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FOR THE LOVE OF

SUSTAINABLE SELF

THIS IS FOR YOU

If you’ve found your way to this page of resources for the first time, this is a message to you.

The person trying their hardest with the tools they have been given to be a force for good in the world. A person who does things that might seem strange, weird, gross or out of the ordinary in the name of sustainability. You are a lover of people, planet, animals, and living a life that’s streamlined to focus on the things you really care about.

Your efforts to do good for people and the planet are tireless. There are days when you wonder if there’s any point. If anyone really cares. If the things you do matter. You might doubt yourself. Feel tired. At worst- you might get eco-overwhelmed or burnt out.

This message is a reminder.

What you do matters.

That big changes start from paradigm shifts in self. Changing the way you think, feel, or perceive the world around you to act in thoughtful new ways. Sometimes on the surface, mindful reflection can look like in action. We might be fearful that this time we take for our Sustainable Self is accomplishing little. But each time we stop, reflect, and recharge our batteries, we make space for greater insight and understanding.

We reinvigorate our why, take stock of what we are grateful for, and move forward with clarity and purpose.

You are invited to make space for you.

For the love of Sustainable Self.

Now take a moment to pause, breathe deep, and allow your shoulders to drop away from your ears. Feeling better already? 

Let’s get ready for Sustainable Self exploration with love and focus.

Katie

FOR THE LOVE OF SUSTAINABLE SELF

This post is your part of our  ‘For the Love of Sustainable Self’ content. If you love it, click the ‘back’ button tfor more information about what Sustainable Self is, and how you can use the tools we have available to take a holistic approach to self-responsibility and support when living life in sustainable style.

BACK

WHAT IS SUSTAINABLE SELF?

Our macro scale world has social/governance, economic, and environmental sustainability considerations. These larger picture issues may be global climate change, oceanic plastic pollution, civil unrest, global governance, world trade, and measuring economic success (to name a few). These are big picture problems to which there are no easy (yet) solutions. Our Sustainable Self operates in a smaller level of influence. Our social circles are work, friends, family, and our broader community (IRL and online). We have impact (to an extent and geographically dependent) on our local and national governance systems. Our economic situation can determine the amount of time and money we can commit to our sustainability mission. It can also define the environment we inhabit. This could be an area of natural amenity (a scenic place, in a desirable location, surrounded by natural beauty), or service amenity (near schools, work, culture, transport, shops etc.). It could also be a low socioeconomic area, an environment of systemised racism, or a marginalised community.   Whether you buy, rent, share or live in a moveable dwelling (i.e. car, tiny home, tent, couch-surfing or otherwise).

Depending on who you are, where you live, the culture in which you live, your social capital, personal finances, and available time can all impact what taking action in Sustainable Style might look like to your Sustainable Self. 

Your Sustainable Self may want to solve all the World’s macro problems. Depending on your social and economic scope, and the country you inhabit, you might accomplish one or more of these things (i.e. solve global poverty, cure cancer, or stop global warming). However, it’s best to keep in mind that some of the wealthiest and most famous folks have tried to solve these issues, failed, or outsourced to panels of experts or the community. So, this is the point where we get real. It’s doubtful you will solve all the world’s problems solo.

Phew! Do you feel relief about this? We hope so!

 

It’s not your job to fix everything, but it is your duty as a global citizen to care about our collective future and take action based on your values.

 

VALUES

We choose to use values as the driving force for taking action because our Sustainable Self has a different lived experience from others. Our differences in upbringings, culture, beliefs, traditions, locations, access to education, our abilities, gender, sexuality, the colour of our skin, and our economic status all formulate our unique Sustainable Self. And it’s this unique self, working within our sphere of influence that can ripple out to have a large impact by taking simple, mindful steps on issues we really care about. One mindful day and considered action at a time!

 No matter where you’re at in your sustainability journey, it’s challenging to find ways to research, care, reflect, and take continued action (big or small) without some high and low points. For every animal rights petition we sign, community group we found, or piece of litter we remove from the beach, there will be a news story about an endangered species, a member who can’t make it to group meetings and drops out, or another ten pieces of litter on the beach next time we return. These events and stories can cumulate into a sense of eco-overwhelm. A feeling that no matter how hard we try, or how much we care, the problems are too large, we aren’t making an impact, or that nobody really cares what we are doing.

 The truth is that what you’re doing does matter as long as it’s in alignment with your values! Our world need people who are working mindfully to improve sustainability outcomes in areas they are passionate about.

USE OUR QUIZ!

Check out out Values Motivators Quiz for guidance on what you value. 

TAKE THE QUIZ

CARE FOR SUSTAINBLE SELF

No matter where you’re at in your sustainability journey, it’s challenging to find ways to research, care, reflect, and take continued action (big or small) without some high and low points. For every animal rights petition we sign, community group we found, or piece of litter we remove from the beach, there will be a news story about an endangered species, a member who can’t make it to group meetings and drops out, or another ten pieces of litter on the beach next time we return. These events and stories can cumulate into a sense of eco-overwhelm. A feeling that no matter how hard we try, or how much we care, the problems are too large, we aren’t making an impact, or that nobody really cares what we are doing.

