Activism isn’t easy. If you want to be in it for the long run, you need to look after yourself or you’ll burn too bright, quickly. If you don’t take proper steps to protect yourself, the graphic images that litter our feeds in the name of activism and raising awareness might do you more harm than good.

Videos like those of the last moments of George Floyd’s life and stories like that of Breonna Taylor and Tony McDade are plastered across our feeds with little to no warning or thought about the toll that these can take, particularly on black viewers. As an activist, how exactly can you look after your mental health? Here are my few tips.

One of the most harmful aspects of this type of graphic content is that it is delivered to us on social media platforms where most people usually go to relax and unwind. As you scroll through your feed, you might see an adorable picture of a corgi in a bow tie followed immediately by a video of police shooting tear gas at peaceful protestors.

As you can imagine, this is not good for your brain. We are being sent mixed messages about when it is safe to relax and when we should be alert to danger and, as a result, we find ourselves constantly on edge.

Being aware of our political climate is incredibly important, but cultivating that awareness shouldn’t come at the expense of your own mental health. In order to sustain the momentum that has built over the past few weeks, we need to be able to function day-to-day or else we risk burning out (call it a nervous breakdown if you will) and not being able to continue. Self-care and preservation should take place alongside all the hard work that needs to be done.

Strategies for protecting yourself while staying informed apply to everyone, but are particularly essential for those who are on the front lines of the movement. Organisers, protesters, educators who are propelling the movement forward need to make sure they take time to rest, as one would with any demanding day job. Treating activism like the full-time hard work that it is provides the space you need to look after yourself when it gets overwhelming.

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Hello📍This is a short and not very sweet intro to understanding the relationship between the UK criminal justice system and those with mental illness.📍 I would like to add that in 2014 it was found that depression was more prevalent among Black women than any other ethnic group in the UK, and 8.3% of Black British adults screened positive for PTSD compared to 4.2% of White British adults (Mental Health and Wellbeing in England - Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey, 2014). The issues mentioned in this post greatly intersect with race and that should be kept in mind when viewing these slides. We have seen countless examples on our feeds in the past few weeks of the police & other areas of the criminal justice system failing Black people and people of colour; their treatment of those with mental illness is absolutely an extension of that.📍 If you want to read more on these issues I’ve included further reading in the final slide. While compiling this I came across a great article by Jay Watts (“Mental health services in crisis are abandoning patients to meet targets”, Guardian (2019)). I didn’t end up including any of the info from there in this but I’d recommend reading it if you’re interested in how mental health treatment has been declining in the past few years.📍 Okay, that’s all for today. Hope everyone is safe & as well as you can be.

A post shared by Das 🦎 she/her (@das.penman) on Jun 9, 2020 at 11:53am PDT

So, here’s where you can start.

The first thing you need to do is to review the places from which you are receiving breaking news. If all of it is coming from your social media feeds, you are opening yourself up to inaccurate reporting and harmful imagery that could cause you pain.

Instead, have a few news apps installed so that your breaking news is coming from reviewed and edited sources. However, do bear in mind that news outlets often have an agenda, based on where their funding and support comes from and who their reader base is. This is where social media can come in handy! Following trusted, verified commentators and activists means you can get a different perspective on the story and build your own understanding of the situation.

I also find that switching off from the sources of these stories at a certain time has made it all seem less overwhelming. At the moment, I (try to) shut off Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and any news apps after 9 p.m. and only use my phone for chatting to friends and family. This way, I teach my brain that it’s time to wind down for the night instead of obsessing over these stories right up until I go to sleep.

Understanding that grief comes in many forms and that you can grieve for people you didn’t know is always helpful It’s okay to recognise that this senseless loss of life has hit you hard. As someone who has experienced personal loss very recently, these topics are bringing up a lot of tough emotions for me and I’ve found that honouring the legacy of these victims helps me come to terms with it. Donating to fundraisers for funeral costs, signing petitions and sharing resources helps channel that grief into meaningful action.

Anger is one of the emotions I’ve found myself coming back to over and over. Anger at the system, but also at the individuals who let it happen—those in charge, the people posting hate and then at myself, too, for all the times I’ve seen overt and covert racism and let it go unchecked. It can also manifest itself as anger at how useless we can sometimes feel, simply because it can be hard for one person to see how they can change anything on their own.

This feeling of uselessness will only persist if you don’t look for ways in which you can be of use. You don’t need a massive following or a high-profile job in order to make a difference. For example, if you see a family member share a post on Facebook stating that ‘all lives matter’, you could share some resources with them in order to explain the Black Lives Matter movement.

If you don’t feel comfortable doing that, you could speak to someone you trust about how their actions make you feel or find a related cause in your local community to support going forward. These are tangible ways to be consistently useful in a fight that requires everyone, no matter how big or small.

