Burnout is a risk in any field but it’s especially prevalent in the social justice movement. There are lots of theories for this. Some think it’s because we give more than we’re ever given back. Others argue it’s the working conditions—long hours, a lack of institutional support for self-care, or the tendency for nonprofits to take on more than they can accomplish. I think it’s deeper than all that. As activists and organizers our role is to study where our society has failed and then generate creative solutions to fix it. We are students of violence, oppression, and harm. What most people spend their time tuning out we actively work to tune in. This can get depressing, especially when our gains might feel too minimal, or our efforts too small. Often we don’t have a space to process our feelings about this, or we feel guilty for having them. Soon physical ailments appear and the stress gets the best of us. We no longer feel inspired and our work becomes stale, unoriginal, and brittle. It’s a common story…