Comments on: Burn Out and Taking Care of Ourselves

By: Learning from the 70s « G.L.O.W.

Learning from the 70s « G.L.O.W. — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 14:13:40 +0000

[...] And of course, now that I have heard of the book, I’ve instantly seen a reference to it, without even looking: comment on 13 May under a good post about burn out avoidance on the Transition Network website. [...]

By: David Eggleton

David Eggleton — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:07:38 +0000

I look forward to reading the relevant material mentioned. Thanks!

There is for each person a unique appropriate rhythm and mix that’s easily overlooked when urgency is screaming or stomping. Tuning out urgency in order to be true to self in those terms, is indeed important. At the same time, the uniqueness of the whole person establishes strengths and weaknesses. How many activists take care to put only their strengths to work for the cause? When they do, organizing looks more like bringing on complementary team members and less like adding do-it-all bodies. Such organizing is building what we want for what we want, and it’s notably more synergistic than depleting.

There is some and will be more at my http://www.interdependencedesign.com

By: Dark Optimism » Blog Archive » Despairing of Ed Miliband, Becoming a Filmstar, and Other Adventures

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 23:02:52 +0000

[...] said that, with Rob’s recent post on ‘burn out’ in mind, it’s definitely time for a day off for me. Tomorrow is my birthday, and I will be [...]

By: Graham Burnett

Graham Burnett — Wed, 13 May 2009 18:53:31 +0000

May you never experience burn-out DaveDann. I’ll never forget the day in 2000 when I dropped the multiple balls I was juggling at that time and my world mentally collapsed around me – that feeling of being utterly overwhelmed by not being able to cope any more, followed by 3 months of being off sick from my workplace due to stress and depression, not being able to do much of use beyond staring at day time TV all day long. Luckily my wife and children and friends helped me through that time, and being able to apply the ‘problem is the solution’ permaculture principle to my own life I was able to make sense of what was happening to me and assess what was going on and what the universe was telling me, and I came out the other side stronger and with a deeper awareness of my own limits, unlike many others such as the subject of the ‘letter to an activist’ refered to above who never recover or make it back. Even so the road was long and hard for me, with feelings of distress and panic continuing to well up at the most unexpected times triggered by the most unlikely things for months and maybe even a few years afterwards. Hah, that’ll teach me for having such an overblown sense of self-importantance, eh, though!!

By: Jennifer Lauruol

Jennifer Lauruol — Wed, 13 May 2009 13:37:34 +0000

With all due respect, DaveDann, some of us also have experienced burn-out for other reasons, but still try and do our best for environmental causes! I was a carer 24/7/365 for my two disabled children for 20 years, and remain their advocate. Nevertheless I have been active throughout in community ventures, advocacy and environmental work. Please reflect that people’s lives often have difficulties they have to carry or overcome which are not due to their overblown ‘sense of self importance’!

By: DaveDann

DaveDann — Wed, 13 May 2009 07:25:03 +0000

My opinion is that ‘burnout’ happens to people who have far too great a sense of self-importance. It shouldn’t happen in the ‘Transition Movement’ because clearly the focus should be on community action. Maybe individuals who burnout ‘just don’t get it’. The other side of this is that ‘burnout’ of communities is of more interest. Why do some groups go through massive periods of activity and then dissolve (around 18 months seems the critical point in the life of groups)? About 30 years ago there was a publication going around called ‘Co-operative and Community Group Dynamics’ that had an in interesting discussion of this. At a more detailed level the monitoring of plans, such as energy descent plans, is of as much interest as the hyped launch of those plans. I tried to find details of the progress of the Kinsale plan on the net, but couldn’t get hold of anything. Anyone got any references (have tried direct emails)?

By: Mike Grenville

Mike Grenville — Tue, 12 May 2009 09:30:45 +0000

This ‘Letter to an activist’ has some useful advice from someone who learnt the hard way:

http://www.greenspiration.org/memorial/letter.htm

By: Graham Burnett

Graham Burnett — Tue, 12 May 2009 07:46:34 +0000

I’ve also published a small booklet along similar lines called ‘Towards An Ecology of The Self’, which some folks might be interested in checking out, see http://www.spiralseed.co.uk/ecoself/

“You start with your nose, then your hands, your back door, your doorstep. You get all that right, then everything is right. If all that’s wrong, nothing can ever be right”

-Bill Mollison

A small booklet exploring the role of the ‘personal’ in permaculture design systems. The interconnected permaculture ethics of earthcare and peoplecare imply that wholeness and earth repair is not just about the wider ‘out there’ of our gardens, farms, forests and oceans, but is just as importantly to do with the ‘ecology of the self’. Paying attention to our own physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs and development is fundamental to good ‘Zone Zero Zero’ design. Just as peace is not simply the absence of war, so too health is not just about being free from disease. Therefore self-care – setting up holistic mind and body systems in order to avoid sickness, depression, stress and burn-out – is a vital part of enhancing well-being and developing personal effectiveness.

By: Josef Davies-Coates

Josef Davies-Coates — Tue, 12 May 2009 04:25:20 +0000

A couple of links via Alice from Trapese (who ran a sesssion on avoiding activist burnout at their excellent week-long workshop at Findhorn College)

” http://www.activist-trauma.net/en/home.html it’s a great site with loads of resources on sustainable activism and dealing with side effects of police repression etc whould you ever need it, (I hope not!).

also and here is the link to the pdf i used for workshop about sustainable activism and avoiding burnout
http://www.gipfelsoli.org/rcms_repos/Antirepression/BURNOUT_FLYER.pdf ”

Smiles,

Josef.

By: Mel

Mel — Tue, 12 May 2009 01:17:47 +0000

Well, like all movements, the early adopters, carry the heaviest burden… so transition, needs to also constantly re-invigorate the movement…

to allow the tired blood to re-juvenate and to allow the young blood the room to push the edges…

mel

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Mon, 11 May 2009 08:48:54 +0000

The balance that comes from moving your body through space on a bicycle is the best antidote to the stress and folly of our modern world! By incorporating exercise into your daily transport, one can arrive alert and refreshed at a destination, great for getting to a work place and returning home at the end of the day. Cycling teaches you a balance and understanding of time, forgiveness, and an insight into the places and spaces in which we live. Without my bicycles in my life I think that I would have long ago succumb to a malaise and inertia, unable to think or feel that the future is a place I want to be in. A bicycle can change your life in so many different and subtle ways!

By: Megan

Megan — Sun, 10 May 2009 13:44:33 +0000

We have to keep developing as individuals — morally and spiritually aligning ourselves with life itself — in order to be able to come together and shift the culture. We *are* our culture, and as we evolve, so does the whole. We have to change ourselves in order to change the world.

By: Greenpa

Greenpa — Sat, 09 May 2009 12:09:45 +0000

Hey, I was close! And anyway, my first line scans better.

ah, the perils of an aging brain…

By: Robert

Robert — Fri, 08 May 2009 20:09:03 +0000

Greenpa

Like the poem – but it wasn’t Emily Dickinson, it was Edna St Vincent Millay (1892-1950):

My candle burns at both ends;
It will not last the night;
But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends–
It gives a lovely light!

If that’s burnout, bring it on, say I.

By: Graham Burnett

Graham Burnett — Fri, 08 May 2009 18:39:17 +0000

Unfortunately there is alot of truth in the saying “If you want something done, ask a busy person”, esp in the green/radical movement… It might be good for getting stuff done, but isn’t very good peoplecare…