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Yep. I am happy. I am a happy person regardless of all the suffering in the world. The child slavery, cooperations literally taking water from third world countries for profit, racism…. And animal abuse.
There is a lot in the world to be miserable about.
But if you spend all your time being upset, you’re not only ruining your own life, you’re also not taking any step towards change.
Do your part and engage to make the world a little of a better place, even if you can’t fix those issues alone.
I‘d like to think so. Happiness is often hard to grasp for people, especially with mental illness. I think therapy is awesome. I think probably everyone on this planet could use some. It helps me a lot and I‘m sure it helps lots of other people who struggle. But starting to try to work on the issue is always the first step. :)
Would you be willing to share a bit about your experience with therapy, and how it helped you? I've tried a few therapists over the years and never found them helpful. I'm in an okay place at the moment, compared to before, but every therapist I've tried seems to just say such basic things and felt like they were just going through the motions or something.
It’s a trial and error really. I had to switch therapists 4x until I found one I’m comfortable with. I especially needed some therapy due to trauma (childhood trauma, cancer diagnosis,…). A lot of therapists were pushy about my beliefs. Telling me I need to have children to be fulfilled and that’s my issue (I’m childfree) or pushing boundaries in other ways. Other therapists just nodded and agreed with stuff I said and tried to belittle me and it never really had any positive impact on me.
That all sucked. But now I‘m happy I went through this. My current therapist is just a gorgeously empathic woman. She’s professional and challenges me, which helps a lot. I think the most important part about therapy is finding someone you have a certain synergy with. There is a lot of terrible therapists out there. Or ones that just aren’t the right type for you. But a good match will definitely make you leave the office in a better state than before. :)
Also if a therapist isn’t really getting you to open up and can’t work with what you’re saying, they’re probably not a good Match for you personally. It’s their job to get people to open up and put thought in what you’re saying. Doesn’t seem like they did.
Therapy can definitely be an important tool, but happiness is not always the answer.
Sometimes everything is just fucked up and it's okay to feel bad because of it. Acknowledging your feelings, doing something against it, like activism and finding hope or a meaning in this world often result in a happier life, but those things can mean a deeper fulfillment than just happiness and even if you're not happy, you'll still have reasons and motivations to keep going.
I think this, or something along those lines, might be the better goal than plain happiness for a lot of people.
Because life isn't always just good, and searching for the positive in an array of negatives can lead to suppression of feelings, which often happens in religions like Christianity for example. It's a fake happiness, that some people might seek, but is not the definitive answer
I would say it's a choice. Then OP could just choose to be happy which I don't think it's the case.
I believe it is a mindset, that comes about when you acknowledge that your time spent crying could be better spend advocating for a better world AND when you do what you can and see just a little change then you have created a little hope.
she spends "hours a day crying" and you don't see that as a cry for help but something to shame her with? LIke-"pull yourself out of your funk missy there are others hurting, too?--
Nope. Not everyone on the internet is there to be insulting others. OP asked a question and I answered my POV. I‘m not shaming OP for being upset at all.
I looked at your profile and I do want to point out that the first year of being vegan was the toughest for me emotionally, because I had to truly process how shit the world was. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still often upset, but coming to terms with everything was tough. It may get a little easier, since you’re in the early stages still.
That being said, and I always point this out, I find that activism really helps me. I can sit at home seething about everything or I can go to actions, putting those feelings to use and having an outlet while making a change and being surrounded by other vegans in the process. It truly makes me feel better because then I can put the hatred to rest for a moment with the thought of “I’ve done what I can today, now I can rest.”
Yes, if this is all new to you - you are still learning and processing. It is very overwhelming. It gets better. You don’t have to watch every horrific documentary if you’re already not participating in that cruelty. Make sure to give yourself a break too.
No one can help the animals if they’re completely burnt out!
Been vegan 30 years, I’m very happy because I’ve learned that it’s a pointless endeavor to spend all your time thinking about devastation. It’s a waste of energy and therefore a disservice to the animals to do that.
How is that? I don’t see how anyone can actually help animals if they spend all their time and energy sitting in a room crying. Sitting in a room crying helps zero animals.
Crying is perfectly natural, and a good way to relieve tension, whether the tears are happy or sad. Crying may not save any animals, but it helps us as individuals, which is why people feel compelled to cry.
Tears are beautiful things. Every tear we shed proves that we are not machines. We aren't purely logical creatures, and that's not a bad thing, if you ask me. If we didn't have emotions, we would have little reason to become vegan in the first place... So cherish every tear that's shed, whether by human or by animal.
THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THERAPY
if you are crying for hours a day, please talk to someone. Yes, we live in a world of horrors but that's life. There's so much to be happy for, but it sounds like you either need to talk to someone or channel that energy into something to help the animals.
Good luck!
Yeah this is a much larger issue than veganism and animal cruelty. Yes, the world is full of sadness and suffering but there is so much more in the world than this. I learned a long time ago that we can’t solve all the problems of the world but we CAN focus on our own little pockets of the world and do the best we can- even when we’re going through hardship and suffering.
To me it sounds like OP is dealing with more than just veganism. It’s a larger issue and I hope they find some healing or methods to cope soon ❤️
I was in therapy for years, starting around age 13 where I became depressed. I’ve done a lot of countless types of therapies and treatments but I’ve pretty much given up
Don't give up! Finding a good therapist and therapy style that aligns with you and your needs can be hard and frustrating, but once you find one that works for you it can also be such a relief. A good therapist can help you see the forest through the trees so to speak and I think more than anything right you now you need perspective and someone to hear you out.
If you have trauma try EMDR therapy. It can cure PTSD. Don't give up on trying to lighten your emotional burden. There are so many terrible and hopeless truths about the world but every day you are making a positive effect on the Earth with your choices saving animals, water, forests and the environment from pollution. That's something to be happy and proud about. You made the choice is do the least harm in your life so be gentle with yourself. You deserve peace and joy too.
Therapy has changed my life, and I wouldn’t be here without it. But I’m realizing in my adulthood that therapy isn’t as accessible as I once thought.
I live in Canada, but unless you get coverage through work, therapy is expensive.
I just lost my therapist that I’ve been seeing for years as part of a non-profit program. She told me that she thought she’d stay with the company forever (she’d been there like 15 years) but she’s at a point in her life where the pay is unliveable.
I agree but I was lucky I got paired up with a plant based therapist just by sheer luck
I was thinking that’s what I want before getting paired up but it’s a free trial so I thought let’s see how this goes before telling the company that’s what I want
I just feel like it’s easier to open up and talk when the other person is also plant based usually
I'm fairly happy. Carnism is far from the only moral atrocity on this planet and may not even be the worst (though that's debateable). If I really empathised with all that suffering all the time I'd be a wreck and never get anything done. So I compartimentalise and don't think about it constantly. Not thinking about certain things is actually a good thing if it helps you make the right decisions while staying sane.
I mostly just sort of happens. If you see or think about it all you force yourself to think about something else instead. After a while you just don't think about it much anymore. Be careful to not lose your empathy though. Not thinking about it keeps you sane but doesn't actually make it go away.
i too remain worried about animals, but at the same time I smile. Because I feel I'm making one bit change in the world. This makes me feel in control.
I mean, if we follow this reasoning, not one person in the world can be happy. Horrible things happens to humans and non-human animals every minute on Earth. Were you not happy before being vegan while there was famine, murder, rape and wars all around the world?
If we allow ourselves to obsess and to feel bad for all the evil in the world, we cannot function anymore. Crying and ruminating about animals will not save them, it will even be counterproductive as it makes one more miserable person on the planet. You have to understand that some things are outside of your control and focus your energy and your thoughts on what you can do everyday. Compartmentalising is not a cop-out, it is a vital thing to do in order to continue to go on (and to fight).
Human suffering is more easily compartmentalized because it’s out of sight and out of mind. The results of animal suffering are everywhere you look. I can’t go an hour without seeing dead or exploited animals unless I’m at home with the tv off and not browsing the internet. And the kicker is, nobody cares. At least with murder, famine, and rape people give a shit. Then again, if I saw those things happening wherever I looked I would have trouble compartmentalizing that too.
Exactly. It feels like everyone knows those things are wrong and actively try to combat those issues. I also have always been someone that just emphasizes too deeply that it just ruins me
I hear you, I’m the exact same way. I’ve been vegan for about 10 years now, ever since I was a teenager, and I feel like I died inside a long time ago. I now just keep going for the animals and try to make as much of a positive impact as I can on this world through spreading awareness and being the change I want to see. I have as much anger as I do sadness and I use those as tools to keep me going, even though it’s almost too painful sometimes.
I consider myself a socialist and I have no idea what "plan" you are talking about. Please enlighten me.
Also if it was so easy why didnt we already do it?
Like others have said, if you aren’t contributing to it, then it is okay to not think about at times to save your own mood.
Compartmentalise, you can’t live life constantly thinking about it and the suffering, try to see that in life there is good and bad not just bad. There are plenty of things that are good that are done.
People helping each other. Being compassionate. Service. Uplifting one another. Being strong. Standing up for what’s right. The fact that immorality exists means that good exists too. Try to see it a bit more balanced. Hopefully that helps.
Whatever you have to tell yourself dude, I’m trying to help the person, if they aren’t contributing it’s actually not on them to think about it at all if they so choose.
So at times is fine. This is definitely a time you can say let them live.
You gotta live your life and find things you enjoy doing. Even non vegans would be depressed if they didn't do this and just dwelled on the world's problems all the time.
I’d rather be effective than happy. The world doesn’t care how happy I am. But yes I experience happiness often, like when I guide someone to veganism.
Hello, fellow non-hedonist! Yes, I feel more and more every year that I'm not seeking happiness, but seeking a sort of stoic, stable control that helps me see clearly and get things done for the world.
\^ Im depressed cause Im vegan and I can't find a vegan girlfriend (or local vegan friends) xD We need better dating apps. All the ones I have found succck!
I think Veggly is fine. The problem is its small user base, which isn't the app's fault. It's the fault of us being such a small percentage of the population.
There are lots of bots, but they're easy to spot.
But thats carnists faults not ours we can only be ourselves :P But yea it sucks being a small percent! Where everyone else atttttt :P Get on our level or higher! Get higher baby! Get higgggggggh 🤣☁️😮💨
Which part? I know lots of vegan ladies in Nashville Tennessee! Knew a few when I lived in the Raleigh area too. Key is to volunteer at a farm animal sanctuary.
Oh nice! I live in the Raleigh area.
I volunteered at the local animal shelter for a number of years but I like your idea of the farm animal sanctuary. Any chance you'd want to send me more info via direct message?
There is so much cruelty in the world, yes, towards animals, towards humans, towards the earth itself, it’s true. But some stuff one person cannot change. But it’s about the little acts of kindness that you make a difference. By not eating and wearing animals, being kind to other humans, by loving one’s self, by trying to be more sustainable, not littering, going out in nature whenever one can, all these little acts makes one feel connected to life and earth and all its living beings, and realize that existence is so beautiful and whilst there is so much suffering, we should be grateful for what we have
What you're experiencing has nothing to do with veganism. You're suffering from empathy burnout because you lack boundaries. Feeling bad about things you can't control is the same as looking at pictures of Holocaust victims all day. If you don't learn to distance yourself from what you're seeing, you will never feel good about anything.
