An Animal Rights/Vegan Activists' Strategies Article used with permission from All-Creatures.org

Drawing from her experience as a counselor and minister, Rev. Dina Miani Lauman shares eight gentle practices that will help you avoid burnout, recenter, and stay inspired on your vegan journey.

Everyday WellBeing
From Rev. Dina A. Miani Lauman, VLCE, Ordained Animal Chaplain, Main Street Vegan Academy, MainStreetVegan.com
July 2025

Photo from Canva/Pexels

Originally printed in the Main Street Vegan blog, www.mainstreetvegan.com. The writers are graduates of Main Street Vegan Academy and all hold the certification of vegan lifestyle coach and educator.

Living as a vegan is joyful and purposeful—and also overwhelming at times. It asks a lot of our hearts. It calls us to grow, stretch, forgive, and advocate.

8 Practices for Peace, Clarity, and Connection on This Path of Veganism

Whether you identify as spiritual, religious, curious, or simply kind-hearted, these have helped me on this path—and maybe they’ll help you too.

1. Begin With What Centers You

However you name it, Spirit, Love, the Universe, the Divine, Nature, or simply your inner wisdom, starting from a place of deep alignment can center everything else. For me, that’s a quiet moment of reflection, intention, or prayer to remember that I’m part of something bigger. Often the most meaningful nudges we get in life feel both thrilling and a little scary, but they often point us toward purpose, joy, and service.

Living with compassion, especially as a vegan, asks us to live with intention. That’s not always easy. But when we stay connected to our center, we gain the courage to keep showing up with love.

2. Remember Your Own Becoming

Very few of us grew up being vegan, although that’s thankfully changing. Most of us had a time when we just didn’t know what we didn’t know. One of my first jobs was at a fast-food chicken chain—before I ever understood the connection between animals and the food on my plate. And I loved animals, even then.

So when you’re feeling frustrated with those who haven’t made the shift, pause and remember your own journey. That shift, from judgment to empathy, makes all the difference.

3. Keep the Bigger Picture in View

There will be days when people are dismissive, rude, or resistant. It’s natural to feel reactive, but our choices are more powerful when they’re rooted in our “why.” Whether you’re in this for the animals, the Earth, your health, or all of the above, ask yourself:

Will what I’m about to say or do to help or hurt the cause?

Science shows that it takes about six seconds for the brain to move from reactive mode into reflection. A single breath can shift everything. Come back to your purpose. That’s where your power lives

4. Stay Curious

There’s never been a better time to be vegan, with a wealth of resources out there: podcasts, books, documentaries, support groups, retreats, recipe blogs, new products, and more. Whether you went vegan last week or last century, there’s always more to learn.

And if you’re someone drawn to spiritual exploration, know this: spiritual growth is sacred. Love is the curriculum. Keep asking questions. Keep expanding your circle of compassion.

5. Seek Out Your Soul Tribe

One of the hardest parts of the vegan path can be loneliness, especially when your values aren’t shared by those around you. That’s part of what inspired me to create the WellBeing, a space for folks who care deeply about animals, the Earth, healing, and spirituality.

Community doesn’t mean agreeing on everything. It means having people who see you, support you, and want to live with more kindness too. Finding or creating those circles can be life-giving, for you and for the world.

6. Build Each Other Up

It can be disheartening to see division or harshness even within compassionate movements. But we don’t have to mirror that. The more we lift each other up, through encouragement, collaboration, and shared vision, the stronger we become.

Let’s be the kind of people who pause to help, who offer kindness even when it’s hard, and who model the compassion we wish to see manifest. Our movement, the world, and we need it!

7. Take Time to Refill

You matter. Your rest matters. Your joy matters.

We often talk about compassion for others, but what about compassion for ourselves? Burnout is real. Compassion fatigue is real. And so is healing.

So nap. Meditate. Take a walk. Sit in the sun. Laugh. Cry. Breathe. Eat something nourishing and beautiful. Your well-being isn’t a distraction from your purpose—it is part of your purpose.

8. Take Gentle, Consistent Action

We’re not powerless. Even the smallest act, a kind conversation, a thoughtful meal, a moment of truth-telling, can ripple outward.

You don’t have to do it all. But you can do something. Your presence matters. Your choices matter. Your voice matters. And when they come from a place of love, that’s where real change begins.

Let your life be a quiet revolution of love.

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Rev. Dina Miani Lauman is the founder of the WellBeing, a sanctuary for Vegan Christians and spiritual seekers. Through her ministry, Dina weaves faith, healing, and joy into every aspect of life—creating a community where both spirit and sentience are honored.

A compassionate counselor and ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, Dina empowers clients to reconnect with their inner wisdom and embrace holistic healing—beyond symptom management and toward a life of wholeness, wonder, and thriving. She serves as pastor of a charming country church in Illinois where sacred disruption is welcome, and where Queenie, her church’s beloved therapy dog, embodies the church’s uncommon spirit of interspecies compassion and inclusive grace.

Ordained as an Animal Chaplain through the Compassion Consortium, and a Main Street Vegan Academy graduate, Dina’s work stands at the beautiful crossroads of Christian spirituality, vegan ethics, and soul-centered psychology, offering spiritual care, emotional support, divine ritual, and celebration for all beings.

Photo credit: Dina A. Miani Lauman

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Posted on All-Creatures.org: August 28, 2025
Return to Animal Rights/Vegan Activist Strategies
Read more at How to Avoid Burning Out as an Animal Rights Activist