Motivation and Coping as an Activist

We all will probably face times when we lose our drive to get active for animals or find ourselves feeling “burnt out”. We may still care about animal rights, but we suddenly lack the drive to get involved in activism.

Obviously if there are big personal problems affecting your activism drive then you need to get those sorted, for your own sake as well as for the animals. Otherwise, it might be worth taking a moment to think about why your motivation’s gone – pinpointing the problem can help you find out how to tackle it.

Ways to get motivated:

• What got you interested in AR in the first place? Re-read that book, re-watch that video, remember that conversation you had with another activist that first got you involved

• Find out what activism’s going on. I personally find going on Veggies ARC (an absolutely essential resource for UK activists) and seeing the list of demos, events etc makes me want to get involved

• Read about what other activists are doing. Let their commitment to AR inspire you to get active yourself

• If pessimistic thoughts about activism are holding you back, just think of all the positive changes various movements, including the AR movement, have created. Read a book like “Animal Century” by Mark Gold that illustrates the changing attitudes to towards animals in the last hundred years or so

• List everything you could do to help animals. This will get you thinking about activism again, as well as hopefully giving you ideas as to how to make a difference

• Go visit an animal sanctuary or other place with animals that aren’t being exploited. This will hopefully remind you of the main reason why you’re an activist – to help animals.

• Communicate with other activists. Going on the boards may be enough, but if you can, join a local AR group or become a member of a national organisation. This communication with other activists will again help inspire you, and the information about animal abuse and ways you can stop it should help motivate you to take action

• Think of times when you’ve taken part in activism and (hopefully!) how happy it made you feel afterwards. If you want that warm fuzzy feeling of having done good to come back, you’ve got to get out there and get active!

Preventing motivation loss:

It’s obviously much better if you don’t lose motivation in the first place. Looking after yourself will help a lot. Take time to relax. It’s a bit like when you’re revising for an exam: most people find that if they revise 24/7 without a break they end up getting more stressed and tired and remember less. Whilst you should aim to be as active for animals as possible, you still need time for yourself to avoid burn out, where you basically become so stressed or disillusioned by animal suffering you can’t bring yourself to be active anymore.

Exercise regularly. If possible get outside for some good old fresh air, but obviously if the weather’s not on your side or you live in a very polluted area this may not be ideal.

Things like yoga are very relaxing and good for you – great if you get stressed out a lot. Meditation also helps and is a good way to chill and de-stress. Doing aerobics, swimming, running, cycling – basically any exercise will help you not only physically, but mentally. Eat a healthy, balanced diet (because being a junk-food vegan is all too easy these days!) and take time to do the things you enjoy.

Even if you think your motivation levels are fine, doing the things mentioned for motivation will help stop you ever losing your activism drive or getting burnt-out.

Remember that small actions can make a difference. Whilst attending demos is awesome if you can, remember that door dropping leaflets or selling vegan cakes to people you know to raise money for an animal charity is still important. Be the best activist you can be without getting so active you end up burnt-out and unable to do any activism at all. That’s not an excuse for sitting around doing nothing, though!

Even if, for whatever reason, you can’t go out there, still try and get active. Make a recipe book with your favourite vegan recipes to sell to your friends to raise funds for an animal charity; write an article for a local / regional paper about any aspect of animal abuse; write a letter or email to a company that abuses animals; or use it as an opportunity to read up on animal issues, ethics, and activism so you can be the best activist you can be.

Stay motivated, stay driven, and stay active!

Review - The Beautiful Mountain Cafe

Whenver I visit somewhere, I do a bit of research into if there are any vegan, or vegan friendly, places to eat.

So earlier today, I decided to try The Beautiful Mountain Cafe (http://www.thebeautifulmountain.co.uk/index.php) in Aberdeen, Scotland. It's not exclusively vegan or vegetarian, but there are a few options suitable for vegans.

My partner and I both ordered a sandwich with the soup of the day. The soup and the sandwich filling I had ordered (grilled vegetables) turned out to be unavailable, so I had a bean pate sandwich instead. My partner had the avocado and pepper sandwich, which he describes as being "slightly above average" - same with the sandwich I had.

The staff were very friendly and helpful, knowing which options were suitable for vegans. My sandwich was "on the house" because of having to change due to my original choice being unavailable. It was busy when we went, but we managed to get a table, with a view outside.

They also have a takeaway area downstairs.