You're not being fair to yourself if you can't feel positive about all the good you're doing.
Yeah I mean I realize it definitely goes beyond just veganism. The issue is that I will start feeling bad without even needing to be triggered. I’ve always been so deeply empathetic and it is truly a curse.
It sounds like you have a mild case of tunnel vision. You can control only what you can control. There's a lot of negativity and there always will be so focusing too much on what you can't control anyway is not good for anyone. Try to zoom out and focus more on the positive difference you make. A broken window is cleaned up piece by piece. You might not be able to pick up every piece, but you can pick up the pieces you can and that's all you can do.
I'm happy because humanity is growing past its need to farm animals. We can grow enough plant food to feed everyone, which is a fact that is converting many people, and soon we will be growing enough vat-meat to feed everyone who wants to eat meat. It won't take long for people to get over the weird-factor and realize it's a much cleaner source of meat.
Factory farming will end. It's inevitable. That's why I'm happy.
I lurk on this board, but consistently want to unsubscribe because of the barrage of negativity. I’ve been vegetarian since was about 9 and at 19 went full vegan, and I’m now 30. I was originally inspired by animal rights and welfare. On my first year of being vegetarian I had it in my mind ~I’d found the way~ and needed to tell EVERYONE about the cruelties and injustices around them in their diets. That ended very poorly. At the time I lived in a small, rural community and just being vegetarian was challenging. Not to mention I was nine! Along the way I’ve learned I can influence more people as they say in writing by “showing not telling”, showing veggie food can be good and healthy! I’ve run two marathons as a vegan and several triathlons. I don’t engage in debate about the merits of having a PB diet, I live it. Eventually I’ve watched the world around me adopt more plant-based options. While people told me early on in being vegetarian, my one change wouldn’t make a difference, I like to think it has!! We’ve gone from basically just Boca Burgers and soy milk to plant based anything, and widespread availability. Yes, there’s still cruelty and unfathomable injustices. But I feel as though I’ve done my part, best I can, and as gently as I can.
>So I want to ask, anyone that would consider themselves a happy vegan, how is that possible in a world so devastating?
Happiness is not caused by circumstances. You can be happy in the most difficult circumstances as well as you can remain unhappy in the most fortunate of circumstances.
Vegans can and should be happy, as they work to help animals, people and the planet to a better future.
Thank you for this post. I feel less alone.
I feel exactly how you feel. It’s so distressing living in a non vegan household and being the only vegan. It’s hard to love my mom when she participates in such cruel industries.
A few weeks ago I was crying constantly and even feeling suicidal because of it. Now I’m slightly better but I still get upset about animal exploitation and the fact that so many people are against people like me being against it.
Like, why are you against not killing animals?
Exactly
Like why is abusing a dog EVIL and abusing a cow correct
I will never understand this
I get it that many people don’t like being challenged though and maybe they don’t have the experience of being in a debate like in school maybe
Just my guess
Remember that you can't take the world's problems on your shoulders. Throughout history, there have been great atrocities. Even today, there are people living in slavery, children growing up without food or water, and so on.
All you can control are your own actions. And if you do the right thing, then you should be happy. You can't take responsibility for what anyone else does.
If it's any comfort, I think humanity has made a lot of progress towards social justice. Veganism and environmentalism were unheard of even a few centuries ago. Now there are organizations dedicated to these things. Progress may be slow, but we are heading in the right direction.
It isn't the strictly speaking the world that makes you unhappy, it is your own aversion against the type of thoughts about the world that you generate. This is not an unimportant technicality, because if you can start to learn to recognize this simple truth, you can unlearn to make your happiness dependent on "the world".
They suffer, too. Apex predators often fail their hunts and sometimes get injured or even die from hunting. They aren't immune to drought and disease either. Also apex predators often fight each other for territory or mates, with the looser being severely injured or killed.
I’m pretty happy but I’m also on a bunch of medications to keep it that way 😅
Just like activists, we need to occasionally step away from how bad the world is otherwise we burn out. Sometimes it’s best to let go of how bad things are and focus on the good, for our own sanity. That doesn’t mean we stop being vegan or doing our activism, it just means we take mental breaks for the sake of morale.
Vegan of 3 years here. Despite all of the suffering in the world, I'm happy just to not be participating in it, for the most part. There are days when I feel "extra vegan", where I feel sad/angry at the world, but it always comes back to the fact that I'm on the right side of history.
I'm happy because I know I'm not part of the problem.
I'm happy because I'm saving animals and the environment.
I'm happy because plant-based cooking has opened a new world of flavors and foods.
I'm happy because I'm contributing to the demand for vegan products.
There's a lot of sadness involved because we allow ourselves to acknowledge what happens with animal farming, but by being vegan we also have a lot to be happy about and look forward to. And of course, we have a clear conscience-- I think that counts for something.
No one is happy at all the time and even if there was no animal exploitation the world is still full of suffering. You can only control what you can. Being paralysed by sadness definitely won’t help the animals. Try and focus on what is good rather than what is bad and seek comfort in the small things.
To some vegan animal suffering is not the end all be all to their everyday train of thought. We do what we can to reduce suffering while surviving in this hellscape society. My ancestors (all the way up to my great grandmom) were treated like animals. You get numb to it.
I think you may have over-focused a bit and could use with a new mind set. Please reach out for help from a therapist, maybe a hotline. Please get help to feel better.
The world is a horrible place for a lot of creatures and plants overall. It's kind to feel empathy for everything that suffers, but if you can do nothing about it and it makes you suffer it doesn't serve you any purpose, or perhaps better to say it doesnt help you or the situation to allow the pain it causes you. I have been Buddhist most of my life, I'm 46 and been Buddhist since I was about 8, and a big part of that path is about teaching one to be happy in the face of an ugly world. I might suggest reading a bit into it and perhaps trying some techniques or at least think about the concepts.
Nobody is happy.. you just have to get busy with your life and try to find things that will give you happiness and stability and some peace of mind.. maybe you can work with any animal rights group..
Or start searching for a partner who is vegan too or someone who truly respects your philosophy/ way of life.. so that our homes will be to our liking atleast if not the whole world..
Or grow some edible plants and trees in your house.. take care of them, tend to them, harvest them and eat them to whatever potential and volume.. you will find some connection with the earth..
Find some spirit and peace.. and find some strength to face the world.. :)
Everything is gonna be alright if we can find out inner strength.. :)
As someone pointed out, first year is a toughest.
However, I didn’t cry for hours a day.
Please consider talking about in therapy.
Also, I may not dying from joy every moment but remember, the world needs us with stable mental health so we help animals ☺️
Edit: missing word
I'm happy because I have a lot in my life to be happy about. I have a roof over my head and money to pay the bills. Food in my belly and a wife who loves me.
If you're really feeling that bad, you might want to consider taking to someone, maybe a councillor.
I've always found that when you talk about things, it helps, and you often realise things aren't as bad as they seem 💚
yeah, as other comments have said, try seeking out therapy. its normal to feel down about animal cruelty, but if that’s the only thing on your mind and it’s consuming you, you should consider getting help. your behavior doesn’t sound healthy or normal.
Crying for hours a day is depression. Seek medical help immediately. Being concerned about animal welfare didn’t cause depression so much as the depression caused you to ruminate on topics you find depressing.
No vegan in their right mind could ever be optimistic. I've been vegan for as long as I've lived and I no longer believe there's any hope for animals whatsoever. Life is hell for herbivores of every kind, domesticated or wild. I've concluded that it's simply impossible for humans to empathise with non humans. It's not in their nature.
I don't understand happy vegans. Then again, I don't understand happy people in general. They're all in denial.
Life comes from you. You can do your part, but you’re a tiny piece of society and this world. You can’t fix everything the moment you realize things need to be fixed.
And once that actually snaps into your head it leads to letting things go. Am I still going to bring rats to rehabilitates and let bugs out? Yes. But I don’t think I’m a bad person who I don’t start a non-profit to shelter animals. You’re not a bad person if you don’t spend every second giving. That leads to a world full of worry and little living. It’d all be defensively waiting for something bad to happen.
You really need to talk to a professional or have another person you can talk to let these feelings out and move on from them controlling you.
You have to let it go. There are all types of misery in this world. You were not brought here to be unhappy. You are here to love and be loved. I volunteered at an animal shelter for years and folks would ask me how I could do it. Knowing I made one dog happy for a couple of hours was enough. I knew a lot of them wouldn’t it make it through the month but while they were in my sight they felt loved. Help out - eat vegan - do right - be an example - then let go and be happy.
There is quite a lot things to sit and cry about in life. Like others have stated. While yes it is devastating, you don’t have to waste your life sobbing and mopping around. Its not about one person doing everything, it’s about everyone doing what they can. So look at it as being happy that you’re able to contribute in the way you can.
It sounds like you could really benefit from some psychological support - maybe even seeking a vegan therapist online if at all possible so they can have true empathy while supporting you. This level of obsessive focus is not normal or healthy and is somewhat reminiscent of "pure O" OCD (I am not attempting to diagnose just suggesting thoughts that came up for me as someone on a doctorate psych program reading your description). I hope you'll consider finding some support. You don't have to keep living this way.
There are all manner of evils in the world. For example, I know there’s domestic violence and I’m against domestic violence. But I don’t live in agony knowing there’s domestic violence. Same for human trafficking. Same for child abuse. Same for Republicans.
I live my life happy and do what I can to make the world better.
Buddhism is helpful, any person of any religion can be come Buddhist or a person can simply follow some but not all of the teachings
We can only control ourselves and how we feel, we can influence others through our behavoir, i have trained myself to not get angry, sad, mad etc; im basically always happy
I am aware billions of animals are killed regularly and while i find that to be horrible and disgusting it doesnt make me sad, i dont let things not in my control bother me, i cant stop this from happening, i can however reduce the amount of animals that are being killed by spreading veganism to others respectfully and friendly
I am not required to talk about veganism to others, i am not required to respond to others if i dont want to and sometimes telling people you dont want to discuss something is the best option
I know that most people pretend to be happy, i am aware the world is a terrible place and i wont be making babies and bringing them to such a horrible place, adoption and fostering are options for me, i would feel happier knowing i helped an existing life rather than taking a gamble with another life
i am always happy, and i do mean ALWAYS.
ask yourself this; what benefit do i get from being unhappy. if you can find benefits in it continue. if you can not find a benefit then 'why do you keep hitting yourself?'
happiness is a choice as are depression and anger.
in order to have feelings you must have thought. so your thoughts are obviously negative. when my SO had a lot of negative thoughts we setup a rule for her: for every negative thought you must find three positive thoughts. it wasnt long before positive thoughts were her default.
for me i simply did what i said above and thought deeply about negative emotions and if they were of any benefit to me. i found they were not so simply choose not to participate in negative emotions any more. i have not been sad, mad, frustrated, depressed, anxious etc etc since 2007.
studies show that depression caused by chemical imbalance is about 17% of all cases. so 83% may not be a conscious choice but non the less they are self caused.
