Do no harm (to yourself)

The humanitarian mantra of ‘do no harm’ is well known, but whilst ‘self care’ has become a buzz phrase of late, it is crucial that we consider the impact humanitarian work can have upon us as practitioners. Without this broader definition of possible ‘harm’, the positive impact of our actions will never be fully realised.

Having worked in the refugee & migrant sector for nearly 2 decades, I know the importance of self-care in sustaining humanitarian action over the longterm. The entrenched and complex challenges humanitarians tackle require longterm solutions delivered in a consistent, stable way by those who are in it for the long haul. This is why neglecting yourself whilst giving out to others is a recipe for disaster. Think of the aeroplane safety advice of ‘put your own oxygen mask on first, before attempting to help those around you’.

I’ve seen many people (& organisations) in this sector burn bright for a few months (or even years), only to dramatically crash and burn. This leaves everyone in the lurch and undermines trust in the sector with little lasting impact to show for that early burst of frenetic enthusiasm. Before it brings everything crashing down, burnout often manifests as pessimism, anxiety, cynicism towards the people we are trying to help, hopelessness, reduced capacity, and therefore, reduced impact.

In light of this, here are some thoughts on how to avoid burnout and keep on keeping on (and if you lead a team, this is doubly important for setting a healthy organisational culture!):

🔹 Have a simple, clear vision for your work. As Simon Sinek would say - find your ‘why’. Why do you do what you do? What gives you hope and motivation to persevere in challenging situations? Without this, you’ll be lost when the rubber hits the road. Don’t wait for your organisation to spoon-feed this to you, take some initiative and ownership.

🔹 Robust professional boundaries will keep you sane and safe. Articulate and make peace with what you can and can not control. Be fully ‘at work’ when working and totally ‘at home’ (or your location of choice), when not. I am diligent, efficient and focused at work (for the most part) and fully switch off from work when I’m not. Otherwise, let’s face it, I’m doing a poor job of both. I like to read about migration and listen to some political podcasts, but, much to my wife’s frustration, I refuse to watch documentaries or anything remotely serious and stick to silly sitcoms in my time off. Sometimes professional boundaries and self care includes taking a break from the 24/7 news / social media cycle to allow your mind and body to rest and recuperate, ready for the next day.

🔹 Learn to stop when something is ‘good enough’. Aiming for 80% or ‘good’ to ‘very good’ is infinitely preferable to crippling perfectionism which never allows you to; conclude a piece of work, make important decisions or say goodbye to that beloved client. We can’t do everything, and if we try to, we will likely keel over in the process. Better to try to do a generally good job of everything than strive for perfect and never hit it. It is possible to be both ambitious AND realistic with our goals. This way, we can go home, rest and sleep in peace, knowing we’ve done what we can for today and there will always be more work to do / people to help tomorrow.

🔹 Draw on in-work support. Speak to your line manager honestly, openly and often. Reach out to your colleagues for peer support, chat to HR, make use of employee assistance programmes / benefits, book annual leave, coaching sessions, training, organise mentoring, work shadowing, engage with psychosocial support (British Red Cross is amazing at this), get to know your team and laugh often with them, it does everyone the world of good. As much as you’re in control of it, pace your day / week appropriately. Build in margin and buffers between challenging appointments / meetings / tasks to prepare beforehand and debrief afterwards.

🔹 Quality time with loved ones is a top priority. People who know you so well it’s life-giving and those who are almost effortless to be with. If you don’t know exactly who that is yet, time to be brave and go find your tribe through that hobby you’re investing in (see below). Each of us is designed to be in community, we all need a support team, find yours and invest in them.

🔹 Invest in your non-work time. Seriously invest time, energy and resource in your hobbies and interests. Who are you when you’re not working? What does your ideal weekend or holiday look like? Make plans and be fully present in them. Enjoy art, sport, coffee, gaming, cooking, reading, travel, writing, sleep! Live life in all its fullness. Life is worth living (otherwise we wouldn’t be doing humanitarian work), let’s embrace it fully and thoroughly enjoy all it has to offer.

In humanitarianism we are often guided by the golden rule of ‘do to others what you would have them do to you’. However, we sometimes need to flip this to ensure we’re caring for ourselves and showing ourselves as much kindness as we would extend to others. As well as a good rule for life, modelling self care to those we support is a great way to live out the self-worth and good health we want to see others step into.

In this line of work, the last thing the world needs is another ‘flash in the pan’ of short-term exuberance. Prioritising self care enables us to be satisfied with our work AND our rest, then get up the next day and do it all over again.

Let’s help one another to keep on keeping on, the world needs us.