Welfare at EA Durham

Angela and Paige are EA Durham's Welfare Representatives; your go-to contact for any welfare related questions. Whether it be about EA, philosophy or just banta, Angela and Paige are amazing people to talk to!

Elisa

Hi everyone, I’m Paige, one of the welfare reps for EA Durham. I’m really excited to undertake the role of welfare rep this year. Managing your mental health at university, with social and academic pressures, can be really hard. EA discussions can also often focus on some really difficult topics. Coming to understand the huge scale of suffering that exists in the world can be really upsetting and its easy for these issues to feel overwhelming. Whatever you are struggling with, you are not alone. I am here for anyone at EA Durham who may need support or just want somebody to listen. Please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Message me for a chat, whether it’s about EA or anything else you’d like to talk about
My email is lngd25@durham.ac.uk
Whatsapp (07899927048)

Meet Angela and Paige, EA Durham's Welfare Representatives <3

Alex

EA Durham Fellowships

Unsure about getting involved with an EA fellowship? I completed the fellowship in term one of second year, so feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns!
Already involved in the fellowship but finding the topics or workload difficult? It’s a lot to take in. Please let me know and I can help you out.

Interested in the crossover between EA and welfare? See the resources down below!
Just wanna make some friends in the EA community? I can help with that too

The EA community can be overwhelming and tends to overrepresent the already dominant groups in our society. If this is how you’re feeling, please contact me and I can put you in touch with other members of EA who you might be able to relate to!

Overwhelmed with studying?
Want some extra resources to do with effective altruism or philosophy?

Mental Health as a cause area of concern

Mental health as a cause area

The topic of mental health is gaining traction in the EA community as an important problem area.
Mental illness causes a huge amount of unhappiness throughout the world, and focusing on mental health treatment could be one of the most effective ways of improving world happiness.
Depression and anxiety are associated with a bigger decrease in life satisfaction more than debt, divorce and unemployment.
For more information on this, see these articles:
- https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/XWSTBBH8gSjiaNiy7/cause-profile-mental-health
- https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/DvJ2vqfzTyzbypwon/problem-area-report-mental-health

Self Care in EA

You’re probably getting involved in Effective Altruism because you really want to make an impact. Sometimes it can be easy to start to base your self-worth on how much you think you’re making an impact, especially when you’re spending a lot of time thinking about effective altruism! Here are some helpful articles and links to encourage you to think creatively and positively about making a change:

Welfare resources within the EA community:

The best collection of tips and information on maintaining an EA lifestyle:
- Sustaining an EA lifestyle and avoiding burnout

The Effective Altruism Forum is a platform for different conversations within the EA community
For discussions on how to incorporate EA into your life, check out: Effective altruism lifestyle
Self-care and wellbeing in the effective altruism community
- Recommendations:
  - Desperation Hamster Wheels
  - Burnout: What is it and how to Treat it

Imposter syndrome is common within the EA community. Here is a selection of resources if you’re struggling with this.

Having a successful career with depression, anxiety, and imposter syndrome
Countering imposter syndrome for interns and new staff
Videos
- Frankie Andersen-Wood: I'm not qualified to give this talk
- Helen Toner: Sustainable motivation

Why you should prioritise self-care:

Aiming for the minimum of self-care is dangerous

General Welfare resources:

University counselling: https://www.dur.ac.uk/counselling.service/
University disability support: https://www.dur.ac.uk/disability.support/support/