As vegans, we face an unparalleled and sometimes insurmountable flood of visual and verbal messages that directly conflict with our personal values and ethics. At office potlucks and holiday gatherings, we are faced with visual imagery of the mass torture and carnage of animals. Omnivores constantly question our choices about the foods we eat. Driving to and from work, we pass billboards with rodeos, cheeseburgers, dairy farms, and even cows telling us to eat more chicken. Many of us only “come out” as vegans in our household and with our circle of friends. We can’t help but be affected by the things we see and encounter, and we may not even realize the internal damage that is causing. It’s in our nature to be kind and caring, which makes us more susceptible to all of this.
Sometimes, our compassion for all living creatures can outweigh a compassion for ourselves. We can be our own worst enemy. We might think we are not doing enough. Surely there is more we can be doing to stop this horrific injustice to the sentient beings and the planet, right? We are frustrated with ourselves for not being vegan earlier in life. We calculate how much better we could have done if only we had started earlier. As if the external pressures are not bad enough, we perpetuate the damage to our mental health by participating in self-loathing.
In order to protect our mental health and overall well being, we need to forgive ourselves and, most of all, LOVE ourselves. You are doing enough. You are making a difference.
Unplug. There is only so much social media images and comments one human being can handle. There are times that I need to unplug for a few days to recover and reconnect with my spiritual self. Many of us have careers that are dependent upon regular social media connection, but get creative to find a way you can set some parameters or boundaries.
Do what you love. Take some time and write down the things you truly love doing. Then assess how much you currently do them and how you can implement a plan for doing more. Going to animal sanctuaries, doing yoga, meditating, getting together with vegan friends, and cuddling with my dogs are all things that recharge my batteries and give me wings.
Practice gratitude. Thank the people who have helped you along the way. Thank the person who influenced you to adopt a vegan lifestyle. Thank restaurant owners for offering vegan options. Appreciate Del Taco for carrying Beyond Meat. Thank your friends for going to a vegan restaurant with you. Celebrate your not-yet-vegan friends and family for being supportive and caring. These are just a few examples of practicing daily gratitude, which has been shown to increase happiness and reduce depression. Here are a few more.
Having awareness of the challenges we face every day as vegans is the first step in overcoming them. Implementing some strategies such as disconnecting from social media, doing more of what makes you happy, and practicing gratitude can help. There is support out there, anytime you need it. Please use it and BE WELL.
Victoria Palmenberg is an MSVA Certified Vegan Lifestyle Coach and Educator who balances a full-time job in higher education with baking and providing coaching services to those in need of support. She is also in school, pursuing a Certificate in Health and Wellness Coaching, to prepare for National Board Certification for Health and Wellness Coaches. When she is not working and studying, she tries new recipes for delicious vegan baked goods for her business Penny Power. You can find her on Instagram and Facebook and contact her by email.
Hi – As a vegetarian, I appreciate the sentiment here, but it’s very disappointing that an article on mental health awareness for vegans does not address the connection between diet and mental health. This is a very real concern for many people, and the latest science seems to indicate that a vegan diet might exacerbate anxiety and other mental health issues. (Books such as The Anti-Anxiety Diet, The Anti-Anxiety Food Solution, and The Mood Cure highlight these concerns.) At a minimum, the article might have mentioned the importance of taking nutritional supplements if one’s diet is lacking in certain vitamins and minerals, etc. Thanks.
Hi Jennifer. Thank you for your insightful feedback. I agree nutrition is important and best covered by a registered dietician, which I am not. I’m hoping we can continue discussing mental health topics in this blog forum and beyond to help the community.
There certainly is a connection with mental and physical health. Yet as a Veg’an us being more depressed can be not be due to our diet. We tend to go Veg’an because we see all the Turturro and murder done to animals, it depresses us. When we see how many people don’t care it depresses us. When we feel like we can’t do enough it depresses us.
I thought the author did a wonderful job of discussing some great ways for self-care and coping with the stress of being vegan in a non-vegan world. It’s impossible to write about all aspects of mental health in a short forum such as this I applaud her for her thoughtfulness and awesome recommendations.
What a beautiful and much-needed article, Victoria! Everything you covered was spot-on and touches so very many in countless ways. I, personally, needed this article right now so I’ll be sure to apply your guidance and thoughtful reminders straightaway. Thank you for your compassion for ALL! <3
Thank you Alissa! I appreciate your kind words.
I love this! very practical and insightful. What a smart woman and great writer. ( Victoria is family to me and it’s great to see the professional side of her.)
Thank you for this insightful article. It does get both exhausting and demoralizing to be treated as some sort of weirdo when I all we are trying to do is not harm other sentinent beings. Sometimes I sneak off, totally alone, to my favorite vegan restaurant so that I can truly enjoy myself without the “I could never do this full time” comments or the standard “oh, tofu is gross,” being said by people who have never even tried it. I very much appreciate your self-care comments, and hugging my cat has always been on my personal list of coping skills.