HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF AS A VOLUNTEER AND WHY IT IS OKAY TO REFUSE HELP

“You are a volunteer, so you have to help us”

Volunteering is now often taken for granted as a natural and mandatory activity.

People may forget that volunteering is meant to be voluntary, leading to high expectations from people offering their support.

Energy reservoir analogy

Imagine that your energy and capabilities can be put into a reservoir of 100, 1000, or 10,000 liters (everybody has their own threshold). You have different tasks every day, like brushing your teeth (2 liters), walking the dog (10 liters), delivering groceries to the old lady you care for (100 liters).

As you continue to support others, your reservoir gradually depletes. Once it becomes empty, fear, anxiety, exhaustion, and helplessness appear. Therefore, it is important to replenish the reservoir to stay strong enough to continue doing good deeds.

Connect with yourself

Before taking on a particular request, ask yourself:

· Do I have enough resources (my own and those of my organization) to do this?

· Is it possible to fulfill the request given your physical capabilities, logistics, availability, etc.?

· What are some of the risks, including how safe is it to fulfill the request?

It is okay if you do not have enough capacity to help, so if in doubt, do not promise to help.

Guilt of refusal

People’s reactions to refusal are unpredictable. You should be prepared for the fact that some people will not understand your choice. You can explain the reason, offer alternatives, and suggest how their request can be addressed. But do not let yourself and your work be devalued.

Volunteers are the superheroes of our time

However, even superheroes cannot do everything. You always have the choice to help as much as your reservoir allows you to. Be mindful of how much you have already done and continue to do every day. It is more than enough.