At the teleseminar we held this week, "How to Fight Burnout in Yourself and Your Volunteers," Sheila Boneham, PhD dished out some great information. Sheila has definitely "been there and done that" when it comes to running a rescue and generously shared her experiences.
Because the holiday season can be emotionally difficult for people in rescue, I thought I'd share some of the advice Sheila gave for those of you who missed the call.
First you have to recognize the signs of burnout. Burnout isn't the same thing as stress. When you experience stress, you may feel like you have too much to do, but you feel like if the stressors go away, everything will work out.
Burnout goes beyond stress to the point that everything feels hopeless and a big waste of time. If you're burned out, you just don't care anymore and feel like nothing you do will have any impact on anything.
If you feel you are heading down the slippery slope toward burnout, here are a few ideas to help get you back on track:
1. Take a break. The world of rescue will go on without you. If you haven't already, you must delegate responsibilities, so that the organization and you are not one and the same! Sometimes you need to switch the tasks you are doing, or get out of rescue completely. It's okay. Really.
2. Disconnect from technology. Turn off your pager, cell phone, and computer regularly. And please, do yourself a favor and ditch the crackberry entirely. Being connected 24x7 isn't good for your mental health. Set up systems in your organization so that calls can be forwarded to someone else or a voice mail service. The world will continue to spin on its axis, even if you don't answer your cell or your email.
3. Reconnect with what's important. Yes, rescue is important, but it should not be the only thing going on in your life. Consider your family, friends, and your own pets, for example. Remember them? Devote more time to doing things unrelated to rescue work. Balance is important.
4. Take care of yourself. Yes, all those boring things the health magazines suggest can really help. Eat right, exercise, and get enough sleep. When you take care of your body, it is easier to manage stressful times.
5. Learn to say no. Most people in rescue are women, and for many of us saying "no" is a challenge. If you need to practice, try it out on a few little things you don't want to do. ("No, you can do your own laundry, Dear.") Say no without feeling guilty. You can only do what you can do, so don't over commit yourself.
Burnout doesn't get better if you just ignore it. If your life is out of balance, take steps to help yourself, so you can continue to help the animals.
~ Susan Daffron
Founder & President, NAPRP