(image: Sadie Jade)
Being vegan means a person chooses not to use any animals products – whether that’s the food they eat, the clothes they wear, the products they use, even down to the entertainment they choose. This lifestyle choice is a philosophical stance and belief system that seeks to exclude all forms of exploitation and cruelty to animals.
I’ve been vegan for around 9 years now and speaking from experience as an empathetic and sensitive person, at times the world can feel a little overwhelming (understatement? Possibly). Don’t get me wrong, going vegan was the best decision for me. I am an animal lover at heart and deeply care about the environment, so being vegan enables me to live a life in harmony with my values. When I finally aligned my actions with my beliefs about animal welfare, I experienced a sense of relief and authenticity that had been missing before.
The problem is knowing the full extent of animal suffering at the hands of humans that really weighs heavy.
I remember the first time I truly connected with a cow. Looking into her gentle eyes, I saw an individual who was sentient and wanted to live, love, and be free from harm – just like any of us. That moment changed me forever. Now, walking past butcher shops or seeing leather goods in store windows can feel devastating, knowing a beautiful creature had their life needlessly taken for something we can source elsewhere with no suffering involved. These everyday encounters that are ordinary to most, serve as constant reminders of the disconnect between my values and society’s ‘normal’ practices.
This awareness has affected my relationships too. There was a time that social gatherings were tricky to navigate. Watching friends or family consume animal products while knowing what I know about factory farming creates an internal struggle: balancing my love for them with my ethical convictions. Sometimes it makes me so sad to know that, after all I have told them about animal suffering, they continue to choose to subject animals to it in the name of taste preferences.
However, this emotional challenge isn’t unique to vegans. Many people feel uncomfortable watching documentaries about animal agriculture or visiting slaughterhouses. This natural empathy exists in most of us, but marketing campaigns and industrialised food systems have created a psychological distance between our plates and the reality of animal suffering. The meat industry spends billions on advertising that presents happy animals on family farms, while the reality remains carefully hidden from public view.
The emotional challenges faced by vegans often stem from a place of deep compassion – a quality our world desperately needs more of, not less. Rather than viewing this sensitivity as a weakness, we can recognise it as a strength that drives positive change. Understanding that these feelings of distress come from a place of love and justice can help frame them in a more constructive light.
In my book, The Vegan Lifestyle Journal, I talk about the secrets to finding ways to channel our emotional sensitivity into positive action while maintaining our own wellbeing. This might mean setting boundaries, practicing self-care, celebrating small victories, and remembering that personal peace and advocacy for animals can coexist. After all, the goal isn’t to carry the weight of the world’s suffering, but to do our part in creating positive change while maintaining our own emotional balance.
For anyone feeling overwhelmed by awareness of animal suffering, remember that every person who chooses compassion contributes to a larger movement toward a more ethical world. While the journey may sometimes feel lonely or challenging, living in harmony with our deepest values ultimately contributes to better mental health and a more peaceful existence.
Sadie Jade is a Suffolk born author and public speaker who is passionate about making the world a better place for animals, people, and the environment.With almost a decade of experience in animal advocacy, Sadie is well known for delivering talks to thousands of people across the UK in schools and colleges, at community events and public speaking engagements such as podcasts and panel debates, and through the publication of her book and her guest articles for respected news outlets.
This blog is the view of Sadie Jade.