Rebel Boundaries

In the XR movement there is always something to be done. Our passion and commitment can lead us to ignoring our personal boundaries and to exhaustion, illness, a diminished capacity to communicate and a decrease in our effectiveness as activists. It is vital that we don’t ignore the signals from our mind and body that tell us we are “running on empty”.

What do we mean by boundaries?

Boundaries represent our personal limits beyond which we become personally depleted, resentful and ineffective. They may be different for each of us and it is really helpful for us to understand where our personal limits are. When we are part of the XR movement ecosystem our state of wellbeing impacts the health and functioning of the whole.

Examples of boundaries

Time Boundaries are the hours we can personally dedicate to activism daily or weekly before feeling overwhelmed.
Emotional Boundaries - how much of our emotional energy is invested in the activism work we are doing and concerns about the XR movement versus looking after our personal needs.
Physical Boundaries - are we making sure we are getting enough rest (daily and periodically), eating healthily and getting enough exercise?
Communication Boundaries - is it helpful for us to decide when and how we respond to messages, limiting the times we have to be available, to be “on duty”.

Learning to identify our own boundaries is an essential part of ecological activism. It means listening to our bodies paying attention to feelings of exhaustion, irritability, or a sense of being overwhelmed. Honoring these signals requires our self-awareness and an understanding that it is essential to prioritise our personal wellbeing and balance alongside the urgent goals of the work.

Look out for the excellent XRUK workshop: Skills Boundaries and Sustainable Activism which covers these themes and more.