How do you prioritize self-care when faced with overwhelming social impact projects?

?? Absolutely, recognizing personal limits is essential in social impact work. It's easy to be driven by passion and the desire to make a difference, but this can often lead to overcommitment and burnout. Start by honestly assessing your capacity and setting realistic, achievable goals. Communicate your boundaries clearly with your team to ensure everyone is on the same page. This approach not only protects your well-being but also fosters a sustainable and supportive work environment, ultimately enhancing the impact of your efforts. Remember, taking care of yourself is a crucial part of taking care of others.

Set goals, including time to think and innovate. It's easy to burn out when driven by passion and commitment to the cause! Be honest with yourself about your capacities, including ability to rest.

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs identifies five basic needs: physiological, safety, social, esteem, and self-actualization. Contributing to social impact projects can fulfill all these needs simultaneously, especially for those who find fulfillment in such work. When overwhelmed by too many projects, share these activities with others who share your values. Recruiting volunteers to share the workload can help progress these initiatives. Build a volunteer pipeline during calm periods by networking, discussing your projects, and inviting diverse individuals as low-commitment volunteers. Gradually advance them to high-commitment roles as they find satisfaction. This approach advances your projects and builds a supportive community.

Em um mundo onde a cultura do trabalho constante e da produtividade máxima s?o enaltecidas, muitas vezes esquecemos do quanto é importante cuidar de nós mesmos. A verdade é que, sem pausas regulares, nossa saúde física e mental pode ser colocada em risco. Ao integrar pausas em nossa agenda, estamos nos dando a oportunidade de recarregar as energias e evitar o esgotamento. Esses momentos de descanso n?o s?o um luxo, mas sim uma necessidade para manter um bom desempenho. Pense em si mesmo como uma bateria que precisa ser recarregada regularmente para funcionar de forma eficaz. Sem as pausas necessárias, corremos o risco de nos esgotarmos e n?o conseguirmos cumprir nossas responsabilidades da melhor maneira possível.

When you care about a social impact project, you want it to succeed. You might invest more unpaid time, mindful that there is no budget left, and be hesitant to ask others to contribute more when they are already either paid third-sector rates or volunteering. You may feel like no one else understands your vision. But if these thoughts pile up, you're not serving the project. If you're really that important, your burnout won't inspire anyone new wanting to get involved! Schedule breaks into your diary like you would for stakeholder meetings - block time off where you don't answer calls and emails. You're not hurting the project by taking time for yourself; you're protecting its future. Lead by example, so others look after themselves too.

Antes de cuidar do outro, é fundamental cuidar de si mesmo. Manter a saúde física é um aspecto essencial do autocuidado, especialmente para aqueles que trabalham em projetos exigentes. Priorizar atividades que nutrem o corpo, como dormir o suficiente, se alimentar de maneira saudável e praticar exercícios regularmente, n?o só melhora a saúde física, mas também tem impacto na clareza mental e na resiliência emocional. Ao investir na própria saúde física, as pessoas se equipam com a for?a necessária para enfrentar desafios e demandas diárias com mais facilidade e eficácia. Afinal, ao se manter saudável e bem cuidado, é possível estar em melhor condi??o para cuidar dos outros de forma mais eficaz e equilibrada.

Community is actually an incredibly important and very overlooked element of our mental wellbeing. When you're struggling with any difficult project, look to your communities, whether this is your family, your friends, the group you only see doing that niche hobby (axe throwing for me), and arrange some social time. It can be good to talk about work but if thats not working it can often be beneficial to switch off, chat about shared interests, home life or anything else. Being social helps to ground us, it reminds us that we aren't alone, that there's people out there that want to support us, that want us to succeed, it helps distract us so we can unwind after a stressful period.

Know when good enough is good enough. Our passions get so connected to social impact work that we feel compelled to solve it all, for everyone, today. If social impact were a football game and you moved the ball a few small yards down the field, the whole stadium would cheer knowing you have several more tries to get to goal. So the next time you are only able to move the ball a few yards remember that's all you need (and then start jumping up and down excitedly in your office yelling First Down!!!)