I would recommend giving The Beautiful Mountain Cafe a try if you are ever in Aberdeen. Finding places to eat when you're out and about, especially when you are staying somehwere you are unfamiliar with, can sometimes be difficult, so it is always nice to find a cafe where there are good vegan options and staff who understand what veganism is.

Positives:

• The staff were very friendly and helpful, and saying I could have the sandwich "on the house" was very much appreciated
• Nice atmosphere, doesn't feel too hectic

Negatives:

• A bit on the expensive side for what it is
• Accessibility may be an issue as the cafe's on the first floor
• Limited number of vegetarian and vegan options

Easter Nests

With Easter just over two weeks away, I deiced to try making some Eastery treats!
These Easter nests are really simple to make. There are various ways to make them - I went for the recipe from the wonderful Vegan Family website

(That page has some other good recipes for Easter treats  - in fact the site has lots of great recipes!)

 I ended up using Whizzer's chocolate beans rather than their mini eggs as I couldn't get hold of any! I used melted Humdinger's chocolate buttons to mix with the Weetabix which worked pretty well - I did try using dark chocolate but it wasn't as good.
You can also use cornflakes or rice crispies instead of broken up wheat biscuits.

Vegan Carrot Cake

I decided to stop making chocolate cake every time I do some baking and try something new, so made carrot cake instead!



I used this recipe: http://www.vegansociety.com/lifestyle/food/recipes/cakes/carrot-cake.aspx  Most of the ingredients seem to be things likely to be lurking in your kitchen cupboards anyway, or if not, should be easy enough to find in the shops.

Fairly simple to make. It's quite rich, which I suppose is a good thing since it stops me reaching for another slice straight away...!

The buttercream icing ideally goes on top, but I ended up making it as a sandwich cake after the cake tin I was originally planning to use decided to not work properly, so the buttercream went as a filling instead. Still works perfectly fine to make a nice cake.

Book Review - Striking at the Roots

For many people new to veganism and animal rights, knowing how and where to start with outreach can be difficult. In "Striking at the Roots", Mark Hawthorne guides us through various forms of outreach, with plenty of tips from other experienced activists thrown in for good measure. Areas covered include leafleting, demonstrations, coroporate campaigning, and other important forms of campaigning.


The chapter, "Food as Outreach", struck me as one of the best parts of the book, and an area which more activists need to be aware of. After all, how many times have you been told by someone that they won't switch to veganism because "vegan food is dull"? By discussing how to promote veganism through activities such as food fayres and cooking workshops, Hawthorne shows us how to destroy the view that vegans live off salad leaves while promoting cruelty free living in a way which is friendly and effective. As someone who's planning to hold a vegan food fayre at some point (fairly soon I hope!), this is really useful stuff to know.


Another good inclusion is the chapter, "Animal Care: Activists are Animals Too". Being burnt-out is not good for anyone, so Hawthorne looks at why and how we can look after ourselves as activists.


Despite being an American book, as a UK activist I still found it very useful and relevant. Definitely recommended to new and experienced activists alike.


Available on many online shops, including http://www.animalaidshop.org.uk/guidebooks.htm

Vegan Chocolate Banana Milkshakes

The amounts for all of the ingredients are rough. Makes roughly two to three large glasses of milkshake.

3-4 bananas, chopped

1 and a 1/2 glasses (use the glass size you're going to drink it from) chosen non-dairy milk, e.g. soya or oat

A few tbsp of vegan vanilla ice cream

Roughly a tsp of cocoa powder (I recommend having a bit extra to hand so you can add more to taste if necessary)

(Too much cocoa powder can really ruin it, so I tend to add little bits (e.g. 1/2 tsp) at a time till it's right.)

Chuck it all in a blender and watch as it all mixes into a delicious milkshake.

Enjoy!

Recipe - Tofu and Vegetable Stir-fry

Tofu and Vegetable Stir-fry

Serves two

Stir-fry with tofu, red bell pepper, courgette, onion, garlic, mushroom
and seaweed, served with leafy salad

Tofu and vegetable stir-fry is one of my favourite meals. Being a student, I find it’s great as it’s fairly affordable, easy and quick to make, nutritious, and tasty.

There are so many things you can include in the stir-fry. Pick around four or five of vegetable ingredients, or substitute in your own preferred ones. 

