Being vegan has not "cured" me or changed my state of mind in and of itself, but it has definitely helped me in some ways. I am a passive and avoidant person by nature (and have anxiety and avoidant personality disorder), but I am passionate about the meaning of veganism and I have had to learn to be assertive and speak up for my needs when eating out or at family get togethers etc. I also overcame some fears by getting involved in leafleting and other forms of vegan activism for a while. Doing that helped me gain some confidence and begin to do things I never thought I could for so many years. I finally finished school, went for and got the job I had been coveting, earned a certification (I am now studying for my second certification which is completely voluntary), got healthier in many ways and began to take my life back from a long period of darkness. I still suffer with anxiety, negative thoughts, fears. But the difference is I don't let them keep me from living my life. Speaking up for myself and for those without a voice (nonhuman animals etc) and getting outside of myself with a greater cause definitely helped me gain a new perspective. Though I am working full time and carrying too heavy of a load right now to do any activism, I am still involved in a local vegan meetup and it gets me out there and socializing and meeting other vegans. Otherwise I would never come out of my cocoon lol.
In some ways though, being vegan can be isolating for me because most of my friends and family are not, and most people do not understand veganism. It can be a lonely road. I am ever more aware and conscious of the violence and indifference in the world. But I am still happily vegan because it is the right thing to do.
Being vegan has not "cured" me or changed my state of mind in and of itself, but it has definitely helped me in some ways. I am a passive and avoidant person by nature (and have anxiety and avoidant personality disorder), but I am passionate about the meaning of veganism and I have had to learn to be assertive and speak up for my needs when eating out or at family get togethers etc. I also overcame some fears by getting involved in leafleting and other forms of vegan activism for a while. Doing that helped me gain some confidence and begin to do things I never thought I could for so many years. I finally finished school, went for and got the job I had been coveting, earned a certification (I am now studying for my second certification which is completely voluntary), got healthier in many ways and began to take my life back from a long period of darkness. I still suffer with anxiety, negative thoughts, fears. But the difference is I don't let them keep me from living my life. Speaking up for myself and for those without a voice (nonhuman animals etc) and getting outside of myself with a greater cause definitely helped me gain a new perspective. Though I am working full time and carrying too heavy of a load right now to do any activism, I am still involved in a local vegan meetup and it gets me out there and socializing and meeting other vegans. Otherwise I would never come out of my cocoon lol.
In some ways though, being vegan can be isolating for me because most of my friends and family are not, and most people do not understand veganism. It can be a lonely road. I am ever more aware and conscious of the violence and indifference in the world. But I am still happily vegan because it is the right thing to do.
That is so so wonderful and I'm so glad it has helped you too veganism has a habit of making you isolated while at the same time allows you to be a part of something so much bigger than yourself.
Goodluck on your journey and thanks for looking at my post!
Being vegan allows me to be myself and live my values, so yes, it's definitely been good for my state of mind. I've been very lucky - my friends and family, while not always understanding why I've chosen this path, have become very supportive over the years.
That is lucky, I know a lot of my friends don't understand my decision still either. I actually get made fun of daily from my peers about veganism So appreciate that people respect you for that because unfortunately it seems to be rare.
I wouldn't say it's made a huge change to me but it does make me a bit happier. I also think better compassion is helping me take a very slightly more enlightened and proactive stance on other issues like the environment, sexism, charity giving, racism etc.
Yeah I totally agree. When you become vegan it forces you to look at so SO many other issue rather than just animal cruelty. People always hate on vegans but I think we are some of the most enlightened and passionate people about current issues because we have so much compassion and love
I used to suffer from Generalized Anxiety and it seems to improved roughly 70% and a lot more calm. It's helped a lot more physical aspect tho which I think in returned helped with anxiety.
That's wonderful!! Honestly veganism is the answer for everything it makes your body happy, your mind happy, the animals happy, and the plane happy. everyone wins! The only people who don't benefit are salty omnivores who feel guilty because of vegans lol
I have Aspergers syndrome ( a form of autism) and have trouble socializing because of it.
But within the vegan community I have found so many people who are willing to look past the difference, because they are people who are compassionate by nature. So they react differently to my autism, and it has made life so much easier. I have a lot more friends since joining the active veg*n community in my country
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