Happy Monday Everyone! We hope everyone had a wonderful Super Bowl weekend! Not football fans either? Well, we hope you had good snacks. We're mostly in it for the vegan tofuffalo wings (perhaps some COM|PASSionate food blogging should be in the works.) Today's Mental Health Mash-Up will be in blog format (we're also dreaming up some videos, prezi's and other magic to come.) We'd like to welcome anyone popping over from LibSyn! "Hey, friends! This here's the main blog-- we hope you podcast listeners stick around and check out some of what the other folks are doing around these parts!"
In this "episode" of the Mental Health Mash-Up we would like to talk a little about community energy and advocacy as well as, of course, how this plays into our mental health and self-care. Last week this post from Non-Profit With Balls (they're awesome by the way- check them out) on Trickle Down Community Engagement came through our feeds. This concept isn't a new one to a lot of us in the COM|PASSionate REVOLT community and was really more of an "Amen, Vu, Amen, thanks for saying this in a way that we wanted to laugh as much as cry," moment! It really struck a chord with us and got us thinking about the sustainability of the work, how we're being compensated for it (financial and otherwise) and how we take care of ourselves while we're doing it.
On the last episode of Mental Health Mash-Up: Disclosure, we encouraged folks to take a moment to check in with how much educating they were willing to do along with what information they were trying to relay. We implored you all to remember that it is NOT your job to educate others on your identity-- even if your identity is something they may not be familiar with. We also discussed the very relevant possibility that in some cases, if one has the energy and desire, a little educating of those around you can go a long way in making your journey smoother.
It's a bind. We know.
And it doesn't just happen on the personal level with those we choose to tell in "perfectly" (read comical, awkward, ridiculous, etc) orchestrated "Coming Out" performances. It takes us off guard and happens when we're asked to talk to a friend of a friend, a kid of a friend, a sibling/cousin/roommate, etc going through a similar journey. It happens when we're asked to educate our colleagues or speak to a group about our lived experiences. How many of us have become accidental activists in this way, when asked to lay out our struggle, even though we haven't fully figured out yet to some group, because we were the only one's that had any information about being {insert identity journey here.}
It's not all bad. A lot of us have found it to be a really affirming and passion fueled part of our lives. Story, experience, knowledge and wisdom gained sharing are central pieces of what we're doing here on COM|PASSSionate REVOLT because we believe it to be healing-- to ourselves and others. And lived experience storytelling and resource sharing has long been a piece of the LGBTQ civil rights movement's gains in strength and visibility.
It's an admirable thing to share your story AND it's not your job.
It's imperative to our individual and community's mental health that we each find our own balance of if and how much of this we are able to do.
It's AS important to say, "No, I don't have the space/time/energy/etc" or "Yes, I do have experience speaking on this topic here is my workshop rate, dates I'm available and other sliding scale/trade based ways you can compensate me for my expertise" as it is to say, "Hell, yes, I have some free time and I'd love to come talk to other folks about how awesome our community is and how they can be more awesome to us!"
This check-in with ourselves in the arc of our lives, the space of our year and our moment to moment present is a way that we can honor ourselves as complicated, fabulous, 3 dimensional beings traversing this complicated, fabulous, 3 dimensional life journey!
So, in conclusion, thank you for reading all you queer educators, lived experience panelists, non-profits of one, vegan tofuffalo fans and folks that have accidentally found us through a series of serendipitous link clicks and hours of internet surfing.
We sincerely appreciate rolling through this rough and tumble journey of life with you as our community!
Please, take us for a ride in your back pocket as you wander, skip and cartwheel through this big beautiful and sometimes chaotic world!
And if you need a little extra support or guidance in how to say "No, I need to take care of myself" check out Non-Profit With Balls' very inspirational Contact Page.
Until next week,
In revolutionary COM|PASSion,
Skye + Traci
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You can reach us at compassionaterevolt@gmail.com
