HOW TO BURN AND NOT BURN OUT: TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF AND LEARNING SELF-REGULATION
Volunteers are a powerful force of millions of selfless people who, apart from their daily activities, contribute to the welfare of others, giving it their best effort and resources. However, this is exactly where the greatest danger to volunteers lies.
In the face of constant threats, it is essential to follow the rules of mental hygiene to avoid fatigue and exhaustion, both of which can lead to burnout.
Tiredness or emotional burnout?
Tiredness occurs as a result of an intense or continuous workload and is manifested in a temporary impairment of mental and physiological functions and decreased efficiency and quality of work.
Burnout is a state of physical and emotional exhaustion that results from excessive work, high demands on oneself, and constant stress. In other words, it is “the next step” that can lead to severe illnesses.
Causes of burnout
- Emotional exhaustion (one can feel emotionally overwhelmed and devastated).
- Depersonalization (the feeling of detachment from oneself). It can be associated with an indifferent and even negative attitude toward people.
- Interactions become formal and impersonal.
- Reduced productivity at work (lower confidence in one’s competence, dissatisfaction with oneself, negative attitude toward oneself as a person).
What about mental hygiene?
Having good mental health means being able to realize one’s potential, cope with life’s stresses, work productively and efficiently, and contribute to one’s community.
- Cultivate cognitive flexibility. This will allow you to see the situation from different angles and, therefore, open up more options for action.
- Pay attention to your emotions. There are no good or bad emotions, they all signal your needs.
- Identify and try these needs to satisfy them in the best way possible.
- Choose an action strategy for each specific situation.
Take preventive measures
To avoid negative consequences, you should constantly monitor your condition and follow the needs of your body. Here are a few more rules for self-care:
- Remember about basic needs like food, water, sleep, and safety (to the extent possible).
- Engage in active leisure activities, big and small pleasures that improve our lives, are rooted in our values, and make sense to each of us personally.
- Find your social support. Carefully build a circle of “your people” and appreciate what you already have. Create connections that inspire you, where you feel safe, and who will respond to your call for help. And just as importantly, be this kind of person for others.
- Manifest yourself in life. Create a breakdown of what would feel good for you to do
daily, weekly, and monthly. For example, mental health is one such priority. Based on this, it would be good to
- do at least a short morning exercise every day,
- read 15–20 pages of fiction every day,
- and make time for hobbies and meetings with friends once a week.
Anti-scheduling technique
This technique will help give your mind a sense of predictability and control in an unpredictable and uncontrollable world.
1. First, schedule those events for which you know exactly when they start and end. For example, lunchtime, the way to work, and the time you go to bed.
2. Entertainment or fulfilling activities (hobbies, time with friends and family, sports, holidays, etc.).
3. Only then, after realistically assessing the amount of time you have left, can you plan your workload. This will give your mind a sense of predictability and control in an unpredictable and uncontrollable world.
Check out some additional content to learn more about your mental health:
- How to stop blaming yourself if it seems like you’re not doing enough
- One year of the full-scale war: What we have learned and how to move forward
- Psychological support in times of war
- All-Ukrainian mental health program
You can learn more about burnout in a manual developed by the Ukrainian Volunteer Service.