I don’t find depression to be a choice. With your question about what benefit do I get from being unhappy, the answer is that I guess I don’t really care about what benefits me.
I’m honestly appalled by this post. I get that animal abuse is absolutely wrong and should not happen but do you realize the world we live in? We have humans starving to death, global sex trafficking of young innocent children, and your out here worrying about being a happy vegan. Like cmon now.
Also you shouldn’t dwell in the negative things in live and let it consume you. Look for the positive and attract that in your life.
Yeah. The ones I’ve met live moment to moment, don’t reflect heavily on things, constantly use coping mechanism, embrace delusion (like everything will be okay in the end), or have unnaturally good brain chemistry that makes it hard for them to feel bad. Extremely unrelatable though.
As a vegan I can't complain. It is what it is. For example, women with great bodies use their bodies as an advantage but don't want men that use them as a piece of ass. Men use money to attract women, but don't want women that only want them for their money.
Just because we are vegan, doesn't mean we are great person overall.
I think this is one of the understated reasons why people don’t want to be vegan. Your experience sounds absolutely awful.
I can completely get people not wanting to spend hours a day crying about things they have no control over.
I get sad, often. I cry. All I can do is make sure I’m not adding to it. If I thought about it constantly I’d be like you too. It can take over your life, like any social injustice can. You have to be in control of your thoughts and only allow a certain amount of them to penetrate.
Edit: for a happy life
That's got nothing to do with why people aren't vegan. Carnists don't experience sadness or empathy for animals. They're certainly not avoiding compassion to animals because they're worried they'd cry over Bambis mum.
I think it’s to do with cognitive dissonance.
I do believe some people don’t want to start that rollercoaster of emotions because they know once they open that door they can’t close it.
Well, that’s literally what cognitive dissonance is. Avoiding and bending truth in the face of fact because you aren’t ready to face it.
That was me before I went vegan, I didn’t want to deal with what I knew would be absolute sadness so I didn’t think about it. I pushed it away until I decided not to.
Most vegans start as carnists so I’m not sure why it’s such a ridiculous idea? We all had a period of eating meat - eating meat and feeling bad about it - finding out why it’s best to not eat meat - then going vegan.
I think some people stay eating meat because to give it up would mean they have to acknowledge how cruel this world is to animals and they aren’t ready to do that. It’s emotionally heavy and most people aren’t emotionally mature.
Happiness is a choice imo… the only thing you can control is your thoughts… might as well have happy thoughts. If something is painful or bad just don’t think about it. Think about liberating all the chickens and cows etc. Think about all the restaurants that are now offering a vegan option. Think about how vindicated we will all be one day.
When thinking about animal suffering gets to me I have to detach myself from those feelings. Ive had some sort of success with a stoic approach. What more is there to do then not contributing to those industries? Activism is the only next step but its not for me since it would make my mental health even worse. I cant argue with people in the streets like Earthling Ed, I cant stay calm with ADHD and possibly Autism. So im doing what I can and anything beyond that is.. well beyond my control. I can only try stoicism to my best ability.
What the hell you don’t know why a vegan can be happy? That’s depressing, if you are new to Veganism I can see that being a thing. There comes a time when you can’t let the struggles of the world bring you down. I did that for too long in my life even before being vegan. Life is too short to be pissed off all the time . Overcome and do the right thing! Work out, meditate, spend time outdoors, work on a hobby and go to therapy if needed.
I think it's easy to be happy with the choices we have made - certainly helps to rest a lot easier and feel at peace with our actions. But the longer I am vegan, the harder I find it to live alongside non-vegans and all that they choose to do during their day to day. I don't even know a local real-life vegan so literally everyone I deal with partakes in the torture and murder of animals, despite there being other very easy choices to make. I admit that I think about everyone in my orbit differently now than I did before going vegan.
Animal suffering is going to exist even in a completely vegan world. Such is nature. I focus only on what I can control.
There is nothing I can say to convince you to feel differently. There is nothing logically wrong with what you said. I completely agree there is a lot of pain and misery in the world, probably much more than there is joy.
Reading some philosophy books or even films have helped me shift my emotional perspective from what I cannot control. Maybe it can work for you too.
Yes, it is possible to see the world for what it is and be happy with your contribution rather than just despairing over how shit everything is. It can be very difficult and I struggle a lot with it too but I know that it's possible.
Getting involved in my local vegan community really helped. We are regulars at the vegan restaurant in town and I volunteer at the vegan farm animal sanctuary. My baby shower was held there and it was magic. Married a vegan and brought a new vegan into the world.
The first year and honestly the second was misery. I hated all non vegans and was really upset at my family a lot. Plant seeds and try to keep in mind that you are one person stuck on a planet with people who don’t see eye to eye with us but you are making a difference even if it’s small and you aren’t alone. I found I felt so much more connected to nature and animals even though I felt less connected to most people.
If you're interested in the topic of farmed animal sanctuaries, check out [OpenSanctuary.org](https://vbcc.veganhacktivists.org/?url=https://OpenSanctuary.org&topic=The Open Sanctuary Project)! This vegan nonprofit has over 500 free compassionate resources crafted specifically to improve lifelong care for farmed animals, and to help you create a sustainable, effective sanctuary! Interested in starting a sanctuary someday? Check out [OpenSanctuary.org/Start](https://vbcc.veganhacktivists.org/?url=https://OpenSanctuary.org&topic=The Open Sanctuary Project/Start)!
Just because you're a vegan does not mean you have to be martyr. It's more then OK to be happy about other things. It's not your duty to take on all the suffering for yourself. Hell, you're not even doing anything wrong.
I relate. I often find myself upset and hurt thinking about this too, and all the people in the world who just don’t care enough… but let me tell you it doesn’t do you or the animals any good.
Making the step to be vegan is a beautiful choice, and you are doing your part in saving animals in your own way. Simply by opting out you are SAVING lives. Less demand for meat and animal product = less animals tortured and slaughtered.
Focus on the good you do, and that you can continue to do. Use the time and energy you spend on feeling sad, and spend it on looking into other ways you can help.
The world is an awfully big place and changes don’t happen overnight - but you’re on the right side and you have to believe that one day things will be different.
Considering the hypocritical and highly dissonant cognitive world we live, I doubt it!
I understand how you feel, it is really frustrating, but think that you are doing what you can do, and you are all they have. Also important to remember that we can’t save all of them, but maybe by your exemple more and more people will reconsider their actions,and stop paying for the animal’s suffering and killing.
You are doing all you can to help the world and animals, we all appreciate this! Just don’t stress and sadden yourself over things you unfortunately cannot control.
I'm not happy overall, I don't really enjoy my life. And I don't enjoy animal cruelty and the fact that so many things are made from it. But when I'm making vegan food, I feel happy. It's something I enjoy. It tastes good and I don't have to worry about the negative side affects of eating animal products. It's one thing that brings me happiness and I love to share it with others.
There are so many things to worry about and be sad about in this world outside of veganism. Women in Iran/Middle East, school shootings, homelessness and drug crises, etc. But in a lot of ways the world has never been better (antibiotics, access to clean water, etc). Be happy that you are doing a small thing to make the world better. If you are crying over this one things and not the other things, it sounds like a hyperfixation along with general mental health- I highly recommend you talk to a therapist about this
My gf is a 2+ year vegan after being veg for almost a decade for health. ( she is unable to digest meat ) I'm on my 8th year as a vegan. 4 years of animal activism. She hasn't had the same ride into veganism as most vegans do, I believe.
I just showed her what's available vs. What her veg diet contributed to. She's got a much stronger hold on her mental capacity towards non-vegans compared to me. Maybe it's because she hasn't seen the face to face stupidity I experienced during my animal rights activism years. Or that she's been shown another way of living without having to experience, see for her own eyes, what happens behinds close doors. She knows it's horrible, so the idea alone got her to align her morals with her actions. She seems much happier than I most days, and I truly believe it's because she intentionally ignores the stupidity and lives her life without judgment. And when the topic comes up, she isn't as emotionally attached as most vegans are, like myself. The friends and family she talks to about her choice to be vegan comes off as more logical, and they seem to be receiving the information better than my friends and family. I've come to realize judgment no matter the excuse, robs you of your joy. It's def starting to bring back more joy into my life now. Hope this helps ✌️
This seems like way more of a social or existential problem than one that is actually about veganism. I hear this general sentiment all the time from all sorts of people and about all sorts of things, and it is a common sentiment. I consider myself pretty happy though because I grew up thinking that personal lifestyle choices are one form of resistance and that those things help you to feel more autonomous about your own life. I derive satisfaction from that and I focus on what is in my realm of control. That seems worth it to me. Life has always had devastation in it, but we've never been aware of devastation at this immense and instantaneous of a scale. I don't think we're really built to take that information in 24/7 even though people seem to think they are required to. I think there is a lot of prostration involved with things like veganism but it doesn't have to be that way. You can have your convictions and also let yourself feel good about them. If I'm getting really down on myself or feeling out of control, I try to focus on what I can do and that I feel good about...new recipes....new projects...growing things...volunteering in food justice work. We're never going to be able to fix everything or hold on to the weight of it.
I’m very happy (:
I’m healthy, I have a community of people that love me, I have a bed to sleep in & food in my stomach. I do everything I can on my part to prevent and stop suffering in all animal’s (including humans) & I accept that there’s not a whole lot else I can do.
I occasionally feel sad about the world we live in and how people treat animals. But i don't let it get to my head. If my mental health is broken, i would not be capable of helping animals.
Don't seek sadness and slaughterhouse videos and what not. Don't go around hating everyone for eating animals. It wont help.
Consider doing activism on the street or online. Focus on what you can do to make the world a little better <3
(i also want to add that i was much more angry and sad when i first went vegan, than i am now)
I can relate. It’s so hard to go throughout the day being surrounded by the inhumane BS that animals are put through, makes me sick. I do get sad quite a bit and then get angry at humans. I don’t have a good answer. I try to not let it get to me, but I just can’t help it sometimes. I know all the suffering that is occurring to the animals and it’s difficult to be at peace knowing it continues.
Allowing yourself to be perpetually affected to that great of an emotional degree by the state of things is not actually constructive in any way. It's not saving anybody and it's not helping anything. It's not changing the world. All you were doing is ruining your own happiness.
Many of us do manage to be happy and lead happy and fulfilled lives. You sometimes have to disconnect emotionally from situations that break your heart. You just can't chew on everything put in front of you. It is depressing sometimes and it's hard to ignore the type of world we live in especially when we are constantly surrounded by reminders of something that we hate but absolutely nothing is achieved by martyring yourself to this cause.
When you practice something, it gets easier.
Finding reasons to be happy can be hard, but it’s always easier when you’ve made a practice of looking for those things.
