Are you feeling burnout? Are you feeling discouraged or unmotivated?
Me too.
Burnout is not just about being overworked. It is about no longer feeling the impact of your efforts. It is about being discouraged. When these feelings start to itch, we can often talk ourselves out of it, reminding ourselves of why we have spent careers in nonprofit and human services work and that we are in fact doing things daily that shift the landscape and make a difference. That project was funded based on our grant writing. These families are living safe and warm in a home, in part, because of our negotiations with the landlord. Our work matters.
But when the feelings hit us hard, like it hit many of us following the recent election, it is more than a little itch, more than a slap in the face, it is devastating. Our animal survival instincts take over and we go into fight/flight/freeze mode.
I’m reading a workbook about burnout right now, and I’m learning about how to rest – really rest – and let go of the things that busy my mind. I am decluttering my calendar and my commitments. I’ve stopped scrolling social media and I am making space for myself to be open and exploratory.
This is not the answer. A bit of rest will not heal my budding burnout. Rest is, however, like a cream that stops the immediate itch; ice on inflammation. You can’t heal discouragement when you continue to add tension to the strain. Like good nutrition and exercise, rest gives my body and my mind what it needs to begin to regenerate.
So I begin my healing journey with rest and decluttering.
Let’s take care of ourselves. Because we matter. Self care is work that matters.
Partners for Impact builds capacity for community change – one way that we do this is through individual coaching and working with human service organizations to build intentional culture. Capacity building and change always begin with self. Let us help you prepare for the long game.