality, and instead of asking them, ask people who are a little further removed. Doggies in particular are excellent for this. 

4 Accept you will make mistakes, learn from them, and keep trying.

We will all make mistakes while navigating our new knowledge and reality. Much like known knowns, known unknowns and unknown unknowns, we are going to experience making known mistakes that we realise immediately, unknown mistakes that we learn about later during a mortifying recollection of a conversation or an awkward call out, and unknown mistakes that we make, but never know about, because in 100 years that thing we didn’t even think about turns out to be super problematic but we’re all long gone by then, being judged by people in fancy space suits on Mars/ diving suits underwater/ headsets in virtual reality/ other (delete as desired.) I realise that last bit is all one sentence but I have no regrets. The important thing is to listen and learn, figure out what happened and why, then try not to do it again. Try not to get caught up in your own feelings of guilt or shame, because a. You’re doing your best as a flawed human person and b. It’s not helpful anyway.  And for God’s sake apologise properly and succinctly, it’s not that hard. Ok, fine, here’s a template; ‘I’m so sorry about that, I’ll keep trying to do better.’ Then move on and let the person have time and space to process their own feelings. Feel free to go outside and confess The Incident to a friend who knows and loves you that you fucked up, get reassurance that it doesn’t mean you are now The Worst Person Ever, then go back to your work/ wedding/ Parliament and keep trying.