Avoiding Activist Burnout- Advice from the ACLU
From the ACLU's "Activist Toolkit"
Stress Management & Burnout Prevention
by Katrina Shields (from the Social Change Training)
High stress levels and burnout are very common among activists - both paid and voluntary workers. High stress levels are, obviously, bad for individuals, for those close to them, and for the organisations in which they work. Turnover can become high, with loss of skilled and experienced people. Stressed people are not effective and can often create conflict and contribute to low morale. They also often act in ways which make it unattractive for new members to join the organisation. Cynicism, negativity and rigid thinking are side effects of chronic stress. Serious anguish and long term physical, emotional and motivational effects that are suffered privately are not unusual amongst activists who have worked for several years...
Read whole column: http://action.aclu.org/site/PageServer?pagename=AS_burnoutpr...
Solid advice, methinks.
