How not to burn out in volunteering: advice from the experience of volunteers
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The Ministry of Health predicts that about 15 million Ukrainians will need psychological support as a result of the direct or indirect impact of the war. Volunteers are among them. The Ministry of Health adds that the main psychological problem of volunteers is emotional burnout. First of all, medical volunteers, psychologists, hotline operators and everyone who works in a “person-to-person” format and cares for other people. In particular, it is affected by constant contact with other people’s pain. As a result, volunteers can burn out in a few months, weeks or even days – depending on the location, circumstances and tasks. For example, medical volunteers or rescue workers in hot spots may experience burnout after 2-3 days of continuous work. Emotional burnout is a protective reaction of the body to constant stress and tension. It not only reduces the efficiency and motivation to do something, but also threatens the health of volunteers. Signs of burnout are rapid fatigue and emotional exhaustion, powerlessness and apathy, a sense of distancing from one’s work and its results, self-doubt and irritation, manifestations of aggression towards people around, in particular towards those who are given help. Physical symptoms may occur, such as headaches or stomachaches. The full-scale war against Russian aggression has been going on for more than a year – and it is a marathon in which we all still need a lot of strength to win. How not to burn out in a volunteer marathon? My top 5 tips: Take care of your psychological and physical condition. This advice seems trivial, but I remember how in the first months of the war I “scored” on taking care of myself. And then it “turned off” like a discharged battery. It is wrong. Helping others without interruption is possible only when you support yourself at the basic level: sleep, eat, exercise, etc. If you feel that you are burning out, add sports, time for full meals, and a walk to your daily schedule. You can literally set reminders for this on your phone and stick to them. Otherwise, there is a threat not only to burn out, but also to harm your health. Take breaks during the day, take a break from the news and social networks, set aside time for communication with loved ones, routine tasks that help clear your head. Don’t try to help everyone At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, I was taking evacuation requests and looking for drivers, helping with food for Kyiv doctors, looking for various ammunition – all at the same time. Forces and attention are defocused in such a rhythm, there is no understanding of the scope of the assistance provided. At the same time, negativity arises towards you from people whom you failed to help. There won’t be enough for all of you, so choose a specific unit or group of civilians and help them. Also choose directions: medicine, equipment, cars, food. When there is a focus on a certain area, your help becomes more expert. Don’t take the blame In stressful situations, people who are waiting for help can say unpleasant things. A person in a different context and emotional state does not understand what state you are in. Ignore the negativity and pay attention to the essence of the request. Share what you’re doing Share what you’re volunteering on social networks and in chats with friends. Photo reports, real stories are the currency of trust in you and the main tool to quickly close requests. When people know that you can be trusted, they are ready to invest their resources. Not only to donate money, but also to help with contacts, logistics, and psychological support. And this synergy additionally charges. It is also very energizing when you were able to help someone and justify their trust. In this way, you work to build a reputation that can be trusted by both the military and civilians. This keeps me going: I see a focused outcome and know that there is a community of volunteers there to help me when I don’t know the solution. But I also have to put effort and resources into other volunteers so that they can help those they care for. Record the results as you like: in a notebook, or create a table in Google or Excel. So you will see how much you have done in a day, week, month. Volunteers often do many small and very different tasks that are part of the same task, but at the end of the day there is a feeling of “nothing done”. For example, “the thermal imager was given to the boys” consists of the following steps: agreed on the required model with the military, discussed the discount with the seller, took the thermal imager, delivered it to the military, signed a request with them, an agreement on charitable transfer (it is needed for the BF), an act of acceptance and transfer, received a photo/video report, reported on social networks, handed over all documents to the accounting department. Each of these components takes a lot of effort and time. And although everyone is primarily focused on the result, these little things are important steps towards it. Remember that volunteering is a long-term story, it is a marathon. Take care of yourself, take care of yourself – then you will be able to effectively help others. Olena Kolesnyk, volunteer of the military aid department and People Partner at the Yellowblue Force Foundation, especially for UP. Life Publications in the “View” section are not editorial articles and reflect exclusively the author’s point of view.
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