While it can be tempting (especially during these low points) to give up on your sustainability mission, the World really needs each of us to care and act in a self-responsible way! This means knowing ourselves well enough to pick up on stressors and find ways to care for ourselves, be our own personal support crew, and ensure we learn from our mistakes. Because all of us (at one time or another), will follow our sustainability passions so tirelessly (and sometimes solo) that we cause stress or burn ourselves out. Symptoms of this can appear in multiple ways.

SPIRIT
When you’ve worn out your spirit, it’s like the cheerleader or coach within has taken a holiday. You’ve lost your faith that what you’re working towards will have a favourable outcome. For some faith can be derived from science, action, or nature. Others may have a set spiritual practice or religions they look to for guidance.

MENTAL
If you’re motivated these holidays to choose options that support others to live a comfortable and happy life. When purchasing your take-away coffee in your reusable cup, try to find Fair Trade coffee providers. You might also want to Google to see if there are equity or social enterprise cafes in your area supporting minority groups or those looking for second-chance employment. 
EMOTIONAL
Many of us are aware of what it’s like to experience emotional stressors or overwhelm. When we feel emotional, it can be related to something that activates our fight/flight/freeze response or linked to longer-term memories, personal triggers, current events or stage of life (to name a few).   

PHYSICAL
  1. When our bodies are stressed, tired, or burned out it can manifest as structural (like sore feet from pounding the pavement at your protest march), or tired eyes from working all night on your sustainability campaign. It can also manifest as biochemical. This can be linked with short term body stressors (like the activation of our acute stress response), or the impact of nutrient deficiency that arose from being too busy to eat mindfully.

FREE TOOLS YOU CAN USE!

As we’ve already established, we are all living our own unique life paths so we can’t tell you what your stressors might be, or how best to deal with them. What we can do for you is offer the knowledge on how to categorise your types of stress, our worksheet for tracking them, and then tools you can experiment with to see what works for you. Download your worksheet, choose a monitoring period, note when you feel stressed out or overwhelmed, and play with some solutions (try our toolkit for ideas).

This four part system looks at areas of energy that can be depleted:

  1. Mental,
  2. Emotional,
  3. Spirit, and
  4. Physical (Structural and Biochemical).

Stressors broken down into these specific areas allow for the identification of causes and potential solutions.

CHECK OUT OUT TOOLKIT TO REDUCE ECO-OVERWHELM

TAKE ME THERE

SHORTCUTS

To other content in our ‘For the Love of Sustainable Self’ series. 

LEARN WHAT SUSTAINABLE SELF is

What does Sustainable Self really mean? Is it all about pampering yourself with bubble baths? Is it a marketing buzz term? Or is it a considered and holistic approach to living life in Sustainable Style minus the eco-overwhelm? Sustainable Self is….Keep Reading

PERSONALISE YOUR NOTEBOOK FOR REFLECTION

Many of our tools for living life in Sustainable Style minus the eco-overwhelm involve mindful reflection- which can be helpfully done using a handy notebook! We’ve got a popular Make post that shows you how to personalise your notebook with a fabric cover…. Keep Reading

MAKE YOUR OWN NATURAL BEAUTY CONCOCTIONS

While our Sustainable Self can’t be happy, healthy, and whole from a makeover or a foot-soak, these DIY beauty tricks might be ideas to trial when you experience mental, physical, emotional, or spiritual fatigue, stress or exhaustion...Keep Reading.

CONTEMPLATING SELF-WORTH AND SUSTAINABILITY

This musing from our founder Katie is an open and honest exploration of self-worth and sustainability. This post is shared to help others consider taking a deep dive into their psyche to understand better how our past can open doors or create gridlocks...Keep Reading

30 Ways you Can CHANGE THE WORLD (CHEAPLY)

Does your budget prevent you from taking action in Sustainable Style? Eco-switches can seem expensive or inaccessible. Especially if you’re on a student budget, live in a rented home, or struggle to pay your bills on time, however they can be affordable… Keep Reading

PROGRESSION OF SUSTAINABLE SELF OVER TIME

Sustainable self isn’t static. As we move through, our life change is inevitable. To be responsible citizens of earth, critical thought, mindful reflection, and self-assessment are essential for change in the right direction. This means continually…Keep Reading

OUR FREE MAGAZINE

Have you seen our monthly magazine ‘Live Life in Sustainable Style’?

It’s the comprehensive monthly highlight of the suite of tools we have designed to help simplify sustainability so you can take action on the things you care about (minus the eco-overwhelm). The content ties together our ‘Take Action’ focus theme. In a fast-paced media-saturated landscape, we hope that this way of sharing will provide you access to all our useful tools, without feeling lost or overwhelmed. Each month the latest copy of the magazine and our most recent resources are sent to your inbox (you will only receive one email a month from us). You will get reminders via our social media channels of what content we’re championing throughout the month.

We hope that you enjoy getting your Sustainable Style fix in this easy-to-read format and that it gives you a break from the abundance of social media updates and overflowing inboxes we now navigate daily

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