Course 2: Becoming a 7 Cups Leader - (Discussion #11) Avoiding Burnout

I learned that burnout can result in pessimism which is counterproductive to a platform such as 7 cups. I have promised myself to take breaks when needed and that I am not less of a volunteer on here for doing so.

Please read it through and in the replies, tell us what you learned, and what you will do to stay healthy and avoid burnout!

After going through the slide deck, I have learnt a lot about what burnout actually is and which symptoms indicate that we are experiencing burnout. Personally, I have experienced lack of focus and headaches resulting from burnout but I’ll keep an eye out for other ones too!

I intend to stay healthy by maintaining clear boundaries and taking frequent self-care breaks to refuel myself. There is always the opportunity to talk to people and get feedback on my performance! Based on that, I should be able to assess and avoid burnout!

@Heather225

Tell us what you learned, and what you will do to stay healthy and avoid burnout!

I have learnt the symptoms of burnout and I have realised the episodes of stress and emotions that I have been feeling was in turn a burnout episode. Definitely, I need to be healthy to be able to support an individual who comes in need of my help. I will engage in less screen time, exercise and relax by listening to classical music to stay healthy and prevent a burnout.

@Heather225

I learned that self-care is baked into the routine of a leader, it is integral for us to know our strengths and capabilities. If it feels like we are experiencing burnout, we should check out for the symptoms and try to have a positive attitude, and hold ourselves accountable.

In order to stay healthy and avoid burnout, I will maintain a schedule so that I stay online for a certain period of time, take time to reflect upon myself and always see if I can take more work in my present schedule or not.

Please read it through and in the replies, tell us what you learned, and what you will do to stay healthy and avoid burnout!
I’ve learnt that burnout is a very real and serious condition – not at all as minor as I initially thought it was. Burnout is a state of emotional, physical and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. I’ve also learnt the major signs of burnout i.e. chronic fatigue, anxiety, depression and anger, just to name a few and the ways to overcome it.

There are three main ways to avoid burnout and to stay healthy:
Reduce/Eliminate stressors
I can try to pinpoint what it is that may be causing myself stress and exhaustion on a regular basis. As such, I will be able to reduce that specific stressor or even eliminate it.

Self care & daily downtime
I will have to remember to take self-care breaks by taking a few days off from volunteering and the internet in general, especially when I feel overwhelmed. I will also make it a habit to have some relaxing downtime to myself on a daily basis. Setting boundaries between my time online and offline can help with maintaining a good balance between my volunteering work and my own personal commitments as well.

Reflection
I will have to reflect on my work as a volunteer on 7 Cups as well as how much work I can handle, especially when taking on new roles since the sudden increase in obligations may cause burnout if I’m not careful. Ultimately the most important thing is to always remember why I volunteer on 7 Cups in the first place and that my work saves lives, so the best way for me to do this, is to take care of myself in order to be of help to others.

I learned about signs of burnout, like fatigue, and how we can recover like sound self care. I'm going to make sure to stay healthy and take breaks when i need them!

The slides were educational and interesting. I learnt that self-care is quite necessary for everyone. It may be easy to get lost in our online interactions and the various roles and responsibilities. But if we take on too much and neglect self-care, we may get fatigued, annoyed, depressed and can bring a negative attitude to the very team and cause we want to support.

So, if we give up on self-care because we need to be there for others, we may, in the long run, end up hurting the very people we want to be there for due to burnout.

Hello Everyone!

Tell us what you learned, and what you will do to stay healthy and avoid burnout!
The guide is really very great, I am liking it so much. I learned that burnout is chronic stress, which could affect one physically and emotionally. I am already practicing some steps that help me to not feel burned out, for example, I do make my boundaries and I remain online only for a limited time on 7 Cups also weekends are off days for me from 7 Cups as on weekends, I do practice self-care. I also limit myself and take care that my roles do not burnout me. I will continue to follow these steps to ensure that I don't get burned out. Thank you for such an informative and detailed slide deck.

Thank You!

Be the change that you wish to see in the world.

@Heather225

The best thing i learned is that i will only be able to help people if i am in my best and positive state. Burnout can give rise to negativity, which is not beneficial or healthy for me, members and the community. I should priortize my self care

I learned a lot about burnout. what it is and how we can avoid it. I also got to know how important self care is for a person's mental and physical well-being and it's okay to feel exhausted sometimes.

I can avoid burnout by developing a regular sleep routine and by setting boundaries about my time online.