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

I learned the signs of growing burnout and sign of already having a burnout. I will take time to identify the sign of burnout and take a self-care break if I start to feel the signs. I will also reflect and assess, and maintain a postive attitude

Activity: 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 have learned that it can be very easy to become burned out and reading this has help show me some of the signs that point out this. To help avoid getting burned out I will take regular breaks from 7cups, Limit the time that I am online and I will also limit the time that I spend with members an sometimes a conversation can last over 45mins.

@Heather225

To avoid burnout I:

1. Meditate for 10 minutes, twice a day

2. Run every morning

3. Eat well and get plenty of rest

4. Play in the park with my dog

5. Stay in touch with friends

6. Ride my Harley, love to feel the wind in my face while riding throw the mountain road

What I learned about burnout:

Having had worked with another agency for almost 5 years involving crisis counseling I am very familiar with burn-out and what was said in the presentation.

I will say this...that sometimes it can be difficult to recognize that I am starting to burn out since I live within myself day to day with a busy life and might brush off my symptoms. I always check-in with myself daily to stay aware of how I am feeling and ask myself, where is this coming from?

@Heather225

I learnt that to avoid burnout, one must prioritize self care. This includes set boundaries with one's time and emotional space. It means taking breaks and recharging oneself so you can pour from a full cup. Maybe even taking a mini vacation from being a lsitener to ensure you are at your best. Avoiding burnout means touching base with yourself constantly to be aware of your own levels of energy and when you need to apply a little more self-care.

@Heather225

I experienced severe burnout when I was 13, I had not slept for more than an hour every night for a long time and I had taken more than I could do in my life. So, now Im very careful with my state of mind and how much I'm capable of . I take breaks when I need, do things I enjoy, and accept my anxiety instead of fighting it. I have learned a lot from personal experience and I hope this has helped others!

@Heather225

To keep healthy, I will limit my time on screens, take regular excercise and have healthy sleeping patterns

@Heather225

Please read it through and in the replies, tell us what you learned.

- I learned that burn outs can happen regularly when we push ourselves too much and don't take sometime to recognize burn out symptoms which I learned that those symptoms can be either physically or emotionally. I also learned that burn outs can affect my role as a listener which will in return affect my ability to provide help to members.

What you will do to stay healthy and avoid burnout?

1. I need to know my limits and always stop to see if I'm pushing myself too hard

2. I need to take self care breaks and tune off from being online all day

3. Manage my work hours on 7 cups and in real life so I don't overwork and forget about my well being

4. I need to eat, drink lots of water and sleep regularly because I tend to get deprived of those 3 while working which caused me lots of health problems

Activity: 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 learned that supporting others means taking care of yourself as well. Without doing that, you cannot support others in a helpful manner. I will take self-care breaks and do exercises to stay healthy and avoid burnout.

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

Main thing is to remember my WHY, that work as volunteer saves lives.
I learnt what is burnout and its signs (cynicism, exhaustation, lack of effectiveness), its physical and mental symptoms. Learnt about advices how to overcome burnout. Learnt about reflecting how one come across to a team to not make members derail a team. Learnt about bad and good leader's signs, and what to do to stop being a bad leader and about further steps.

I'd take care about symptoms if I start feeling bad of what I do by looking at what causes these signs. I'd start to get my time away for short breaks or longer breaks, just to self-care. I'd overlook on how much roles I took and probably would step down from some of them or would reduce my volume of work.
Furthermore, I would re-assess and re-think about my burnout, boundaries I've set and would communicate with others if I took too much and needed a break. And again, keeping fresh look on things and remembering my why is important.