Neurodiverse folks have a very strong sense of justice (also known as Justice Sensitivity). We see through issues very clearly and can easily recognize when something is morally wrong.
We are quite sensitive, meaning not only are we highly empathic, we are also hyper aware of how our bodies physically and emotionally react to a situation.
This, plus the ability to absorb so much stimuli all the time, is exhausting. We can often feel the weight of the world on our shoulders. For me, I know that this feeling is near impossible to “shut off.”
Especially when I am constantly bombarded with the horrors of everything on social media.
I open my Instagram app and immediately see videos of families suffering in Gaza. I see another Black person that has been harassed or harmed by police. I see ICE agents dragging parents away from their crying children or beating a protestor to the ground. I see another post about something Trump and his followers have said or done to cause harm to the LGBTQIA+ community. Or another post about a Trans person who has been murdered or has taken their own life.
The US, let alone the entire world, is suffering.
Now, here is the challenge that I have always faced when it comes to activism and social justice.
It is incredibly difficult to not only take on all of this pain and suffering upon my shoulders and internalize it, but to not feel guilty about how there is very little that I can do. Or the fact that my body and brain can only take so much. It quickly exhausts itself emotionally and shuts down.
I used to push myself beyond my limits to fight for the causes that I believed in. My heart is very black and white. Someone suffers = I help however I can. I acknowledge and appreciate this quality within me, but I had to learn that I have special limitations. I also had to learn that it is okay to have these limitations.
The world is overwhelming. Every day, I see my neighbors suffering and I know that there is very little that I can do. When I have the energy for it, I participate. When my body allows, I protest. When I have the means, I donate. When I have a voice, I spread resources. However, even when I do nothing, that is OKAY TOO.
We have to accept that as Neurodiverse people, when the internet is screaming for you to work hard every single day for every issue that the world is facing, they aren’t speaking to us. We are pushed constantly to fight the world’s struggles and I agree that we should do what we can, but we have to honor our limitations, put down the sword before we burn ourselves out, and tell ourselves that it is okay. We are not terrible people for not being able to practice activism the same way that someone else does.
I get to a point where I have to put my phone down or even log out of all of my social accounts for a while. My body absorbs so much emotion, like a sponge, and I have to allow myself time to decompress. That is how I take care of myself mentally in times of hardship.
I have to shut out the guilt that creeps up on me when I do this.
How can you just turn off your phone when hundreds of thousands of people are suffering? How can you just sit there and do nothing? If you aren’t constantly using your voice to help others, then you are a horrible person.
None of this is true. We can be involved as much or as little as we want. That is the truth. It doesn’t make you a bad person if you can’t do anything to help the world, because listen, at the end of the day it is not on us. It is on the people that are in positions of power. We can do what we can to beg them to change our world, and we can do what needs to be done to gain their attention, but there comes a point where we may need to step back.
Honoring our mental health and our physical limitations is extremely important in times of crisis. If we run ourselves into the ground, then what use are we? It may feel counterintuitive to shut out the horrific events that we are surrounded by, but I encourage you to listen to yourself. Take care of yourself. Honor your body and your sensitive soul.
In my opinion, connecting with your community (whether that is friends, family, or strangers on the internet) is a beautiful form of activism. Having conversations about our mental health and leaning on each other for emotional support is just as important as marching in the streets.
When the world is on fire, sometimes all we can do is water each other to keep ourselves from burning along with it.
If you are reading this post and also feel the weight of the world on your shoulders, do not hesitate to reach out to me.
Take care of yourselves and stay safe,
xx Disco Brain
Choose wisely where you put your mental, emotional, spiritual and physical energies.
Yes, we are limited, that is a basic human fact. Honoring your boundaries is wise and will prevent you from burning out. When I do this, I am able to actually contribute more because I've taken care of myself.
At the same time, God's resources of love, peace, and strength are limitless, so we can always pray for more strength from Him to pursue those activities and causes we desire to support.
God's peace and strength and love come to you, my daughter, Mom