Volunteer coordinator: Boundaries and self-care in a direct service career
About this video
Ashley explains why direct service work can be overwhelming, since you want to pour all your energy into people who are hurting. She urges workers to set boundaries, step back and take mental breaks, learn their strengths and weaknesses, and find mentors who can help.
You'll be able to
- explain why setting boundaries matters in helping careers.
- describe ways to avoid burnout, such as stepping back and asking for help.
- explain how mentors support people new to a field.
Key words
- Boundaries
- Limits you set on how much you take on so you can stay healthy.
- Burnout
- Being so worn out by work that you can no longer cope or care well.
- Self-care
- Things you do to look after your own mental and physical health.
- Mentor
- An experienced person who gives advice and guidance to someone newer.
Transcript
Doing the work that I do, and working in the environment I work in, it definitely can be overwhelming sometimes, because you don't want to take on the stresses and the needs of the people that you're working with, because you're working with sick people and broken people and people who have had really really tragic childhoods.
And you're working with these people, and you're gonna want to reach out and hug them, and just love on them, and put all of your energy and effort into them. And, you just have to be able to be wise in that area, and know when you've taken on too much, and when you've tried to do more than what it is that you are allowed to do.
So, it can be overwhelming, and you sometimes have to be okay with stepping back. You have to step back and take a mental break for yourself. Because you can't help others if you're down. You really can't. You can't, it's something you can't, it's impossible to do.
You can only do so much. You don't want to hurt yourself in the process, because then no one can win. Just, yeah, be able to breathe, and learn who you are in the process. I would definitely say learn your strengths and your weaknesses as you go through this journey, because what you think you can do, you'll learn very quickly that you're like, oh, that is not my calling.
I am not as strong as I thought I was to take on that battle. And you'll learn to take help and get mentors, people who have done it before. You definitely need mentors in the area, who have done this before, and who have wisdom in the area, who can help you out, and show you the ways, and let you know that it is okay to ask for help.
It is definitely okay to ask for help and to attach yourself to people who have done it before, and done it well. And they keep their integrity and their sanity while doing it.
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