Only once you make sure to take care of yourself and your mental health will you be ready to actively protest against systemic racism and injustice.

As the global fight against racial injustice gains steam, meaningful change is beginning to materialise. From mayors pledging to defund police forces and racial justice organisations receiving an outpouring of support to a sharp rise in public discussions around issues of systemic racism—evidence of progress trails behind the swelling wave of protest and outrage. It is important to build on this historic momentum and keep the foot on the gas.

What can you do to support the movement for black rights and racial justice?

Taking to the streets to demonstrate remains one of the most effective ways to protest injustice and demand immediate change. Check the Black Lives Matter website, local community websites and social media for information about protests taking place in your area. If your circumstances don’t allow you to march in the streets, you may want to inquire about virtual protests happening, like the one recently arranged by Black Lives Matter London.

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Today on Sunday at 2pm @ldnblm will be hosting a virtual protest WORLDWIDE🌪🌪⚡️⚡️ for those who can't be there on the ground, so everyone’s voice's can be heard and stand in solidarity. We'll be sharing live footage from the protest and with content and speakers from @georgethepoet , @sianaarrgh from @blkoutuk , @jaxxsheps, @mamayouthproject, @dopeblackdads, @sianaarrgh, @voicesofchange2020 DONATE. EDUCATE. CREATE CHANGE 🖤🔥🔥 Together, our voices will be heard. Black Lives do, have, and always will Matter. https://zoom.us/j/98049239730 Webinar ID: 980 4923 9730 THE LINK IS IN OUR BIO 🖤 Credit: @protests_photos #ldnblm #blacklivesmatter #virtualprotest

A post shared by LDNBLM (TNA) (@ldnblm) on Jun 6, 2020 at 2:05pm PDT

Protesters marching in the streets are in need of various supplies, including water, masks, food, and more. Visit the webpage of a protest happening near you to learn about its designated supply drop-off locations, or contact protest organisers for information on how to help.

As a growing number of protesters are being arrested by police forces, bail money is urgently needed for people who cannot afford to purchase their freedom. This Google Doc contains a list of bailout and legal funds categorised by city and state.

Systemic racism has robbed black communities of funds and resources and stilted progress among its residents. Contributing to initiatives designed to empower black communities is a crucial step in rectifying the ravages of centuries of racial discrimination. Black Visions Collective, National Bailout and Campaign Zero are three organisations that work in varying ways to achieve long term improvement for black communities, end their oppression and promote their rights and safety. You may want to research similar organisations operating in your city or state.

Make it a point to support black-owned businesses, restaurants and shops in your area. You should also research which companies are complicit in perpetuating systemic racism and refrain from supporting them—L’Oréal, Reformation and Zimmerman, I’m looking at you.

Immigrants of colour are disproportionately targeted, terrorised, and abused by the government—at the border, in detention facilities, and in black and brown communities repeatedly raided by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). At the invitation of the NYPD, ICE agents have been infiltrating Black Lives Matter protests in New York City, and have already detained one immigrant. Research and donate to organisations working to protect and advocate on behalf of immigrants of colour.

Queer people of colour are at an increased risk of experiencing violence, exclusion, police brutality and oppression. They are also more likely to suffer from depression, anxiety and other mental health issues as a result of what is commonly referred to as ‘compounded minority stress’—being both queer and black or brown. The LGBTQ Racial Justice Fund and the Black Trans Femmes in the Arts Collective are two out of numerous organisations working to protect and uplift black queer people in the US. If you’re based in the UK, you may want to check out UK Black Pride, IMAAN and NAZ Project.

While the focus tends to revolve around national politics—it is local authorities that are often hotbeds of racial injustice. Inquire about your mayor, comptroller, chief of police, and district attorney, demand accountability for their actions, and be sure to vote in local elections and get involved in your community.

Across the US, and around the world, more and more people are demanding to defund the police and invest their budget in community projects and infrastructure and locally-run emergency-response teams. Minneapolis may be the first US city to completely disband its police force, and LA Mayor Eric Garcetti had already pledged to slash the city’s police budget and invest the money in communities of colour. Join the growing demand to defund the police by supporting #8toAbolition, the Movement for Black Lives or other NGOs operating in your city or county.

Challenge yourself with daily and rigorous reflections on how the concept of Whiteness may affect your life; in what ways does it limit or impact your actions, your perceptions, your opinions, your circle of friends? Policies are important milestones in the fight against systemic racism, but they alone cannot herald real, long-lasting change on societal and institutional scales. Slavery had been abolished, Jim Crow laws had been eradicated, and yet here we are still battling the plague of racism. Ultimately, racial justice could only be achieved when we fundamentally change the ways we see ourselves and obliterate the institution and concept of Whiteness.