In this episode of The Gentle Rebel Podcast, Dorcas Cheng-Tozen joins me to discuss her book, Social Justice for the Sensitive Soul. What draws highly sensitive people towards it, and how can we navigate and engage with the issues without burning out?

I was particularly interested in considering how sensitive nervous systems are attuned to the needs of a community as a core response to the biological imperative for personal survival.

Humans are not wired to connect with and care about the whole world. It’s too big and heavy for any individual to carry alone. But the interconnected world shows us everything wrong, and we hear about tragedies almost instantly via social media and the twenty-four-hour news cycle. So, how do we sustain our nervous systems and maintain compassion and care in such difficult conditions? Moreover, how do we make peace with the fact we cannot care about everything without becoming desensitised and shutting down?

In our conversation, we explore:

• The challenges that face highly sensitive and introverts who want to understand and engage with social issues
• How to approach urgent social problems without losing your ability to think critically and openly
• Approaches and attitudes that can be off-putting for sensitive people
• Letting go of an individual hero complex and trusting the bigger picture
• Causes for hope when the world feels bleak
• And much more

About Dorcas and Social Justice For The Sensitive Soul

Dorcas Cheng-Tozen is an award-winning writer, editor, speaker, and international communications consultant. She has nearly twenty years of experience working with nonprofits and social enterprises, living in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Kenya. Dorcas currently lives in California with her husband and two sons.

Social justice work, we often assume, is raised voices and raised fists. It requires leading, advocating, fighting, and organizing wherever it takes place–in the streets, slums, villages, inner cities, halls of political power, and more. But what does social justice work look like for those of us who don’t feel comfortable battling in the trenches?

Social Justice For The Sensitive Soul addresses this question.

Connect with Dorcas:

Website: www.chengtozun.com
Social media: Instagram, Facebook, Linkedin