by Shauna L. Smith
Why do activists get busy and disappear from our groups?
Dear Shauna,
I want to know your thoughts about activist burnout. It seems as if many of our groups are in trouble, often held together solely by the sheer force of will of one organizer. Fewer and fewer people are real participants or come to events.
What’s been discouraging is that when we call and ask what people want, often it’s not other actions, guerrilla warfare or silent vigils or poker nights, but rather, they say they are not participating because they’re "busy." Not with other organizations though, because all of our groups are in a similar situation.
What is going on?
Ellen (not my real name) Schwartz
Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF)
Dear "Ellen,"
Since burnout is a core issue affecting many of us in the activist community, I will respond to your questions with thoughts and ideas that apply generally.
First, though, I want to thank you for all you’ve done and for inspiring me personally. A gentle reminder to take time to appreciate yourself and your work.
Some of us tend to take on the bulk of work wherever we are, for personal and social justice reasons, and it can deplete us. It’s important to replenish ourselves by connecting with others, doing what we love, taking care of ourselves, getting rest when we need it, having a centering practice, expressing our feelings (as you, "Ellen," have just done), making sure we are heard and understood, and balancing our lives.
Another term for burnout is "compassion fatigue." We seem to be at a particularly difficult juncture at this time. War, injustice and ignorance continue to bleed on. People are confused by the shift from the easy-to-abhor Bush/Cheney administration to Obama’s, still relatively unknown, and confusion disrupts momentum. The destabilized economy is touching more people directly, and many have turned even further inward as a result. Many if not most of us (non-professional opinion) are experiencing at least a mild case of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and/or depression.
And yet we go on, because of the importance of our work.
Paul Hawken in Blessed Unrest reports that there are well over 130,000 small, diverse groups working for human rights and the environment worldwide. We aren’t doing the work alone.
On a personal note, our Therapists for Social Responsibility steering committee, also feeling compassion fatigue, found that openly talking together about feeling overwhelmed and undirected allowed us to reconnect and renew. Sharing with our community can reduce burnout.
So, what can we do to help our groups function at their highest potential, in a sustainable way?
Instead of specific suggestions, I would like to offer a process I use with clients I call "Common Ground: A Friendship Model for Problem Resolution," which is a basic way to figure out your own and others’ real needs, expand options, and make (and execute) decisions.
Here’s what you can do, alone, with a friend, or (preferably) with members of your group. Get a pencil and paper and begin:
Step 1. Write down the problem you want to solve. For example, "How can we get more participation and decrease burnout?"
Step 2. List each person’s personal and political needs (take plenty of time on this step!)
Step 3. Brainstorm on paper, without judging ideas as good or bad, possibilities for actions that might solve the problem. Include ones you know you wouldn’t do, like "drop out." One possibility can be "leave things as they are."
Step 4. Cross out any ideas that are unacceptable to anyone involved.
Step 5. Choose one or two or several, or a combination of those left, imagine how they might be implemented, and try them. If they don’t work, go back to the drawing board. Save your list!
Please let us all know how things go.
Readers, how have you or your group dealt with burnout? Please send ideas or thoughts as well as your questions to BPM bpmnews@nicetechnology.com with "Ask A Socially Responsible Therapist" in the subject line.
Disclaimer: The "in-depth therapy" part of questions, if there is one, is not covered in this column. For anyone seriously struggling with anxiety, depression, or PTSD, please see a licensed therapist.
Shauna L. Smith, MSW, MFT is an author and psychotherapist in private practice in Sacramento and can be reached at 916-447-5706 or gushauna@yahoo.com. She is coordinator of Therapists for Social Responsibility www.therapistsforsocialresponsibility.org
Editors note: watch
for future columns of "Ask a Socially Responsible Therapist."
Comments