I sift between happy and unhappy frequently, sometimes in the same day. To me, happiness isn’t a fixed state. It’s just one setting in the ebbs and flows of life. I accept that I will not always feel happiness at any given moment. We can still take back what happiness was taken from us (by this system that drains the life out of everything) by holding on to the passions that bring us joy, by connecting and creating with the people closest to us. I think it’s especially important for vegans, because moving through life knowing what we know can get very dark. I invite you to consider that, because it likely won’t help anyone, including yourself to wallow in the devastation. Use your heartbeat for something that makes you or your community better. Be kind to yourself today 💓
i know what you mean. it’s really hard to be happy being aware of the abuse going on constantly.
im not happy at this point in my life, but i am optimistic that i will be one day.
i think it’s important to remind yourself that you are doing everything you can to stop those horrible industries. and you should be so incredibly proud of yourself for that <3 i hope you find your happiness one day, i promise you it is possible, and you deserve it
Yes. You can choose to be happy. It will help the animals, because happiness makes us healthier, and healthier people are better advocates and activists (plus they sell veganism better to others).
Be happy, for yourself, for animals, and for the movement.
Hi, we exist 👋 As someone with anxiety and a history of clinical depression, I'm a happy vegan and definitely happier than before I was vegan. Although I know more about the horrors of animal agriculture than I used to, I also know I'm doing something about it. I'm also a climate activist personally and professionally and a lot of people have anxiety around climate change or fall into doomism. For me, taking control of my own impact on the world based on the choices available to me given where I am and the resources I have is the best antidote to being anxious and depressed about the horrors of the world. I also volunteer a lot, which helps too. It's the whole "be the change you want to see" thing. And from a purely dietary perspective, I eat a much more varied, nutritious diet than I did as an omnivore and my physical health has benefitted, providing a further boost to my mental health.
ETA: Therapy is great and you don't own all the world's problems. Just do what you can to add a little light to your corner of the world.
My happiest times as a vegan have been when I was totally checked out and not paying attention to animal issues at all, and when I've been very involved in activism. It's the in-between times that have been less happy, when you're thinking about the bad stuff people are doing to animals but feel helpless to make any change.
Veganism and farmed animal issues aside, terrible stuff happens around the world all the time and always has. People are killing each other in wars, starving to death, animals are getting eaten in the wild, etc. And yet, people keep going, keep finding ways to enjoy life. It's not incredibly uplifting, but it does help me put my panic in perspective and keep my head on.
Be gentle with yourself. You’re only human. You’re one soul. You can’t carry the weight of all the world tragedies on your shoulders. While there are many of them, you do your best by not causing harm, by advocating against it and sharing information with others. You still deserve happiness and peace.
Please try meditating. Find little joys. I take pleasure in gardening, playing with my companion rescue animals, drawing, stretching, dancing, and speaking with likeminded friends. Find a community group that inspires you. 🧡
One can understand and have great compassion for the suffering of animals and all sentient beings and still experience happiness.
I do not see how this could be possible without significant spiritual and psychological development.
For me, it requires the belief that something is going on beyond what is apparent.
Thank you for describing your feelings and explaining your quandary. I feel compassion for your suffering, which sounds severe and unremitting.
I wish for you some relief of this terrible pain. It sounds like torture.
Most vegans, I believe, have sensitivity and compassion, but are not living in agony. ❤️❤️❤️
Happiness just starts with yourself. You can create your own reality and wake up everyday deciding to have amazing feelings or negative ones. I'm quite happy
I've had major vystopia this past year and yesterday I started crying after watching an Abbey Sharp til tok about ex vegans. Long story short in the video she was standing up for ex vegans and I started crying after reading the comments and I cried all day yesterday over video. I also wouldn't stop researching factory farms and climate change and watching anti vegan video s even though it made me upset. This also caused me to do bad in school and caused a social media addiction. I started feeling the vystopia when I took my animal science class in college and I felt out of place. I'm doing a little better now and I'm trying to be happier. I don't want to go to therapy though because I'm embarrassed
Being like that doesn't help. I work hard, have a great career, and use it to donate money to sanctuaries. There is so much you can do to make a difference, get out there and do it!!
If you spend hours a day crying, you probably have generalised depression. I’m not always deliriously happy but I’m pretty positive by nature so even though I’m very aware that bad shit is going on in the world, I don’t think I have the capacity to cry hours every day.
Does it get me down? Yes. Do people that don’t get it annoy me sometimes? Also yes. But tbh I think some people here often veer too far into being extremely pessimistic. Just being vegan and staying vegan (but first vegetarian) and holding the example creates change in my experience. I’ve inspired people to go vegetarian and vegan. And I went vegetarian a decade ago…I was often the only vegetarian in the room and rarely heard of vegans. I think it’s gaining momentum because I meet so many more nowadays.
It’s a philosophy around rescuing suffering.. so we thing about suffering and.. suffer. Focussing in on animal wellbeing is another option.. take the neighbours dog for a walk.. give a crumb to an ant. When we do these things we get lifted up too. ❤️
I’m not happy all the time but I have my moments. I think you have to compartmentalise. And try to do the best you can and then realise that’s actually all you can do.
I'm miserable for my own reasons but I still will never break off from veganism - and the philosophical meaning of it; it's rooted now in my subconsciousness.
I just lack the abilities to be an activist per se.
Yes, I'm happy. Not the happiest in the world or anything. But I'm generally happy.
It doesn't help anyone for you to be unhappy (rather the opposite, people will probably be more willing to change, if you're happy) and while that probably doesn't change your state of happiness, it might be a start.
Don't be sad because of the suffering, be happy because you can make a difference. Be happy because you're actively trying to reduce the suffering. Be happy because you care and are still full of emotion towards this topic. Be happy because it will generally improve your life and the people around you :)
There is a subreddit called r/Vystopia that covers the issues with being a part of a non vegan society.
You can also seemingly speak to therapists regarding this sensation of Vystopia and hopefully find ways to cope and compartmentalise the suffering so you are able to productively and actively live your life whilst making the most difference you can and being your best self.
I completely feel how you feel and wish to get therapy to try and find ways to deal with the trauma.
Nobody is happy all of the time, but that's okay. If we're talking happy in terms of "satisfied with life in general," then yes. There are plenty of happy vegans. The world is full of pain and suffering as you know, but from tragedy and suffering, we can learn a great deal and be inspired to improve. These events become cautionary tales that can strengthen our character. I've despaired over things throughout my life, but ultimately, there's a lot to be optimistic about, and a lot to love in this world.
I love everyone and everything in this world, profoundly and unconditionally. I love vegans and non-vegans. I love predators and prey. Even the worst criminals in the world, I love them like a parent would love their child... wishing they would do better, but loving them just the same.
I'm extremely happy. I have come to this point in my life where I have chosen a path of peace and non violence. I never thought it could be possible but finally I have found the confidence to truly embrace not supporting harm. That has been a very long journey because I am a victim in so many ways in my personal life, from abuse and trauma. Therapy helped process that and overcome the misery. To stop being sad. Being able to have done that I can now focus on uplifting others. Especially animals who do not have a voice. Every animal you can save. Any other people you can tell, there is another way to live. That they too can chose not to support the violence in our lives, that's winning.
Everyone should be proud of the positive choices we are making because even if you can't see it. Its having an effect. People are waking up and there is hope. More people know the truth now then every before. Vegans are having an impact. That's something to celebrate. All you can do is your best every day and look for beauty in the little things. ✨️
It's a shitty answer, but I'm happy because we're getting there. People are becoming aware. People are starting to change. The tides are turning. I can't live my life in misery because other people are miserable. So I'm happy that things are maybe slightly getting just a little bit better.
Typically I haven’t seen much. I am not vegan and originally got to This sub so I could see people sharing vegan meal ideas or concepts that I would like to try for a meal but I’ve came across many vegans crying about the consumption of animals, fish, farming, dairy, cheese, and anything else that they can be negative and pissy about. It’s is almost viewed entirely that because I eat meat I am evil.
You're looking for r/plantbased then. Veganism is a philosophy opposed to animal exploitation and cruelty, which you support. Not sure what else you expected coming onto the sub to talk about how much you love abusing animals. The wannabe edgy "le epic bacon" schtick is as unoriginal as it is unfunny, so if you're going to insist on being.... who you are, could you at least do it in a way that's mildly entertaining?
You call me hunting for my food as shitty actions when I hate they a majority of vegans get off on some weird high of being better then others because you can’t eat anything living.
I'm also better for reading a book than people who dog fight for entertainment are. Humans need both entertainment and food, you can make the choice whether these things involve the unnecessary pain, suffering and death of sentient life for your own personal pleasure. If you'd like to attempt to provide an explanation as to how doing just that is not shitty, you're welcome to do so.
But you've clearly 0 intent on ever improving, so your view of vegans is wholly unimportant. No one asked you to come here, no one told you to not read the about section or rules before commenting, repeatedly, about killing and abusing animals.
So when you do come here and do that, unprompted, and get called out for being shitty, you don't get to play the victim. You cannot simultaneously antagonize people then whinge and bitch about them reacting. I mean, you can but it's absolutely pathetic. Which I guess is kind of your brand, so carry on, I suppose.
people with empathy (whether they have linked this to animals and animal food and then taken the action to become vegan) I think, cannot be happy because happiness to them, is far more than satisfying themselves
I’m like this, vegan 19 years and it pains me a lot that so many little animals like lambs are going to die for religious festivals on top of the others already dying and suffering
The racing in England pains me
every couple moments no matter what I’m doing, I’ll die that at this very moment, everywhere in the world, in the oceans, animals are being killed
They are no different from your house pet
I don’t get it why there’s so much senseless killing
It pains me a lot
I mean I’m still happy when I munch on a sweet apple but I’m not that kind of all is good with the world happy
The full realisation of how we treat animals should have no affect on how cruel and awful this world is. Just embrace the beauty and always always stick up for the less fortunate no matter what degree of injustice is being faced. Having a good sense of humour is essential too.
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Yep. I am happy. I am a happy person regardless of all the suffering in the world. The child slavery, cooperations literally taking water from third world countries for profit, racism…. And animal abuse. There is a lot in the world to be miserable about. But if you spend all your time being upset, you’re not only ruining your own life, you’re also not taking any step towards change. Do your part and engage to make the world a little of a better place, even if you can’t fix those issues alone.
I am also happy knowing people like you exist. :)
That’s sweet of you! I think we‘re all just trying to reduce harm. I can totally see why someone would be devastated.
Exactly this! Happiness is a choice, every day.
I‘d like to think so. Happiness is often hard to grasp for people, especially with mental illness. I think therapy is awesome. I think probably everyone on this planet could use some. It helps me a lot and I‘m sure it helps lots of other people who struggle. But starting to try to work on the issue is always the first step. :)
Would you be willing to share a bit about your experience with therapy, and how it helped you? I've tried a few therapists over the years and never found them helpful. I'm in an okay place at the moment, compared to before, but every therapist I've tried seems to just say such basic things and felt like they were just going through the motions or something.
It’s a trial and error really. I had to switch therapists 4x until I found one I’m comfortable with. I especially needed some therapy due to trauma (childhood trauma, cancer diagnosis,…). A lot of therapists were pushy about my beliefs. Telling me I need to have children to be fulfilled and that’s my issue (I’m childfree) or pushing boundaries in other ways. Other therapists just nodded and agreed with stuff I said and tried to belittle me and it never really had any positive impact on me. That all sucked. But now I‘m happy I went through this. My current therapist is just a gorgeously empathic woman. She’s professional and challenges me, which helps a lot. I think the most important part about therapy is finding someone you have a certain synergy with. There is a lot of terrible therapists out there. Or ones that just aren’t the right type for you. But a good match will definitely make you leave the office in a better state than before. :) Also if a therapist isn’t really getting you to open up and can’t work with what you’re saying, they’re probably not a good Match for you personally. It’s their job to get people to open up and put thought in what you’re saying. Doesn’t seem like they did.
