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Effecting change can be exhausting: 5 ways to avoid burnout.

Effecting change can be exhausting: 5 ways to avoid burnout.
Photo by howling red on Unsplash
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Right now, we are in a critical moment where more Americans are engaging with the topic of race than ever before.

There is so much work to be done, but people who aren't accustomed to thinking this much about race are struggling to condition themselves. Factor in a global pandemic, economic insecurity, and the stressors of working and schooling from home, and allies are at an increasingly high risk of burnout.

Marginalized and oppressed people need allies to learn to pace themselves. But how?


Upworthy interviewed Tatiana Mac, author of a series of tweets that went viral because she found a way to make a complicated issue coherent and digestible for the masses. She succinctly addressed eight different issues and offers advice, free of charge, for each one.

Tatiana Mac

Mac, a Software Engineer based in Portland, Oregon, describes herself as a "Vietnamese American who has started to unpack my own internalized oppression and simultaneous complicity within white supremacy. I experience racism, but not to the extent that Black folks do."

"I think that, in many ways, it feels like 'white people have entered the chat' on discussions of race," she said. "Panicked and somewhat new to these discussions, it felt like many people were riding the energy and momentum of the movement, but because they were new to these discussions, were flailing and misdirecting their energy.

As with all things in this time and age, I worried that they would go hard for a few weeks, burn out, and we'd go back to letting the status quo dominate." Mac published the tweets to "remind them that this is not a trend, this is not going away, and that if they're interested in being part of the solution, they need to establish long-term strategies and build this work into the fabric of their lives."

Mac isn't alone in these feelings. Norisha Kirts Glover, owner of NRK Construction and President of her local chapter of the Junior League, also thinks we need to be mindful of these efforts. As a Black businesswoman, she is intimately familiar with the racial issues plaguing America. She told Upworthy, "This is a marathon, not a sprint. You cannot fix something that is systemic in a short period of time. Instead of trying to fix this today, I would advise people to spend that energy being thoughtful about where they spend their time working towards systemic change."

Norisha Kirts Glover

Glover says that, typically, people are most effective when they're able to pinpoint and carry out action connected to their work or something they are passionate about. "Remember that even when you start to act, it's about pacing yourself," she said. "I have been fighting this my whole life. Be mindful that the burnout that you are feeling is small in comparison to what people have to endure every day."

Burnout looks different for everyone. Here are a few action items based on Mac's list for avoiding burnout, while trying to change the world:

1. You're asking a lot of questions, which is great! It also means that you're receiving a lot of answers, taking in a lot of information and may be overwhelmed.

Burnout bypass: Remember that you can't learn everything all at once. Make a list. Learn to find the answers yourself before asking. Read multiple sources. Sit with it.

2. Somehow, you ended up in three different book clubs, cramming for what feels like the "anti-racist test."

Burnout bypass: Set monthly recurring reminders to write short reflections on mistakes made and lessons learned. See your own progress. Build Black authors into your life, including reading fiction and non-race-based non-fiction.

Photo by Tim Gouw 

3. You're confronting people. It's exhausting.

Burnout bypass: You're fired up about change and that's appropriate. But will you still be actively engaged in a few months, when fewer of your peers are? Evaluate your long-term commitments to this work and set realistic goals. Establish vocabulary to address racism.

4. You're making a lot of mistakes right now and it's embarrassing.

Burnout bypass: You're learning a lot of lessons, so sit with them. A lot of people don't make it this far out of fear of embarrassment, so well done! Now, pass your knowledge along to all the people around you, especially the ones who look like you.

5. You're talking to everyone from Twitter trolls to parents, expending energy everywhere, and much of it is wasted.

Burnout bypass: Write scripts about how to confront racism with colleagues, friends and family. Figure out your boundaries, like when you'll walk away.

According to Mac, working alongside people of color requires willingness to "opt in every day, sitting through immense discomfort, and making some embarrassing mistakes." Because of the emotional toil of this work, setting boundaries and keeping a strong vision can hold allies steady. This undertaking can be daunting, but it's also vital to our future generations. And if everyone does something, the changes will be sustainable.

Turn your everyday actions into acts of good at P&G Good Everyday.

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Easy (and free!) ways to save the ocean

The ocean is the heart of our planet. It needs our help to be healthy.

Ocean Wise

Volunteers at a local shoreline cleanup

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The ocean covers over 71% of the Earth’s surface and serves as our planet’s heart. Ocean currents circulate vital heat, moisture, and nutrients around the globe to influence and regulate our climate, similar to the human circulatory system. Cool, right?

Our ocean systems provide us with everything from fresh oxygen to fresh food. We need it to survive and thrive—and when the ocean struggles to function healthfully, the whole world is affected.

Pollution, overfishing, and climate change are the three biggest challenges preventing the ocean from doing its job, and it needs our help now more than ever. Humans created the problem; now humans are responsible for solving it.

#BeOceanWise is a global rallying cry to do what you can for the ocean, because we need the ocean and the ocean needs us. If you’re wondering how—or if—you can make a difference, the answer is a resounding YES. There are a myriad of ways you can help, even if you don’t live near a body of water. For example, you can focus on reducing the amount of plastic you purchase for yourself or your family.

Another easy way to help clean up our oceans is to be aware of what’s known as the “dirty dozen.” Every year, scientists release an updated list of the most-found litter scattered along shorelines. The biggest culprit? Single-use beverage and food items such as foam cups, straws, bottle caps, and cigarette butts. If you can’t cut single-use plastic out of your life completely, we understand. Just make sure to correctly recycle plastic when you are finished using it. A staggering 3 million tons of plastic ends up in our oceans annually. Imagine the difference we could make if everyone recycled!

The 2022 "Dirty Dozen" ListOcean Wise

If you live near a shoreline, help clean it up! Organize or join an effort to take action and make a positive impact in your community alongside your friends, family, or colleagues. You can also tag @oceanwise on social if you spot a beach that needs some love. The location will be added to Ocean Wise’s system so you can submit data on the litter found during future Shoreline Cleanups. This data helps Ocean Wise work with businesses and governments to stop plastic pollution at its source. In Canada, Ocean Wise data helped inform a federal ban on unnecessary single-use plastics. Small but important actions like these greatly help reduce the litter that ends up in our ocean.

Ocean Wise, a conservation organization on a mission to restore and protect our oceans, is focused on empowering and educating everyone from individuals to governments on how to protect our waters. They are making conservation happen through five big initiatives: monitoring and protecting whales, fighting climate change and restoring biodiversity, innovating for a plastic-free ocean, protecting and restoring fish stocks, and finally, educating and empowering youth. The non-profit believes that in order to rebuild a resilient and vibrant ocean within the next ten years, everyone needs to take action.

Become an Ocean Wise ally and share your knowledge with others. The more people who know how badly the ocean needs our help, the better! Now is a great time to commit to being a part of something bigger and get our oceans healthy again.

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