How To Find Strength For Activism | My Top 5 Tips

How do we find the strength for activism?
With the overwhelming multitude of wrongs

and injustices in this world, where do we
even start? How do we keep fighting when our

efforts seem like a drop in the ocean? What
do we do when we feel we have nothing left

to give?

Hi it’s Emily from Bite Size Vegan and welcome
to another vegan nugget. This video is going

to be a little bit less formal than my educational
videos as I want to speak to a question I’ve

been hearing a lot lately. If you’re not
into informalities, don’t worry, the next

video coming out is an educational nugget.

While this video is geared towards vegans
interested in animal activism, it can just

as equally speak to non-vegans and vegans
alike interested in any form of activism.

In sharing my recent experience of bearing
witness to animals bound for slaughter at

a 24-hour vigil with Toronto Pig Save, I’ve
had a lot of people comment that they’re

just not strong enough to attend such an event
or that they wish they had the strength to

do so.

This is something I encounter a great deal
in my work: the struggle to find strength

to speak up for the animals, the strength
to not back down when you seem to be the only

one fighting, the strength to look into the
eyes of a being who you know moments later

will have the life drained from them, and
despite all of that not give up hope.

Anyone who dedicates themselves to some form
of activism knows that burnout and overwhelm

are very real. So I thought I’d just share
with you some of my tips and recommendations

for finding the strength to push forward.

Tip Number One: Harness Your Emotions

When facing the utter insanity of what we
do to animals it’s natural to become enraged,

heartbroken, disgusted, or any number of strong
emotions that can consume us to a point of

defeat and inaction. What I try to do in my
own activism is use the energy from the anger,

the heartbreak, the sadness, or whatever emotion
I’m experiencing to drive me forwards into

further action. Painful emotions aren’t
inherently bad. They can be effective tools

for change when harnessed proactively.

Tip Number Two: See Through Their Eyes

All of us face challenges in our lives and
within our activism. One thing that always

keeps me going even when I’m fighting my
own battles, is putting myself in the place

of the animals. No matter what I may be going
through or what struggle I’m currently facing,

it never fails to dramatically pale in comparison
to what they are experiencing. It’s literally

a matter of life and death for them and put
in that context, my own worries and issues

seem less significant. Now this is not to
diminish personal struggles, which need to

be addressed, but more so to give us perspective
when we find ourselves stuck in our own mess.

Tip Number Three: Remember Your Why

This tip actually applies to being vegan in
general as well as to activism. When people

tell me they are struggling to stay vegan,
my number one recommendation is for them to

write down why they want to be vegan and keep
it on them at all times. It’s so important

for us to stay connected to why we’ve chosen
this way of life, regardless of what that

may be for us. This is where actions like
the Toronto Pig Save vigils are so powerful—they

literally forge that connection with the very
beings we are trying to save. Of course your

why may be something altogether different,
but whatever it is, write it down or find

a picture or video that captures that emotion
for you and keep it on hand when you need

motivation.

Tip Number Four: Acknowledge the Victories

It can often seem like we’re fighting a
losing battle. For every person who “gets

it” another handful seem to arise with hateful
comebacks. It’s easy to get discouraged

and give up entirely. Something I find essential
and that I myself am not terribly good at,

is being sure to acknowledge the victories
we do have. This is why I started keeping

all the testimonials and messages from people
who have gone vegan from my videos. It’s

important for us to see that change is happening,
even if it’s not as quickly as we’d like.

There are people listening and sometimes you
don’t even know the seeds you may have planted.

A great way to acknowledge the victories is
to visit, or better yet volunteer, at a farm

animal sanctuary. Being around survivors of
the animal products industry and seeing them

living free is so heartwarming and always
drives me to fight for those not so fortunate.

Plus, lending your time to help at these organizations
is in and of itself a form of activism.

Tip Number Five: Take Care of Yourself

Personally this is my least favorite tip and
one that I honestly am not terribly skilled

at. But, it is important for us to make sure
we’re taking care of ourselves, otherwise

we can’t be of any use to the animals. I’ve
said this before in my video on whether medication

is vegan, but it’s like what they tell you
on an airplane: put your mask on first before

helping others. Of course if you’re anything
like me, you may try to just hold your breath

and mask up the entire 747 before slapping
on your own.

I hope that these tips have been helpful and
that you enjoyed a little more laid-back of

a nugget. I’d love to hear your thoughts
in the comments. Did you find this video useful?

Do you have any tips of your own for getting
and staying active? Let me know.

If you enjoyed this video, please give it a
thumbs up and share it around to help others

find strength. If you’re new here, be sure
to hit that big red subscribe button down

there for more awesome vegan content every
Monday, Wednesday, and some Fridays! Now go

live vegan, get active, and I’ll see you
soon.

3-year-old Fargo was being held in a pen at
a meat processing plant in North Dakota. Minutes

away from slaughter, Fargo broke loose from
the pen and ran for freedom. Once destined

to be killed at age three, can now live for
20 more years or more, the natural lifespan

of cows, which they so rarely get to reach.