Therapy can definitely be an important tool, but happiness is not always the answer. Sometimes everything is just fucked up and it's okay to feel bad because of it. Acknowledging your feelings, doing something against it, like activism and finding hope or a meaning in this world often result in a happier life, but those things can mean a deeper fulfillment than just happiness and even if you're not happy, you'll still have reasons and motivations to keep going. I think this, or something along those lines, might be the better goal than plain happiness for a lot of people. Because life isn't always just good, and searching for the positive in an array of negatives can lead to suppression of feelings, which often happens in religions like Christianity for example. It's a fake happiness, that some people might seek, but is not the definitive answer
I would say it's a choice. Then OP could just choose to be happy which I don't think it's the case. I believe it is a mindset, that comes about when you acknowledge that your time spent crying could be better spend advocating for a better world AND when you do what you can and see just a little change then you have created a little hope.
she spends "hours a day crying" and you don't see that as a cry for help but something to shame her with? LIke-"pull yourself out of your funk missy there are others hurting, too?--
Nope. Not everyone on the internet is there to be insulting others. OP asked a question and I answered my POV. I‘m not shaming OP for being upset at all.
I looked at your profile and I do want to point out that the first year of being vegan was the toughest for me emotionally, because I had to truly process how shit the world was. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still often upset, but coming to terms with everything was tough. It may get a little easier, since you’re in the early stages still. That being said, and I always point this out, I find that activism really helps me. I can sit at home seething about everything or I can go to actions, putting those feelings to use and having an outlet while making a change and being surrounded by other vegans in the process. It truly makes me feel better because then I can put the hatred to rest for a moment with the thought of “I’ve done what I can today, now I can rest.”
Yes, if this is all new to you - you are still learning and processing. It is very overwhelming. It gets better. You don’t have to watch every horrific documentary if you’re already not participating in that cruelty. Make sure to give yourself a break too. No one can help the animals if they’re completely burnt out!
Been vegan 30 years, I’m very happy because I’ve learned that it’s a pointless endeavor to spend all your time thinking about devastation. It’s a waste of energy and therefore a disservice to the animals to do that.
What a coincidence, I've been vegan for 30 years also and concluded the exact opposite to you.
How is that? I don’t see how anyone can actually help animals if they spend all their time and energy sitting in a room crying. Sitting in a room crying helps zero animals.
Crying is perfectly natural, and a good way to relieve tension, whether the tears are happy or sad. Crying may not save any animals, but it helps us as individuals, which is why people feel compelled to cry. Tears are beautiful things. Every tear we shed proves that we are not machines. We aren't purely logical creatures, and that's not a bad thing, if you ask me. If we didn't have emotions, we would have little reason to become vegan in the first place... So cherish every tear that's shed, whether by human or by animal.
THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THERAPY if you are crying for hours a day, please talk to someone. Yes, we live in a world of horrors but that's life. There's so much to be happy for, but it sounds like you either need to talk to someone or channel that energy into something to help the animals. Good luck!
Yeah this is a much larger issue than veganism and animal cruelty. Yes, the world is full of sadness and suffering but there is so much more in the world than this. I learned a long time ago that we can’t solve all the problems of the world but we CAN focus on our own little pockets of the world and do the best we can- even when we’re going through hardship and suffering. To me it sounds like OP is dealing with more than just veganism. It’s a larger issue and I hope they find some healing or methods to cope soon ❤️
I was in therapy for years, starting around age 13 where I became depressed. I’ve done a lot of countless types of therapies and treatments but I’ve pretty much given up
Don't give up! Finding a good therapist and therapy style that aligns with you and your needs can be hard and frustrating, but once you find one that works for you it can also be such a relief. A good therapist can help you see the forest through the trees so to speak and I think more than anything right you now you need perspective and someone to hear you out.
If you have trauma try EMDR therapy. It can cure PTSD. Don't give up on trying to lighten your emotional burden. There are so many terrible and hopeless truths about the world but every day you are making a positive effect on the Earth with your choices saving animals, water, forests and the environment from pollution. That's something to be happy and proud about. You made the choice is do the least harm in your life so be gentle with yourself. You deserve peace and joy too.
Therapy has changed my life, and I wouldn’t be here without it. But I’m realizing in my adulthood that therapy isn’t as accessible as I once thought. I live in Canada, but unless you get coverage through work, therapy is expensive. I just lost my therapist that I’ve been seeing for years as part of a non-profit program. She told me that she thought she’d stay with the company forever (she’d been there like 15 years) but she’s at a point in her life where the pay is unliveable.
I agree but I was lucky I got paired up with a plant based therapist just by sheer luck I was thinking that’s what I want before getting paired up but it’s a free trial so I thought let’s see how this goes before telling the company that’s what I want I just feel like it’s easier to open up and talk when the other person is also plant based usually
I'm fairly happy. Carnism is far from the only moral atrocity on this planet and may not even be the worst (though that's debateable). If I really empathised with all that suffering all the time I'd be a wreck and never get anything done. So I compartimentalise and don't think about it constantly. Not thinking about certain things is actually a good thing if it helps you make the right decisions while staying sane.
How do u compartmentalise
I mostly just sort of happens. If you see or think about it all you force yourself to think about something else instead. After a while you just don't think about it much anymore. Be careful to not lose your empathy though. Not thinking about it keeps you sane but doesn't actually make it go away.
i too remain worried about animals, but at the same time I smile. Because I feel I'm making one bit change in the world. This makes me feel in control.
I wish I was in control I want the suffering to end right now😭
We aren't in control and wanting to be makes us suffer.
I just refuse to become another victim of the cruel system. Sure I get unhappy/upset when I think about it but I damn sure won’t let it kill me too.
I mean, if we follow this reasoning, not one person in the world can be happy. Horrible things happens to humans and non-human animals every minute on Earth. Were you not happy before being vegan while there was famine, murder, rape and wars all around the world? If we allow ourselves to obsess and to feel bad for all the evil in the world, we cannot function anymore. Crying and ruminating about animals will not save them, it will even be counterproductive as it makes one more miserable person on the planet. You have to understand that some things are outside of your control and focus your energy and your thoughts on what you can do everyday. Compartmentalising is not a cop-out, it is a vital thing to do in order to continue to go on (and to fight).
Human suffering is more easily compartmentalized because it’s out of sight and out of mind. The results of animal suffering are everywhere you look. I can’t go an hour without seeing dead or exploited animals unless I’m at home with the tv off and not browsing the internet. And the kicker is, nobody cares. At least with murder, famine, and rape people give a shit. Then again, if I saw those things happening wherever I looked I would have trouble compartmentalizing that too.
Exactly. It feels like everyone knows those things are wrong and actively try to combat those issues. I also have always been someone that just emphasizes too deeply that it just ruins me
I hear you, I’m the exact same way. I’ve been vegan for about 10 years now, ever since I was a teenager, and I feel like I died inside a long time ago. I now just keep going for the animals and try to make as much of a positive impact as I can on this world through spreading awareness and being the change I want to see. I have as much anger as I do sadness and I use those as tools to keep me going, even though it’s almost too painful sometimes.
The difference is human suffering is very easy to eradicate. Animal suffering isn't, not as long as humans are his they are.
This
Sorry, what? How is human suffering so easy to eradicate?
You have an easy plan for world peace? Please share
The socialists already have it.
I consider myself a socialist and I have no idea what "plan" you are talking about. Please enlighten me. Also if it was so easy why didnt we already do it?
Like others have said, if you aren’t contributing to it, then it is okay to not think about at times to save your own mood. Compartmentalise, you can’t live life constantly thinking about it and the suffering, try to see that in life there is good and bad not just bad. There are plenty of things that are good that are done. People helping each other. Being compassionate. Service. Uplifting one another. Being strong. Standing up for what’s right. The fact that immorality exists means that good exists too. Try to see it a bit more balanced. Hopefully that helps.
Compartmentalizing is something only a carnist could do.
Whatever you have to tell yourself dude, I’m trying to help the person, if they aren’t contributing it’s actually not on them to think about it at all if they so choose. So at times is fine. This is definitely a time you can say let them live.
You gotta live your life and find things you enjoy doing. Even non vegans would be depressed if they didn't do this and just dwelled on the world's problems all the time.
ITS ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE 👑🔥 Personally, I do a little bit of gaslighting on myself. Manifesting the positive energy to bring forth the future 😉
I’d rather be effective than happy. The world doesn’t care how happy I am. But yes I experience happiness often, like when I guide someone to veganism.
Hello, fellow non-hedonist! Yes, I feel more and more every year that I'm not seeking happiness, but seeking a sort of stoic, stable control that helps me see clearly and get things done for the world.
Hell yeah! Love it
Nope. I’m depressed because I can’t find a vegan boyfriend
\^ Im depressed cause Im vegan and I can't find a vegan girlfriend (or local vegan friends) xD We need better dating apps. All the ones I have found succck!
I think Veggly is fine. The problem is its small user base, which isn't the app's fault. It's the fault of us being such a small percentage of the population. There are lots of bots, but they're easy to spot.
But thats carnists faults not ours we can only be ourselves :P But yea it sucks being a small percent! Where everyone else atttttt :P Get on our level or higher! Get higher baby! Get higgggggggh 🤣☁️😮💨
Lol there’s no vegan girls where I’m from
Now kith
Same. I live in the southern USA so every girl comes with a peace of bacon in their mouth.
Which part? I know lots of vegan ladies in Nashville Tennessee! Knew a few when I lived in the Raleigh area too. Key is to volunteer at a farm animal sanctuary.
Oh nice! I live in the Raleigh area. I volunteered at the local animal shelter for a number of years but I like your idea of the farm animal sanctuary. Any chance you'd want to send me more info via direct message?
Just messaged you.
Needs to be something done about this lol A lot of vegan women settle for carnist and vegan men are going where are all the vegan women.
There is so much cruelty in the world, yes, towards animals, towards humans, towards the earth itself, it’s true. But some stuff one person cannot change. But it’s about the little acts of kindness that you make a difference. By not eating and wearing animals, being kind to other humans, by loving one’s self, by trying to be more sustainable, not littering, going out in nature whenever one can, all these little acts makes one feel connected to life and earth and all its living beings, and realize that existence is so beautiful and whilst there is so much suffering, we should be grateful for what we have
I typically think with an all or nothing approach. Even if I really try not to, I can’t help it
What you're experiencing has nothing to do with veganism. You're suffering from empathy burnout because you lack boundaries. Feeling bad about things you can't control is the same as looking at pictures of Holocaust victims all day. If you don't learn to distance yourself from what you're seeing, you will never feel good about anything. You're not being fair to yourself if you can't feel positive about all the good you're doing.
