“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it's self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare,” wrote Audre Lorde in her 1988 essay collection A Burst of Light. Black, feminist, lesbian, poet, and mother, Lorde aimed her rallying cry at those who had been marginalized: Society may tell you that you don’t matter; fight back by showing yourself that you do.

Three decades later, the concept of self-care has morphed and mainstreamed — it now encompasses from yoga to a long bath when the kids are in bed. Yet its importance for activists is more relevant than ever — especially the type of whose voices have historically been silenced.

More Engagement, More Burnout

Recent years have seen a surge in activism. A 2021 Washington Post–Kaiser Family Foundation poll discovered that one in five Americans reported participating in a political rally in the preceding two years; 19 percent of those people identified as first-time rally-goers.

In a highly charged political climate, staying engaged while establishing healthy personal boundaries could be especially tricky. Activism doesn’t have to involve protests or rallies, or even be expressly political. But to become an activist is to fight for something new in the status quo, and any fight — no matter the issue — takes a toll on those who work in the trenches.

That price is often described as burnout, an interplay of physical and emotional symptoms that can be devastating if left untended. Consequences range from heart disease to type 2 diabetes to depression, and burnout has also been linked to feelings of ineffectiveness, detachment, and cynicism. In other words, the advocacy can wind up compromising the advocacy.

Mental-health therapist Pete Noteboom, LGSW, learned this lesson firsthand. Reflecting on his past like a field organizer for state political candidates, he remembers sacrificing his health, relationships, and any semblance of self-care. “I ate poorly and smoked; I wasn’t getting together with my good friends — all of my social interactions were centered on the campaigns.” He departed the professional political arena for a career in clinical social work.

Liz Young, director of advancement at Women Winning, a nonprofit dedicated to electing pro-choice women to political positions, spent several years running political-finance and fundraising efforts and is constantly on the volunteer on behalf of local candidates. When you work in politics, she explains, you need to stay tuned in to every issue; on her this led to burnout. Specific incidents and events, for example family separations at the U.S.–Mexico border, triggered feelings of anger, and depression.

Similar symptoms are also common among those who aren’t actively stumping for candidates. Beyond her day job as a clinical social worker, Brianna Klatt, MSW, LGSW, volunteers with respect to numerous causes including women’s rights, Black Lives Matter, criminal-justice reform, and LGBTQIA equality. She loves her work, however it can take a toll. Klatt notices an uptick in irritability along with a tendency to be more short-tempered when she’s pushing herself way too hard. Burnout also shows up in her body: Klatt has experienced exhaustion, loss of appetite, migraines, tunnel vision, and hair thinning.

Other activists say burning out can translate to tuning out. Mariah Rooney, LICSW, RYT, is a psychotherapist and adjunct professor in the University of St Thomas. “I'm passionate about a large number of causes and frame my engagement around issues through an anti-oppression lens,” she explains. At times, championing those issues in the midst of continued social strife fuels a sense of disillusionment. “I’ll feel utterly down and immobilized and discover myself numbing out, shutting down, and disengaging.”

Battling Burnout Through Self-Care

Activists may require “radical self-care,” based on life coach and author Joi Lewis. She describes this as “the intentional practice of taking care of our mind, body, and soul with techniques that oppose the forces of oppression that want us sick.”

Lewis believes that everyone should make time to care for themselves, but especially activists and marginalized populations for example people of color. “Many activists have suicidal ideation, sleeplessness, depression, appetite loss, and deepening addiction to substances that help numb the pain,” she warns. And so self-care can be key to survival.

Research shows that self-care is essential to battling burnout — and people who tend to themselves across multiple domains are most likely to reap the benefits. Here are some options.

• Healing your body: Since a lot of burnout symptoms are physical anyway, effective self-care includes efforts to heal your body. Tried-and-true health habits such as drinking lots of water, eating whole foods and vegetables, and getting a good night’s sleep are essential.
• Moving your body: What Lewis calls “conscious movement” helps heal your body too. For her, that involves yoga; she teaches and practices vinyasa. Noteboom and Rooney hit the weightlifting room. Klatt applies to rejuvenating hikes.
• Nurturing supportive relationships: Whether with fellow humans or animals, connection also helps stave off burnout. Noteboom has an end-of-day ritual that consists of hugging his wife and rubbing his dog’s belly.
• Looking beyond activism: Self-care may also involve engaging in activities that have nothing to do with activism. Making a indicate discuss topics unrelated to politics continues to be crucial for Young: She commits to spending time with friends who don’t work in her industry to intentionally escape the political fray.
• Turning inward: Stepping out of the trenches can be reenergizing; so too could be looking inward. Most of the activists here, including Rooney, visit a therapist. “Therapy gives me dedicated some time and space each week to care for myself, reflect, heal, and walk out into the world and into my relationships with more awareness, resources, and groundedness.”

Lewis believes tuning in ultimately keeps us from tuning out. Instead of using self-care as a means of escape, utilizing it to remain present and connected even if things get discouraging allows activists to explain and enrich their resolve for the cause itself.

“Radical self-care is not the way out,” she explains. “It’s the way in which in.”