Future T.O.F.U. | Mental Health, Burnout, and More
As I’ve mentioned before, whether or not the deadline to reach the first goal of the Patreon campaign so I can print T.O.F.U. #11 is met within the next twenty-four hours or so, I’m still going to aim to release the issue rather soon.
Many of you may have noticed how long it took to get this issue to this point, and I am sorry for that. However, I hope you’ll be happy to hear that I’ve already got plans for at least three more issues, and I’ll be starting work on T.O.F.U. #12 soon after I publish the one you’ve been waiting so long for.
With that in mind, I’d like to share with you a little about just what I think is on the horizon for the next few issues of the magazine. Obviously, things could change between now and when I put out the call for submissions for each one, but I’m excited about the topics and I hope you will be too!
#12 | Mental Health
When I first posted about the focus of T.O.F.U. #11, I mentioned that tackling the topic of failing health and chronic illness as it related to veganism would help to serve as a step toward talking about both mental health and disordered eating and their complicated relationships with veganism and the community in future issues.
So, that’s what I’ll be doing, and I’m looking forward to hearing from people who want to be involved. Whether it’s addressing the fact that mental health issues can be invisible illnesses that people so often forget when talking with others, discounting the memes of forests and beaches as replacements for medication that are far too popular, or something else entirely, there is plenty to discuss within this area of concern.
#13 | Disordered Eating
Another thing that came from revealing that the focus of the eleventh issue was related to poor physical health and veganism was that I had a number of people write to me wishing to talk in regard to their past (or current) experiences with disordered eating and how it related to their veganism. Although I know one can certainly connect physical health to disordered eating, I decided that I wanted to focus on the subject within a separate issue so as not to limit the discussion. Obviously, all of the topics that T.O.F.U. has covered can be discussed for much more than one issue, so combining two of them together seemed like a disservice to each of them.
Thus, the thirteenth issue of the magazine will provide a platform for those who wish to share their stories and struggles with disordered eating, and I suspect it will touch on such topics as orthorexia, clean eating, social media, and much more. It’s no secret that the vegan community has a problem related to both ignoring and possibly promoting disordered eating, and the fact that the media loves to talk about it helps no one, including the animals. Hopefully, inviting people to share their experiences will help to bring a better awareness, and perhaps illustrate just how the community can be more supportive in helping those who currently struggle with disordered eating.
#14 | Activist Burnout
If you’ve been following the blog or the YouTube channel over the last month or so, then you probably understand why this topic is one that hits a little close to home. Although I’ve struggled with feeling uninspired off and on since publishing the first issue roughly ten years ago, the issues I had with finding the energy and interest to push the Patreon campaign and finish #11 were some of the toughest yet. Eventually, I managed to find the drive to get back into it all, but it took longer than usual.
That’s where I want to focus the fourteenth issue of the magazine, and I’m sure other people will have their own personal experiences to share. Thankfully, some people already reached out to me through my posts about my struggles, but I know there are even more out there who didn’t speak up. I want to hear from those people too, and I hope you do as well. As a community, we have to learn to support each other, both in the good times and the bad. Of course, we also have to be able to support ourselves. Obviously, considering the topics for the other issues above, there are many reasons to develop practices that are healthy for each of us, and being aware of and talking about these things can only help to make us all stronger. T.O.F.U. #14 will aim to showcase some of that dialogue, and I’m personally looking forward to seeing how it turns out.
After That?
I’ve got an idea for T.O.F.U. #15 as well, but I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself! It’s strange enough for me to be posting these topics already since I don’t think I’ve ever really made an issue’s focus public until I was ready for submissions. However, there’s no harm in trying something new, right?
On that note, if you do feel like you might have something to contribute on one of these topics, please get in touch. I’m not formally accepting submissions yet, but it doesn’t hurt to start the conversation now!
Also, if you want to make sure you don’t miss any of the future issues, including T.O.F.U. #11, please consider subscribing through the Patreon page. Your pledge will ensure you receive all future issues, and it will also bring the magazine one step closer to going back to print!