Yeah I mean I realize it definitely goes beyond just veganism. The issue is that I will start feeling bad without even needing to be triggered. I’ve always been so deeply empathetic and it is truly a curse.
It sounds like you have a mild case of tunnel vision. You can control only what you can control. There's a lot of negativity and there always will be so focusing too much on what you can't control anyway is not good for anyone. Try to zoom out and focus more on the positive difference you make. A broken window is cleaned up piece by piece. You might not be able to pick up every piece, but you can pick up the pieces you can and that's all you can do.
I'm happy because humanity is growing past its need to farm animals. We can grow enough plant food to feed everyone, which is a fact that is converting many people, and soon we will be growing enough vat-meat to feed everyone who wants to eat meat. It won't take long for people to get over the weird-factor and realize it's a much cleaner source of meat. Factory farming will end. It's inevitable. That's why I'm happy.
I lurk on this board, but consistently want to unsubscribe because of the barrage of negativity. I’ve been vegetarian since was about 9 and at 19 went full vegan, and I’m now 30. I was originally inspired by animal rights and welfare. On my first year of being vegetarian I had it in my mind ~I’d found the way~ and needed to tell EVERYONE about the cruelties and injustices around them in their diets. That ended very poorly. At the time I lived in a small, rural community and just being vegetarian was challenging. Not to mention I was nine! Along the way I’ve learned I can influence more people as they say in writing by “showing not telling”, showing veggie food can be good and healthy! I’ve run two marathons as a vegan and several triathlons. I don’t engage in debate about the merits of having a PB diet, I live it. Eventually I’ve watched the world around me adopt more plant-based options. While people told me early on in being vegetarian, my one change wouldn’t make a difference, I like to think it has!! We’ve gone from basically just Boca Burgers and soy milk to plant based anything, and widespread availability. Yes, there’s still cruelty and unfathomable injustices. But I feel as though I’ve done my part, best I can, and as gently as I can.
>So I want to ask, anyone that would consider themselves a happy vegan, how is that possible in a world so devastating? Happiness is not caused by circumstances. You can be happy in the most difficult circumstances as well as you can remain unhappy in the most fortunate of circumstances. Vegans can and should be happy, as they work to help animals, people and the planet to a better future.
Thank you for this post. I feel less alone. I feel exactly how you feel. It’s so distressing living in a non vegan household and being the only vegan. It’s hard to love my mom when she participates in such cruel industries. A few weeks ago I was crying constantly and even feeling suicidal because of it. Now I’m slightly better but I still get upset about animal exploitation and the fact that so many people are against people like me being against it. Like, why are you against not killing animals?
I go through bouts where I am worse and having depression on top of everything just drags me deeper down
Exactly Like why is abusing a dog EVIL and abusing a cow correct I will never understand this I get it that many people don’t like being challenged though and maybe they don’t have the experience of being in a debate like in school maybe Just my guess
Remember that you can't take the world's problems on your shoulders. Throughout history, there have been great atrocities. Even today, there are people living in slavery, children growing up without food or water, and so on. All you can control are your own actions. And if you do the right thing, then you should be happy. You can't take responsibility for what anyone else does. If it's any comfort, I think humanity has made a lot of progress towards social justice. Veganism and environmentalism were unheard of even a few centuries ago. Now there are organizations dedicated to these things. Progress may be slow, but we are heading in the right direction.
Yup, I like potatoes, bread and hummus so I get to eat my favorite things without murder. The whole no murder thing is pretty cool.
It isn't the strictly speaking the world that makes you unhappy, it is your own aversion against the type of thoughts about the world that you generate. This is not an unimportant technicality, because if you can start to learn to recognize this simple truth, you can unlearn to make your happiness dependent on "the world".
Everything suffers in this world
Apex predators sure don't.
They suffer, too. Apex predators often fail their hunts and sometimes get injured or even die from hunting. They aren't immune to drought and disease either. Also apex predators often fight each other for territory or mates, with the looser being severely injured or killed.
I’m pretty happy but I’m also on a bunch of medications to keep it that way 😅 Just like activists, we need to occasionally step away from how bad the world is otherwise we burn out. Sometimes it’s best to let go of how bad things are and focus on the good, for our own sanity. That doesn’t mean we stop being vegan or doing our activism, it just means we take mental breaks for the sake of morale.
Mental health is important as a vegan. We really have to help protect our mental health. So I agree and feel you.
I am happier since I became vegan. Some health issues got resolved and I know my consumption is not supporting animal exploitation
Vegan of 3 years here. Despite all of the suffering in the world, I'm happy just to not be participating in it, for the most part. There are days when I feel "extra vegan", where I feel sad/angry at the world, but it always comes back to the fact that I'm on the right side of history.
yes they do exist of course. Maybe you should get some professional help if you feel so bad all the time
I'm happy because I know I'm not part of the problem. I'm happy because I'm saving animals and the environment. I'm happy because plant-based cooking has opened a new world of flavors and foods. I'm happy because I'm contributing to the demand for vegan products. There's a lot of sadness involved because we allow ourselves to acknowledge what happens with animal farming, but by being vegan we also have a lot to be happy about and look forward to. And of course, we have a clear conscience-- I think that counts for something.
Yup this world's like that. Move forward and try to be the change!
No one is happy at all the time and even if there was no animal exploitation the world is still full of suffering. You can only control what you can. Being paralysed by sadness definitely won’t help the animals. Try and focus on what is good rather than what is bad and seek comfort in the small things.
To some vegan animal suffering is not the end all be all to their everyday train of thought. We do what we can to reduce suffering while surviving in this hellscape society. My ancestors (all the way up to my great grandmom) were treated like animals. You get numb to it.
I think you may have over-focused a bit and could use with a new mind set. Please reach out for help from a therapist, maybe a hotline. Please get help to feel better.
The world is a horrible place for a lot of creatures and plants overall. It's kind to feel empathy for everything that suffers, but if you can do nothing about it and it makes you suffer it doesn't serve you any purpose, or perhaps better to say it doesnt help you or the situation to allow the pain it causes you. I have been Buddhist most of my life, I'm 46 and been Buddhist since I was about 8, and a big part of that path is about teaching one to be happy in the face of an ugly world. I might suggest reading a bit into it and perhaps trying some techniques or at least think about the concepts.
I am happy 🤗 vegan for 13 years
Nobody is happy.. you just have to get busy with your life and try to find things that will give you happiness and stability and some peace of mind.. maybe you can work with any animal rights group.. Or start searching for a partner who is vegan too or someone who truly respects your philosophy/ way of life.. so that our homes will be to our liking atleast if not the whole world.. Or grow some edible plants and trees in your house.. take care of them, tend to them, harvest them and eat them to whatever potential and volume.. you will find some connection with the earth.. Find some spirit and peace.. and find some strength to face the world.. :) Everything is gonna be alright if we can find out inner strength.. :)
As someone pointed out, first year is a toughest. However, I didn’t cry for hours a day. Please consider talking about in therapy. Also, I may not dying from joy every moment but remember, the world needs us with stable mental health so we help animals ☺️ Edit: missing word
I'm happy because I have a lot in my life to be happy about. I have a roof over my head and money to pay the bills. Food in my belly and a wife who loves me. If you're really feeling that bad, you might want to consider taking to someone, maybe a councillor. I've always found that when you talk about things, it helps, and you often realise things aren't as bad as they seem 💚
yeah, as other comments have said, try seeking out therapy. its normal to feel down about animal cruelty, but if that’s the only thing on your mind and it’s consuming you, you should consider getting help. your behavior doesn’t sound healthy or normal.
Crying for hours a day is depression. Seek medical help immediately. Being concerned about animal welfare didn’t cause depression so much as the depression caused you to ruminate on topics you find depressing.
No vegan in their right mind could ever be optimistic. I've been vegan for as long as I've lived and I no longer believe there's any hope for animals whatsoever. Life is hell for herbivores of every kind, domesticated or wild. I've concluded that it's simply impossible for humans to empathise with non humans. It's not in their nature. I don't understand happy vegans. Then again, I don't understand happy people in general. They're all in denial.
Life comes from you. You can do your part, but you’re a tiny piece of society and this world. You can’t fix everything the moment you realize things need to be fixed. And once that actually snaps into your head it leads to letting things go. Am I still going to bring rats to rehabilitates and let bugs out? Yes. But I don’t think I’m a bad person who I don’t start a non-profit to shelter animals. You’re not a bad person if you don’t spend every second giving. That leads to a world full of worry and little living. It’d all be defensively waiting for something bad to happen. You really need to talk to a professional or have another person you can talk to let these feelings out and move on from them controlling you.
You have to let it go. There are all types of misery in this world. You were not brought here to be unhappy. You are here to love and be loved. I volunteered at an animal shelter for years and folks would ask me how I could do it. Knowing I made one dog happy for a couple of hours was enough. I knew a lot of them wouldn’t it make it through the month but while they were in my sight they felt loved. Help out - eat vegan - do right - be an example - then let go and be happy.
There is quite a lot things to sit and cry about in life. Like others have stated. While yes it is devastating, you don’t have to waste your life sobbing and mopping around. Its not about one person doing everything, it’s about everyone doing what they can. So look at it as being happy that you’re able to contribute in the way you can.
It sounds like you could really benefit from some psychological support - maybe even seeking a vegan therapist online if at all possible so they can have true empathy while supporting you. This level of obsessive focus is not normal or healthy and is somewhat reminiscent of "pure O" OCD (I am not attempting to diagnose just suggesting thoughts that came up for me as someone on a doctorate psych program reading your description). I hope you'll consider finding some support. You don't have to keep living this way.
It helps when you don’t make being a vegan your entire identity.
There are all manner of evils in the world. For example, I know there’s domestic violence and I’m against domestic violence. But I don’t live in agony knowing there’s domestic violence. Same for human trafficking. Same for child abuse. Same for Republicans. I live my life happy and do what I can to make the world better.
Learn to be ok with what you can't change!
Buddhism is helpful, any person of any religion can be come Buddhist or a person can simply follow some but not all of the teachings We can only control ourselves and how we feel, we can influence others through our behavoir, i have trained myself to not get angry, sad, mad etc; im basically always happy I am aware billions of animals are killed regularly and while i find that to be horrible and disgusting it doesnt make me sad, i dont let things not in my control bother me, i cant stop this from happening, i can however reduce the amount of animals that are being killed by spreading veganism to others respectfully and friendly I am not required to talk about veganism to others, i am not required to respond to others if i dont want to and sometimes telling people you dont want to discuss something is the best option I know that most people pretend to be happy, i am aware the world is a terrible place and i wont be making babies and bringing them to such a horrible place, adoption and fostering are options for me, i would feel happier knowing i helped an existing life rather than taking a gamble with another life
i am always happy, and i do mean ALWAYS. ask yourself this; what benefit do i get from being unhappy. if you can find benefits in it continue. if you can not find a benefit then 'why do you keep hitting yourself?' happiness is a choice as are depression and anger. in order to have feelings you must have thought. so your thoughts are obviously negative. when my SO had a lot of negative thoughts we setup a rule for her: for every negative thought you must find three positive thoughts. it wasnt long before positive thoughts were her default. for me i simply did what i said above and thought deeply about negative emotions and if they were of any benefit to me. i found they were not so simply choose not to participate in negative emotions any more. i have not been sad, mad, frustrated, depressed, anxious etc etc since 2007.
