How to Help Others When Feeling Overwhelmed

This past week has been tough.

There has been so many different types of micro- and macroaggressions that it feels almost too hard to keep up. There has been aggressions towards the Black community with Meghan Markle sharing her experience with racism with the Royal Family. There has been the condemnation of same sex Catholics by the Pope. There was a mass shooting rooted in misogyny and racism impacted the Asian community. And now there was a shooting in Colorado.

There has been so much pain over the past week. You want to help. You want to provide support beyond the #hashtags and sharing of posts. But it all feels like it is too much.

It’s okay. You’re human. You can only do so much at a time. You can only process so much at a time. Give yourself permission to take a step back before trying to help others.

Given that there are limited hours in the day, limited amount of resources, and limited amount of energy - what are one to two causes that you want to support?

You can’t do everything. You can’t fight every cause at all times because you are going to burn out. It’s exhausting enough watching the problems on the screen of the television or scrolling through your social media feed, you don’t need to take on the world’s problems or even this nation’s problems all at once. Which cause are you feeling particularly close to? Which community resonates with you? Pick one. If you have more time and money, pick two. But don’t push yourself.

Look at your resources and figure out how you want to support - is it time? Money?

There are so many different ways to help. You can volunteer your time with an organization - some organizations hold events that need volunteers. Or maybe a phone line.

You can also use your time to call your representatives or local officials that are in charge of policy to let them know that things need to change. You can share your concerns for those who are at-risk.

You can also donate your money. If you have money to spare, do some research for an organization that is supporting those who are harmed. Important to note: really do your research because not all organizations are about helping. Make sure it is supporting and not erasing the voices of those impacted.

You can also support by investing in small business owned by those who are impacted. This week, that means Black, Asian, and LGB business and organizations.

If those things feel like it is too much, perhaps incorporating talking with your friends and family and challenging biases and stereotypes that harm these communities.

Make yourself accountable and readjust as needed.

It’s okay to feel hesitancy in trying to contribute and support, but do not let that stop you from helping. If the goal feels too big, break it down into smaller pieces. Or perhaps switch it to something that you will have the resources to do. It doesn't have to be perfect, it can be good enough.

In all of this work, make sure you are taking time to reset, recharge, relax. All these tragedies and attacks and aggressions are painful to watch and hear so disconnect when needed. Just make sure to reconnect to support those in need.