If you’re neglecting self-care, you’re on the road to burnout

When we need it the most, in these troublesome times, we’re neglecting our self-care.

Recently, I find myself feeling deeply discouraged and wondering if anything I’ve been doing as a change agent really matters. Unfortunately, I’m not alone: I am meeting more and more leaders and activists who are very close to deep burnout. And we’re neglecting our self-care. Without any measurable efforts to focus on our own self-care and healing as change agents, we’re in the fast lane to serious burnout.

In my workshops and coaching sessions, I see so many change agents running on empty. We sleep just enough to have the energy to pull ourselves out of bed and go back to work. We dream about the day when we can finally get to sleep in (just an extra hour would be nice, right?), maybe take a half-day off, or get to binge on Netflix or aimlessly peruse Facebook… can you relate?

You’re not alone! MSNBC has done news segments by Dr. Melissa Harris Perry. There are countless   on the topic of self-care for activists and change agents. Even Oprah is talking about burnout. And if you know me at all, you’re well aware that self-care is a subject I’m always focusing on.

It’s getting harder to sustain our passion and momentum as effective change agents.

What’s going on? Where before, it felt as though we were beginning to create greater access, equity, and justice for more people in our country, it now suddenly seems all we have worked for is being dismantled and destroyed. The rolling back of our progress is impossible to ignore – and it intensifies day after day. On an increasing basis, we can find ourselves feeling so powerless and hopeless.

Of course, activists continue to believe in a vision of what is possible, but lately, we can feel so depleted and discouraged that we question what is it all for? We have trouble finding – much less sustaining – our passion, energy, and spirit as effective change agents.

Yes, we still believe everyone deserves equity and justice, liberation from oppression, and access and opportunity to lead fulfilling, meaningful lives. But these days, many activists can’t imagine it is even remotely possible anymore. We lose our hope, we lose our passion, we lose our momentum, we lose our direction, and we lose ourselves in the process.

We can’t afford to lose our spark at a time when our world needs us so desperately: Download your free copy my newest book, In It For the LONG HAUL, to get the strategies you need to banish burnout.

Activists and Change Agents need sustainable self-care right NOW

Perhaps now more than ever, our world needs passionate, committed, effective change agents – activists who will persist and go the distance. Without self-care, our efforts will not be sustainable over time. Too many change agents and activists don’t fully recognize the true importance of our need for greater self-care and healing as change agents – and as human beings.

So, where does that leave things? In my own life and in the lives of those closest to me, I’ve seen what practicing self-care can mean – the short- and long-term transformative benefits it can have.

You don’t have to struggle with burnout; you can build your resilience

That’s exactly why I created my upcoming course, In It for The Long Haul, with inspiration from my newest book. I developed this course specifically for change agents and activists like you, so that you don’t have to struggle as long as I did and risk complete burnout and a total loss of passion for your work.

The tools and approaches I’ll show you are just what you need if you know you’re close to burnout and don’t know where to turn. In addition to this chance to focus on your own self-care, you’ll also learn tools and strategies to lead workshops and coach others to lead more balanced, sustainable lives.

Meanwhile, get instant access to my newest book, In It For the LONG HAUL (understand the signs of burnout and how to conquer it by downloading your free copy right here).

In order to be of service as the most effective change agents and activists at a time when our world needs us more than ever before, we must first focus on our own self-care. Stay tuned for upcoming posts that will help you identify and tackle burnout so you can be fulfilled in your life and work.