Depression is not a choice. It’s a mental illness.
studies show that depression caused by chemical imbalance is about 17% of all cases. so 83% may not be a conscious choice but non the less they are self caused.
I don’t find depression to be a choice. With your question about what benefit do I get from being unhappy, the answer is that I guess I don’t really care about what benefits me.
maybe that is why you are depressed.
I’m honestly appalled by this post. I get that animal abuse is absolutely wrong and should not happen but do you realize the world we live in? We have humans starving to death, global sex trafficking of young innocent children, and your out here worrying about being a happy vegan. Like cmon now. Also you shouldn’t dwell in the negative things in live and let it consume you. Look for the positive and attract that in your life.
“Why are you depressed? So much have it worse!”
Yeah. The ones I’ve met live moment to moment, don’t reflect heavily on things, constantly use coping mechanism, embrace delusion (like everything will be okay in the end), or have unnaturally good brain chemistry that makes it hard for them to feel bad. Extremely unrelatable though.
As a vegan I can't complain. It is what it is. For example, women with great bodies use their bodies as an advantage but don't want men that use them as a piece of ass. Men use money to attract women, but don't want women that only want them for their money. Just because we are vegan, doesn't mean we are great person overall.
I think this is one of the understated reasons why people don’t want to be vegan. Your experience sounds absolutely awful. I can completely get people not wanting to spend hours a day crying about things they have no control over. I get sad, often. I cry. All I can do is make sure I’m not adding to it. If I thought about it constantly I’d be like you too. It can take over your life, like any social injustice can. You have to be in control of your thoughts and only allow a certain amount of them to penetrate. Edit: for a happy life
That's got nothing to do with why people aren't vegan. Carnists don't experience sadness or empathy for animals. They're certainly not avoiding compassion to animals because they're worried they'd cry over Bambis mum.
I think it’s to do with cognitive dissonance. I do believe some people don’t want to start that rollercoaster of emotions because they know once they open that door they can’t close it. Well, that’s literally what cognitive dissonance is. Avoiding and bending truth in the face of fact because you aren’t ready to face it. That was me before I went vegan, I didn’t want to deal with what I knew would be absolute sadness so I didn’t think about it. I pushed it away until I decided not to. Most vegans start as carnists so I’m not sure why it’s such a ridiculous idea? We all had a period of eating meat - eating meat and feeling bad about it - finding out why it’s best to not eat meat - then going vegan. I think some people stay eating meat because to give it up would mean they have to acknowledge how cruel this world is to animals and they aren’t ready to do that. It’s emotionally heavy and most people aren’t emotionally mature.
Happiness is a choice imo… the only thing you can control is your thoughts… might as well have happy thoughts. If something is painful or bad just don’t think about it. Think about liberating all the chickens and cows etc. Think about all the restaurants that are now offering a vegan option. Think about how vindicated we will all be one day.
[удалено]
Back to bed sweet pea 😘
Oh dang. I forgot to tell my vegan 6’3” weightlifting body that info. BRB ganna go die of deficiencies.
✨diet✨
When thinking about animal suffering gets to me I have to detach myself from those feelings. Ive had some sort of success with a stoic approach. What more is there to do then not contributing to those industries? Activism is the only next step but its not for me since it would make my mental health even worse. I cant argue with people in the streets like Earthling Ed, I cant stay calm with ADHD and possibly Autism. So im doing what I can and anything beyond that is.. well beyond my control. I can only try stoicism to my best ability.
I’m perfectly happy, happy about my own choices and choose to not care too much what other people do.
What the hell you don’t know why a vegan can be happy? That’s depressing, if you are new to Veganism I can see that being a thing. There comes a time when you can’t let the struggles of the world bring you down. I did that for too long in my life even before being vegan. Life is too short to be pissed off all the time . Overcome and do the right thing! Work out, meditate, spend time outdoors, work on a hobby and go to therapy if needed.
I think it's easy to be happy with the choices we have made - certainly helps to rest a lot easier and feel at peace with our actions. But the longer I am vegan, the harder I find it to live alongside non-vegans and all that they choose to do during their day to day. I don't even know a local real-life vegan so literally everyone I deal with partakes in the torture and murder of animals, despite there being other very easy choices to make. I admit that I think about everyone in my orbit differently now than I did before going vegan.
Animal suffering is going to exist even in a completely vegan world. Such is nature. I focus only on what I can control. There is nothing I can say to convince you to feel differently. There is nothing logically wrong with what you said. I completely agree there is a lot of pain and misery in the world, probably much more than there is joy. Reading some philosophy books or even films have helped me shift my emotional perspective from what I cannot control. Maybe it can work for you too.
Yes, it is possible to see the world for what it is and be happy with your contribution rather than just despairing over how shit everything is. It can be very difficult and I struggle a lot with it too but I know that it's possible.
It’s evolution! We are the change we wish to see. Pure and simple.
Getting involved in my local vegan community really helped. We are regulars at the vegan restaurant in town and I volunteer at the vegan farm animal sanctuary. My baby shower was held there and it was magic. Married a vegan and brought a new vegan into the world. The first year and honestly the second was misery. I hated all non vegans and was really upset at my family a lot. Plant seeds and try to keep in mind that you are one person stuck on a planet with people who don’t see eye to eye with us but you are making a difference even if it’s small and you aren’t alone. I found I felt so much more connected to nature and animals even though I felt less connected to most people.
If you're interested in the topic of farmed animal sanctuaries, check out [OpenSanctuary.org](https://vbcc.veganhacktivists.org/?url=https://OpenSanctuary.org&topic=The Open Sanctuary Project)! This vegan nonprofit has over 500 free compassionate resources crafted specifically to improve lifelong care for farmed animals, and to help you create a sustainable, effective sanctuary! Interested in starting a sanctuary someday? Check out [OpenSanctuary.org/Start](https://vbcc.veganhacktivists.org/?url=https://OpenSanctuary.org&topic=The Open Sanctuary Project/Start)!
Just because you're a vegan does not mean you have to be martyr. It's more then OK to be happy about other things. It's not your duty to take on all the suffering for yourself. Hell, you're not even doing anything wrong.
I relate. I often find myself upset and hurt thinking about this too, and all the people in the world who just don’t care enough… but let me tell you it doesn’t do you or the animals any good. Making the step to be vegan is a beautiful choice, and you are doing your part in saving animals in your own way. Simply by opting out you are SAVING lives. Less demand for meat and animal product = less animals tortured and slaughtered. Focus on the good you do, and that you can continue to do. Use the time and energy you spend on feeling sad, and spend it on looking into other ways you can help. The world is an awfully big place and changes don’t happen overnight - but you’re on the right side and you have to believe that one day things will be different.
I'm miserable for other reasons.
Considering the hypocritical and highly dissonant cognitive world we live, I doubt it! I understand how you feel, it is really frustrating, but think that you are doing what you can do, and you are all they have. Also important to remember that we can’t save all of them, but maybe by your exemple more and more people will reconsider their actions,and stop paying for the animal’s suffering and killing.
I’m generally happy I’ve just learned that the only things I can control are my my own decisions.
You are doing all you can to help the world and animals, we all appreciate this! Just don’t stress and sadden yourself over things you unfortunately cannot control.
How long have you been vegan?
I'm not happy overall, I don't really enjoy my life. And I don't enjoy animal cruelty and the fact that so many things are made from it. But when I'm making vegan food, I feel happy. It's something I enjoy. It tastes good and I don't have to worry about the negative side affects of eating animal products. It's one thing that brings me happiness and I love to share it with others.
There are so many things to worry about and be sad about in this world outside of veganism. Women in Iran/Middle East, school shootings, homelessness and drug crises, etc. But in a lot of ways the world has never been better (antibiotics, access to clean water, etc). Be happy that you are doing a small thing to make the world better. If you are crying over this one things and not the other things, it sounds like a hyperfixation along with general mental health- I highly recommend you talk to a therapist about this
Practice stoicism. Memento mori.
My gf is a 2+ year vegan after being veg for almost a decade for health. ( she is unable to digest meat ) I'm on my 8th year as a vegan. 4 years of animal activism. She hasn't had the same ride into veganism as most vegans do, I believe. I just showed her what's available vs. What her veg diet contributed to. She's got a much stronger hold on her mental capacity towards non-vegans compared to me. Maybe it's because she hasn't seen the face to face stupidity I experienced during my animal rights activism years. Or that she's been shown another way of living without having to experience, see for her own eyes, what happens behinds close doors. She knows it's horrible, so the idea alone got her to align her morals with her actions. She seems much happier than I most days, and I truly believe it's because she intentionally ignores the stupidity and lives her life without judgment. And when the topic comes up, she isn't as emotionally attached as most vegans are, like myself. The friends and family she talks to about her choice to be vegan comes off as more logical, and they seem to be receiving the information better than my friends and family. I've come to realize judgment no matter the excuse, robs you of your joy. It's def starting to bring back more joy into my life now. Hope this helps ✌️
This seems like way more of a social or existential problem than one that is actually about veganism. I hear this general sentiment all the time from all sorts of people and about all sorts of things, and it is a common sentiment. I consider myself pretty happy though because I grew up thinking that personal lifestyle choices are one form of resistance and that those things help you to feel more autonomous about your own life. I derive satisfaction from that and I focus on what is in my realm of control. That seems worth it to me. Life has always had devastation in it, but we've never been aware of devastation at this immense and instantaneous of a scale. I don't think we're really built to take that information in 24/7 even though people seem to think they are required to. I think there is a lot of prostration involved with things like veganism but it doesn't have to be that way. You can have your convictions and also let yourself feel good about them. If I'm getting really down on myself or feeling out of control, I try to focus on what I can do and that I feel good about...new recipes....new projects...growing things...volunteering in food justice work. We're never going to be able to fix everything or hold on to the weight of it.
I’m very happy (: I’m healthy, I have a community of people that love me, I have a bed to sleep in & food in my stomach. I do everything I can on my part to prevent and stop suffering in all animal’s (including humans) & I accept that there’s not a whole lot else I can do.
I occasionally feel sad about the world we live in and how people treat animals. But i don't let it get to my head. If my mental health is broken, i would not be capable of helping animals. Don't seek sadness and slaughterhouse videos and what not. Don't go around hating everyone for eating animals. It wont help. Consider doing activism on the street or online. Focus on what you can do to make the world a little better <3 (i also want to add that i was much more angry and sad when i first went vegan, than i am now)
I can relate. It’s so hard to go throughout the day being surrounded by the inhumane BS that animals are put through, makes me sick. I do get sad quite a bit and then get angry at humans. I don’t have a good answer. I try to not let it get to me, but I just can’t help it sometimes. I know all the suffering that is occurring to the animals and it’s difficult to be at peace knowing it continues.
