DEAR DIARY — MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2020
6 Reasons I’m Happy for Animals Who Are NOT in Zoos
Today I scrubbed the floor; then I scrubbed my brain with reading
Published in
8 min readNov 25, 2020
This weekend gave me a mental health breakthrough. I had been in an avoidance cycle with researching & writing about animal issues (and human issues). It’s funner to just write self-help. Then I don’t get so depressed thinking about suffering!
The breakthrough? I can redirect my worries about others’ misery into relevant thoughts about their wellbeing.
In other words: Spend less time sad over suffering. Spend more time feeling happy for others’ happiness.
And even if someone’s situation seems bad overall, still be grateful for the good part of it. Be grateful for the potential to make things better.
For example, when addressing the topic of factory farming, I can think of:
- Animals who live in good environments with greater freedom — because they are a rescued pig, a wild bird, a free-ranging cow, etc.
- All the people who work to help animals and how they inspire me.
- The options we have to vote against factory farming — my favorite, of course, being to go vegan or plant-based.
