Do you want something to completely suck out your energy and make you contemplate quitting?
Try to control things that are completely out of your control.
You will drive yourself up the wall.
One of the things that I have found to give me peace amongst chaos is to reflect on what I have control over and what I do not. What is out of my control, I need to wash it off and let it go.
When the feelings are intense, I find the only way to do this is to either write it down or draw out a mind map. But some visual representation that I can post where I work is a constant reminder that I have found to be incredibly helpful.
Systems are huge.
They are interconnected.
It’s incredible how some things that are so small can make a difference, and yet some things can be such huge successes, and the machine fights back.
Do what you can. Develop a plan for what you can control.
It’s those little step-by-step tasks that matter the most. But if you are involved in systemic advocacy, there are going to be a lot of people and a lot of relationships that you will not even have access to. You will be dependent on other people. Focus on you and the rest; wash it off. Do the ritual to end your advocacy for that day. Close the book. Blow out the candle. Turn on a 3 min guided meditation on YouTube and carry on. Do something you enjoy. These issues aren’t going away; it is a work in progress. No matter how hard you work, it won’t be solved today.