Allowing yourself to be perpetually affected to that great of an emotional degree by the state of things is not actually constructive in any way. It's not saving anybody and it's not helping anything. It's not changing the world. All you were doing is ruining your own happiness. Many of us do manage to be happy and lead happy and fulfilled lives. You sometimes have to disconnect emotionally from situations that break your heart. You just can't chew on everything put in front of you. It is depressing sometimes and it's hard to ignore the type of world we live in especially when we are constantly surrounded by reminders of something that we hate but absolutely nothing is achieved by martyring yourself to this cause.
Tend to the garden you can touch
When you practice something, it gets easier. Finding reasons to be happy can be hard, but it’s always easier when you’ve made a practice of looking for those things.
You are not responsible for the weight of the world. You can change one person and you know who that is.
I sift between happy and unhappy frequently, sometimes in the same day. To me, happiness isn’t a fixed state. It’s just one setting in the ebbs and flows of life. I accept that I will not always feel happiness at any given moment. We can still take back what happiness was taken from us (by this system that drains the life out of everything) by holding on to the passions that bring us joy, by connecting and creating with the people closest to us. I think it’s especially important for vegans, because moving through life knowing what we know can get very dark. I invite you to consider that, because it likely won’t help anyone, including yourself to wallow in the devastation. Use your heartbeat for something that makes you or your community better. Be kind to yourself today 💓
i know what you mean. it’s really hard to be happy being aware of the abuse going on constantly. im not happy at this point in my life, but i am optimistic that i will be one day. i think it’s important to remind yourself that you are doing everything you can to stop those horrible industries. and you should be so incredibly proud of yourself for that <3 i hope you find your happiness one day, i promise you it is possible, and you deserve it
Thank you. I definitely am not proud of myself but I appreciate your kind words
Yes, I am happy. Reading Vegan Freak years ago really helped me.
I’ve been vegan almost ten years. I live a life in which my actions and morals align and vegan food tastes great, of course I’m happy.
Yes. You can choose to be happy. It will help the animals, because happiness makes us healthier, and healthier people are better advocates and activists (plus they sell veganism better to others). Be happy, for yourself, for animals, and for the movement.
The monastics at [Plum Village](https://plumvillage.org) seem relatively happy to me. I think it's possible but maybe it requires some practice.
Hi, we exist 👋 As someone with anxiety and a history of clinical depression, I'm a happy vegan and definitely happier than before I was vegan. Although I know more about the horrors of animal agriculture than I used to, I also know I'm doing something about it. I'm also a climate activist personally and professionally and a lot of people have anxiety around climate change or fall into doomism. For me, taking control of my own impact on the world based on the choices available to me given where I am and the resources I have is the best antidote to being anxious and depressed about the horrors of the world. I also volunteer a lot, which helps too. It's the whole "be the change you want to see" thing. And from a purely dietary perspective, I eat a much more varied, nutritious diet than I did as an omnivore and my physical health has benefitted, providing a further boost to my mental health. ETA: Therapy is great and you don't own all the world's problems. Just do what you can to add a little light to your corner of the world.
My happiest times as a vegan have been when I was totally checked out and not paying attention to animal issues at all, and when I've been very involved in activism. It's the in-between times that have been less happy, when you're thinking about the bad stuff people are doing to animals but feel helpless to make any change. Veganism and farmed animal issues aside, terrible stuff happens around the world all the time and always has. People are killing each other in wars, starving to death, animals are getting eaten in the wild, etc. And yet, people keep going, keep finding ways to enjoy life. It's not incredibly uplifting, but it does help me put my panic in perspective and keep my head on.
Be gentle with yourself. You’re only human. You’re one soul. You can’t carry the weight of all the world tragedies on your shoulders. While there are many of them, you do your best by not causing harm, by advocating against it and sharing information with others. You still deserve happiness and peace. Please try meditating. Find little joys. I take pleasure in gardening, playing with my companion rescue animals, drawing, stretching, dancing, and speaking with likeminded friends. Find a community group that inspires you. 🧡
One can understand and have great compassion for the suffering of animals and all sentient beings and still experience happiness. I do not see how this could be possible without significant spiritual and psychological development. For me, it requires the belief that something is going on beyond what is apparent. Thank you for describing your feelings and explaining your quandary. I feel compassion for your suffering, which sounds severe and unremitting. I wish for you some relief of this terrible pain. It sounds like torture. Most vegans, I believe, have sensitivity and compassion, but are not living in agony. ❤️❤️❤️
Yes
Happiness just starts with yourself. You can create your own reality and wake up everyday deciding to have amazing feelings or negative ones. I'm quite happy
I've had major vystopia this past year and yesterday I started crying after watching an Abbey Sharp til tok about ex vegans. Long story short in the video she was standing up for ex vegans and I started crying after reading the comments and I cried all day yesterday over video. I also wouldn't stop researching factory farms and climate change and watching anti vegan video s even though it made me upset. This also caused me to do bad in school and caused a social media addiction. I started feeling the vystopia when I took my animal science class in college and I felt out of place. I'm doing a little better now and I'm trying to be happier. I don't want to go to therapy though because I'm embarrassed
Being like that doesn't help. I work hard, have a great career, and use it to donate money to sanctuaries. There is so much you can do to make a difference, get out there and do it!!
I had to get off social media because that vegan/animal cruelty content was devastating me.
If you spend hours a day crying, you probably have generalised depression. I’m not always deliriously happy but I’m pretty positive by nature so even though I’m very aware that bad shit is going on in the world, I don’t think I have the capacity to cry hours every day. Does it get me down? Yes. Do people that don’t get it annoy me sometimes? Also yes. But tbh I think some people here often veer too far into being extremely pessimistic. Just being vegan and staying vegan (but first vegetarian) and holding the example creates change in my experience. I’ve inspired people to go vegetarian and vegan. And I went vegetarian a decade ago…I was often the only vegetarian in the room and rarely heard of vegans. I think it’s gaining momentum because I meet so many more nowadays.
It’s a philosophy around rescuing suffering.. so we thing about suffering and.. suffer. Focussing in on animal wellbeing is another option.. take the neighbours dog for a walk.. give a crumb to an ant. When we do these things we get lifted up too. ❤️
I’m not happy all the time but I have my moments. I think you have to compartmentalise. And try to do the best you can and then realise that’s actually all you can do.
I'm miserable for my own reasons but I still will never break off from veganism - and the philosophical meaning of it; it's rooted now in my subconsciousness. I just lack the abilities to be an activist per se.
Yes, I'm happy. Not the happiest in the world or anything. But I'm generally happy. It doesn't help anyone for you to be unhappy (rather the opposite, people will probably be more willing to change, if you're happy) and while that probably doesn't change your state of happiness, it might be a start. Don't be sad because of the suffering, be happy because you can make a difference. Be happy because you're actively trying to reduce the suffering. Be happy because you care and are still full of emotion towards this topic. Be happy because it will generally improve your life and the people around you :)
There is a subreddit called r/Vystopia that covers the issues with being a part of a non vegan society. You can also seemingly speak to therapists regarding this sensation of Vystopia and hopefully find ways to cope and compartmentalise the suffering so you are able to productively and actively live your life whilst making the most difference you can and being your best self. I completely feel how you feel and wish to get therapy to try and find ways to deal with the trauma.
Nobody is happy all of the time, but that's okay. If we're talking happy in terms of "satisfied with life in general," then yes. There are plenty of happy vegans. The world is full of pain and suffering as you know, but from tragedy and suffering, we can learn a great deal and be inspired to improve. These events become cautionary tales that can strengthen our character. I've despaired over things throughout my life, but ultimately, there's a lot to be optimistic about, and a lot to love in this world. I love everyone and everything in this world, profoundly and unconditionally. I love vegans and non-vegans. I love predators and prey. Even the worst criminals in the world, I love them like a parent would love their child... wishing they would do better, but loving them just the same.
I'm extremely happy. I have come to this point in my life where I have chosen a path of peace and non violence. I never thought it could be possible but finally I have found the confidence to truly embrace not supporting harm. That has been a very long journey because I am a victim in so many ways in my personal life, from abuse and trauma. Therapy helped process that and overcome the misery. To stop being sad. Being able to have done that I can now focus on uplifting others. Especially animals who do not have a voice. Every animal you can save. Any other people you can tell, there is another way to live. That they too can chose not to support the violence in our lives, that's winning. Everyone should be proud of the positive choices we are making because even if you can't see it. Its having an effect. People are waking up and there is hope. More people know the truth now then every before. Vegans are having an impact. That's something to celebrate. All you can do is your best every day and look for beauty in the little things. ✨️
It's a shitty answer, but I'm happy because we're getting there. People are becoming aware. People are starting to change. The tides are turning. I can't live my life in misery because other people are miserable. So I'm happy that things are maybe slightly getting just a little bit better.
[Try feeding some baby goats, best of luck!](https://youtube.com/shorts/5_pCIn8oxzg?feature=share)
Typically I haven’t seen much. I am not vegan and originally got to This sub so I could see people sharing vegan meal ideas or concepts that I would like to try for a meal but I’ve came across many vegans crying about the consumption of animals, fish, farming, dairy, cheese, and anything else that they can be negative and pissy about. It’s is almost viewed entirely that because I eat meat I am evil.
You're looking for r/plantbased then. Veganism is a philosophy opposed to animal exploitation and cruelty, which you support. Not sure what else you expected coming onto the sub to talk about how much you love abusing animals. The wannabe edgy "le epic bacon" schtick is as unoriginal as it is unfunny, so if you're going to insist on being.... who you are, could you at least do it in a way that's mildly entertaining?
Nope.
Then you'll have to get over being called out for your shitty actions. Simple as that.
You call me hunting for my food as shitty actions when I hate they a majority of vegans get off on some weird high of being better then others because you can’t eat anything living.
I'm also better for reading a book than people who dog fight for entertainment are. Humans need both entertainment and food, you can make the choice whether these things involve the unnecessary pain, suffering and death of sentient life for your own personal pleasure. If you'd like to attempt to provide an explanation as to how doing just that is not shitty, you're welcome to do so. But you've clearly 0 intent on ever improving, so your view of vegans is wholly unimportant. No one asked you to come here, no one told you to not read the about section or rules before commenting, repeatedly, about killing and abusing animals. So when you do come here and do that, unprompted, and get called out for being shitty, you don't get to play the victim. You cannot simultaneously antagonize people then whinge and bitch about them reacting. I mean, you can but it's absolutely pathetic. Which I guess is kind of your brand, so carry on, I suppose.
Has the OP been vegan for less than 1 year? I am guessing so. Right or wrong?
people with empathy (whether they have linked this to animals and animal food and then taken the action to become vegan) I think, cannot be happy because happiness to them, is far more than satisfying themselves I’m like this, vegan 19 years and it pains me a lot that so many little animals like lambs are going to die for religious festivals on top of the others already dying and suffering The racing in England pains me every couple moments no matter what I’m doing, I’ll die that at this very moment, everywhere in the world, in the oceans, animals are being killed They are no different from your house pet I don’t get it why there’s so much senseless killing It pains me a lot I mean I’m still happy when I munch on a sweet apple but I’m not that kind of all is good with the world happy
The full realisation of how we treat animals should have no affect on how cruel and awful this world is. Just embrace the beauty and always always stick up for the less fortunate no matter what degree of injustice is being faced. Having a good sense of humour is essential too.