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Self-Care Model

In a previous issue of The Network, the Institute's newsletter, Dianne Russell explored how to evalutate if you're staying out of the "danger zone." "Avoiding Burnout: Finding Balance for You and the Organization" gives you an introduction into our model of on maintaining your personal resources.

Here's a model we developed from our experience and that draws on Steven Covey's (author of Seven Habits of Effective Leaders) work. On the inside are four broad areas of issues related to personal well-being -- the physical and those necessary for survival, the social and emotional, the intellectual, and the spiritual. On the outside are the organizational equivalents. Consider this model, and then fill out the sheet that follows.

Self-Care Worksheet

The following worksheet is an addendum to the model above. It is designed to help guide you in your reflection.

Download the worksheet here

Self-Care Exercise

The following is a complete list of questions regarding you and the organization based on Steven Covey's four areas he identified as necessary in "sharpening the saw" or maining our personal resources.

Physical

• Are you getting ample sleep to function well?
• Does your diet help you feel good?
• Are you getting enough exercise?
• Are you creating physical safety for yourself?

Cognitive

• Do you have a chance to read or write (about your work or about other topics)?
• Do you take time to do personal planning?
• Have you recently visualized how you want your life to be?
• Have you had any opportunities for learning something new in the last month?

Social and Emotional

• Do you have people in your life that give you personal and/or professional support?
• Do you feel emotionally connected with the important people in your life?
• Do you have people with whom you share your visions and dreams?
• Do you generally feel empathetic with others?

Spiritual

• Do you take time to clarify your values or what gives you meaning in life?
• Do you take time for participating in spiritual or values-based practices or communities?
• Do you have adequate time to connect with the natural world?
• Do you participate in artistic expression or artistic appreciation?

While most efforts to address burnout focus on the personal side, the organization's culture, policies or work patterns have a huge impact on the people in it. We offer the following questions, in the same four categories, for group reflection about how your organization does or doesn't help individuals maintain balance and avoid burnout:

Physical

• Do you provide comfortable working space for staff and volunteers?
• Do you provide good equipment (furniture, computers, phones, fax, etc.)?
• Do you attend to physical needs and health at meetings or retreats?
• Have you provided competitive salaries and benefits (especially health insurance with wellness options, holiday & vacation time)
• Is the financial health of the organization relatively stable and secure?

Cognitive

• Do you encourage group planning and learning from your experiences?
• Do you allow individuals to research or write about new areas of interest?
• Do you encourage and pay for professional development (conferences, coaching, or sabbaticals)?
• Have you provided ample recognition for staff and volunteers?

Social and Emotional

• Do you structure and encourage social time, parties and time to talk about more than the work?
• Do leaders and volunteers feel trusted and appreciated by the group?
• Do you have a sense of team work, of appreciation of different roles and approaches?
• Is it fun to work with your group?

Spiritual

• Do you take time to clarify the mission, vision and values of the organization?
• Do folks understand the impact and meaning of their work?
• Do you encourage group reflection?
• Do you have celebrations or rituals (especially for special days, hellos and goodbyes?)
• Do you encourage use visual arts, music or dance in the organization's work and life together?

We hope that asking these questions and finding the answers can help you truly tab the passion that you feel, but avoid moving into the burnout zone. Your daily work as a leader, and the way your organization does its work can have an impact.