Checking In

"I come to this work human." Supervisors forget this. Clients (who are often managing their own crises) forget this. And worst of all, we ourselves forget it.

We enter social justice work because we believe we can move something, that joining the collective energy towards doing better and being better can result in a more just, equitable, and peaceful world.

We aren't always greeted with a friendly reality. Sometimes social justice is one step forward, ten steps back (see: Dobbs v. Jackson, current moves by the Florida Board of Education, and anti-LGBTQ state legislation). Sometimes even in our own progressive spaces, we create environments where allies walk on eggshells, afraid to reveal their own fallibility. And sometimes we create superhuman expectations of ourselves and others that lead to burnout and a subsequent breakdown of community.
This quote is a reminder to check in on this. Check in on your judgements of self and the people around you. Check in on your expectations, your internal pressures, your headspace, your promises and limitations, your exhaustion, your vulnerability, and your emotional capacity. Allow yourself to come to this work human.

TJS offers a Resilience in Social Justice consultation. Our personalized resilience assessment & report will be released next month!