Burnout

Let's face it: environmentalists work hard. Really hard. 

Putting heart and soul into the work is just part of the culture.  The stakes are high for people who do it because it involves something they actually care about. Plus, for a lot of people the work is made more difficult because it not only involves program work but fundraising, bookkeeping and personnel management, etc.  It leaves very little time for other things that are important and/or make life worth living:  time with family and friends, exercise, housecleaning, doing nothing, and time spent on the river you’re working so hard to protect!

Below are some resources that can help you identify burnout in yourself, your coworkers and even your friends and family members, if that's why you're here.

GENERAL INFORMATION

• About burnout: "exhaustion of physical or emotional strength or motivation usually as a result of prolonged stress or frustration."

• This article is a good tool for self diagnosing burnout and figuring out what you're going to do about it.

• This article from River Network's library has really good tools for actually working through burnout.

• This Grist article talks about why environmentalist have this problem so often.

• This article by life coach Marc Alston talks about how to succeed in a leadership role without becoming overwhelmed.

• Here are some tools for staying sane in the workplace.

• Using initiative as a barometer for how you're doing.