Take Time for Self Care

Full disclosure: I am giving advice in this article that I myself find difficult to follow and that I consistently fail or struggle to adhere to. It doesn’t make it less important—quite the opposite. I see this as one of the largest struggles and for sure the #1 cause of burnout in the industry.

We work with and for nonprofits. We expend all our energy helping others and changing the world. Mission-centric work is rewarding. The problem is that the work itself, the entire industry, causes a perpetual tension. We love the work we do, and we are passionate about the cause we are fighting for—otherwise, we would not take such low wages and insane hours. You are a hero, spending your time making a huge difference—keeping the homeless off the streets, helping children with cancer, stopping wildlife from being destroyed, lobbying for change in a law that is hurting thousands of people a day… [insert your cause here]. One of the things that keep nonprofits working so hard is that the solution is complex, and it takes time to create and implement solutions. We need to pace ourselves. This is a marathon, not a sprint.

Seeking any type of “work/life balance” leaves the nonprofit professional with a difficult conundrum: Do I work on this urgent and vital cause that is near and dear to my heart, or do I step away and spend time on myself, with my family, or with friends. Taking time for yourself and stepping away from the work itself can easily seem selfish; I often feel that way. So what are we to do? 

I like an analogy that a wise old man told me years ago, which sticks in my mind when I get overwhelmed. He told me: “You are only as strong as your weakest link.” This applies to our teams and ourselves. If we are weak, our teams are weak. If we are weak, we are ineffective.

We are all unique individuals with physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, social, and environmental needs. (I think I got all of them.) And we mentally break down where we are weakest. If we want to stay effective, we must understand, we are only as effective as we are balanced. When we are out of balance, we are working, we are expending energy, but we are not as effective; we are not working at our max capacity. When we are not working at our prime, we are expending more energy and more time than we would otherwise need to spend. I truly believe that a well-rested, focused, energized, and healthy person can do more in 20 hours than a burnt-out, exhausted, and over-worked person can achieve in 40 hours.

When we believe that we are best and most effective when we are balanced, then taking time to refresh can not only be aligned with the idea that we are mission-critical, but it can reinforce the need to refresh so we can give the work itself the focus and attention it deserves.

I don’t have a magic formula or the “10 key ways to know you are balanced and healthy.” All I have for you is an encouragement to work on yourself for the sake of your mission. How do you know when something is out of whack? Just like we all have a spot on our bodies where stress seems to settle (mine is my shoulders), we have warning signs when we are overwhelmed and burning out. Mine is when I start to get a short temper. It’s not like me to be snippy, so when I am, it’s a warning sign that I am approaching burnout. What is your warning sign? If you don’t know, pay attention and ask others for feedback.

Another important truth that is often hard to hear is: We are not the saviors. We are important, our contributions play a key role, and we are making a difference, but everything does not depend on us. And if it does, we need to re-think a lot of things and get ourselves out of that situation). When everything rests on our shoulders and we are the only one who can do this or that, we are setting ourselves up for disaster. When winning depends solely on ourselves, we will be disappointed in ourselves, or we will disappoint others often. I know I need to remind myself regularly that I am not the only one who can do certain things. While it's humbling to remind ourselves that we aren’t as critical as we want ourselves to be, it is also freeing and lets us off the hook enough to relax for a day or a week here and there.

Nonprofit work is a lifestyle. It’s not going to get less busy or easier, so it is not about changing the work. Rather, we are better served by incorporating into our lifestyles some self-care and some breaks so we can stay strong for those who depend on us, whether that’s our team or those we serve, our families, or our peers. Take some time this week to put self-care on your calendar. Whether that’s an afternoon you allow yourself to take care of errands, a power nap, making sure you hit the gym, scheduling a regular massage, turning your phone off in the evenings to spend time with your family, etc., put it on your calendar and do NOT schedule against it.

Wishing you all the warm and relaxing vibes this week!