Roughly 260g firm tofu, cut into small chunks

1 onion, diced

Garlic to taste (I use around 4 cloves), crushed or sliced

1 courgette, diced

1 bell pepper, diced or sliced

3-6 mushrooms, diced or sliced,

1 medium to large carrot, thinly sliced or grated

½ small to medium red cabbage, chopped or sliced

4-6 cherry tomatoes, diced

A couple of handfuls of rice noodles (if using)

Seasonings as preferred, e.g. paprika, chilli powder, mixed herbs, salt, pepper, etc.

Heat up some oil (e.g. olive oil) in a large frying pan or wok on a medium-low heat. Once the oil is warm, add the tofu. Stir and turn the tofu over regularly.

After a few minutes, add the onion and garlic. Keep stirring. Once the onion has started to soften, add the bell pepper / carrot / red cabbage. Keep stirring. As these soften, add the courgette / mushrooms / tomatoes – keep stirring! Add your preferred seasoning.

After a few minutes of cooking (still on a medium-low heat), when everything should be about cooked through, add the rice noodles (if using), and keep on the heat till the noodles are cooked (the packet should say how long they need). Serve with a mixed salad, for example rocket and spinach.

Variations…

·        Seaweed works well with tofu stir-fry, too, and is a good source of iodine. Cook according to instructions on the packaging.

·        If preferred, marinade the tofu in a sauce (e.g. chilli sauce) for around half an hour before you begin cooking.

·        You can, of course, make this without the tofu and have it as a vegetable stir-fry instead.

·        I sometimes don’t bother with rice noodles, as it still does taste really nice without them!

Eating Out

At first glance, eating out as a vegan can seem fairly hard. While many cafes, restaurants and other eateries seem to be getting more accustomed to catering for vegetarians, getting good vegan food when eating out may appear more difficult at times.

Some vegetarian options are suitable for vegans, yet for some reason, many vegetarian dishes are smothered with copious amounts of cheese! Although I’ve had to have chips and salad when eating out a few times (which in all honesty doesn’t bother me!), I can’t think of a single time I’ve gone somewhere and they haven’t been able to cater for me.

Some tips:

·        If at all possible, phone up ahead. You’ll find they already have vegan options (or dishes that are easily converted to being vegan); that there are no vegan options but the chef will kindly make you something suitable; or, in the rare, worst case scenario, they will struggle to serve up a good vegan meal – but by phoning you didn’t waste time going there only to be disappointed.

·        Make your dietary requirements very clear. Having nut and sesame seed allergies, I’ve always been used to asking questions when ordering food. Make sure the waiting staff know what you can’t eat. Don’t feel bad about politely asking questions – if you think that garlic bread may contain dairy, ask!

·        Consider different cuisines when eating out. I’ve often found there’s at least one thing on the menu at Indian restaurants that’s suitable for vegans, though do check that your meal won’t be cooked with ghee (clarified butter). Chinese restaurants tend to also be quite good, as boiled rice and various vegetable dishes, and sometimes bean curd (tofu) are often options. With Italian cuisine, watch out for egg pasta, and check there’s no animal ingredients in pizza bases. If the pasta’s OK, then there will likely be a tomato or vegetable based sauce it can be served with, and most places will let you request pizza without any cheese.

There are, of course, many vegetarian / vegan restaurants out there. I recommend checking out http://www.happycow.net/ which lists many places that are exclusively vegetarian or vegan.

My Veganism

It was sometime during November 2007 that I went from being a lacto-ovo vegetarian to becoming a vegan. Unlike my vegetarianism (which started October 2006), going vegan wasn’t an overnight thing. It was a fairly gradual transition. In hindsight, I could have, and really should have, made the change sooner. (How best to go about going vegan is something I plan to cover in another post in the near future.)

So, three years and two months of veganism. Has it changed me as a person?

No. But very much Yes.

Going vegan isn’t joining a cult. I’m still very much me. Yet it has changed me. It’s changed the way I perceive certain things, especially in regards to the rights of other sentient beings. I honestly feel it has made me more compassionate, more empathetic towards animals, people and planet.

On a practical level, it very much shapes the way I live. And that’s not just avoiding animal products in food, clothing and toiletries – it’s avoiding cruelty in as many areas of my life as I can. It’s not supporting animal circuses, for example. It’s getting involved in vegan and animal rights outreach and activism to try and create positive change.

So yes, being vegan has had a profound effect on my life.

I’m sure many will agree with me. And many will disagree. Your veganism, like pretty much everything, is personal to you.

Please feel free to share how veganism has affected you as a person, or your lifestyle.