Paris Alston: This is GBH’s Morning Edition. This week, 4th of July, we’ll celebrate the revolution that birthed America. But ask anyone who spends their time fighting for something to change, be it racial or environmental justice, foreign policy, gun control, you name it: Revolution does not come easy. So what happens when one grows tired of fighting? A 2021 study in the Journal of Adolescent Research found that 60% of college students who were interviewed reported their advocacy work harmed their mental health, even if it made them feel like they were making a difference. As part of our ongoing series Wake Up Well, we’re taking time on the first Wednesday of every month to speak with people in the mental health space about topics like this one. Joining us now is Craig Andrade, associate dean of practice and director of the Activist Lab at Boston University’s School of Public Health. Craig, hello. Good morning.
Craig Andrade: Good morning to you.
Alston: Thank you so much for being here. And a reminder that this is not a substitute for treatment, but meant to be a jumping off point. So, Craig, as the definition of an activist has changed, how has the need to address their mental health changed too?
Andrade: I’m not sure that the need to address mental health has changed at all throughout the centuries and decades that people have been trying to find ways to make the change that they want to see. You can start from the beginning of our country’s building. The idea that those that were resisting while enslaved were doing all they can to find ways to not just survive, although that was a full time job — they were also trying to find ways to find joy, find ways to find community, find ways to just laugh and be with people in a way that decompressed the pressure that was evident on an ongoing basis.
Alston: What do you say to people who contend that the world’s problems are too big to take a break from trying to solve them?
Andrade: The world’s problems are big, and none of us are responsible for solving them all. The idea that we — and I’m not sure who said this, but we can take our own piece of the sky and that the circle of our influence can be small at any one time, but it also can expand. So finding ways to be just one star in the sky and know that all we have to do is continue to shine the light that we have and be persistent in that, that may be all that’s necessary to help the sky light up with other stars around us.
Alston: What are some tips to find that balance?
Andrade: First, thinking about how do you take care of your body, mind, and spirit from an internal perspective? That can obviously be counseling. There are things like prayer, meditation, journaling, finding ways to laugh, being in the water, being in the forest, having a great walk or a run, being in nature. And then it’s about being in community in all kinds of ways. That means different things for different people. Our communities are the people that know that it is not just us, that we are part of a collective and connected to people in all kinds of ways.
Alston: So much of today’s activism is happening on social media, but as we know, there are downsides to social media. How can it affect one’s mental health when they are trying to push for change?
Andrade: Yeah. It is a — that’s a big question we could talk all day about social media and finding ways to really be mindful of your presence on social media. What is the dosage that’s healthy? And how do you step away when it’s time to step away and know where there are corners that are going to serve you well, and there are corners that aren’t going to serve you well?
Alston: Well, lastly, Craig, we’ve been asking everyone we have on as part of the series to give us an affirmation related to the topic. What is yours?
Andrade: I would say that: To speak to ourselves. Sometimes it’s looking in the mirror. Sometimes it’s closing our eyes and saying that I am enough. I am worthy. I am good.
Alston: Well, that is Craig Andrade, associate dean of practice and director of the Actavis Lab at Boston University School of Public Health. Craig, thank you.
Andrade: You’re welcome. Thank you for having me.
Alston: And you can find a list of mental health resources at GBHnews.org/wakeupwell, and if you’d like to chime in on this topic, you can text us at (617) 300-2008 or email thewakeup@gbh.org. You’re listening to GBH news.
A 2021 study in the Journal of Adolescent Research found that 60% of college students who were interviewed reported their advocacy work harmed their mental health, even if it made them feel like they were making a difference.
Ask anyone who spends their time fighting for something to change, be it racial or environmental justice, foreign policy or gun control: Revolution does not come easy. So what happens when one grows tired of fighting?
Craig Andrade, associate dean of practice and director of the Activist Lab at Boston University’s School of Public Health, told GBH’s Morning Edition co-host Paris Alston that activists in America have always needed to mind their well-being.
Wake Up Well: Help us talk about mental health
“You can start from the beginning of our country’s building. The idea that those that were resisting while enslaved were doing all they can to find ways to not just survive, although that was a full time job — they were also trying to find ways to find joy, find ways to find community, find ways to just laugh and be with people in a way that decompressed the pressure that was evident on an ongoing basis,” Andrade said.
A feeling that the world’s problems are too big to take a break from trying to solve can compound that struggle, he said.
“The world’s problems are big, and none of us are responsible for solving them all,” Andrade said. “I’m not sure who said this, but we can take our own piece of the sky and that the circle of our influence can be small at any one time, but it also can expand.”
He shared some tips: Look internally for ways to take care of mind, body and spirit. That can mean professional counseling, prayer, meditation and journaling — and it can also mean “finding ways to laugh, being in the water, being in the forest, having a great walk or a run, being in nature,” he said.
“And then it’s about being in community in all kinds of ways,” Andrade said. “That means different things for different people. Our communities are the people that know that it is not just us, that we are part of a collective and connected to people in all kinds of ways.”
He also suggested people be mindful of their social media use.
“What is the dosage that’s healthy? And how do you step away when it’s time to step away and know where there are corners that are going to serve you well, and there are corners that aren’t going to serve you well?” he asked.
He left us with an affirmation: “Speak to ourselves — sometimes it’s looking in the mirror, sometimes it’s closing our eyes — and saying that I am enough, I am worthy, I am good.”
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