Practicing Self-compassion is Key to Nurturing Our Mental Health as Volunteer Leaders

In 7 years working as a volunteer coordinator, I don’t remember that mental health, and how I should take care of my own mental health, came up as a topic – at least not in the context of how it related to my supervision and leadership of volunteers.  In the chaos of COVID, “self-care” suddenly became a big deal and a buzz word.  Yet, I wasn’t connecting the dots between my own wellbeing, how I cared for myself and how I showed up as a leader for the volunteers on my team.  

Volunteer leaders often focus only on others needs but not their own 

I’m not a mental health professional or expert, rather, I’ve lived the experience of a volunteer leader facing mental health challenges.  Over the years I struggled with perfectionism, people-pleasing, compassion fatigue, work-life balance, and burnout.  I took on a lot of responsibilities (some self-imposed), juggling many priorities, and taking the experience of my volunteer team members very seriously. I often felt like I had to have all the answers, make things easy for others, and provide a positive experience for my volunteers.   In conversations with other volunteer leaders, I discovered I wasn’t alone and many others have similar feelings and experiences.  

I could see the same pattern – as volunteer leaders we are really good at taking care of others, often at the expense of our own mental and emotional needs.  The consequences of not prioritizing our own mental health can be dire – it impacts our leadership performance, our relationships with volunteers, colleagues, and even family, and of course, our physical health.  Just like we care about our volunteers, we as humans, and a leaders, are equally worthy of care and compassion.   

5 minute Self-compassion Practice 

During one of my more stressful times in volunteer leadership, I came across a self-compassion practice that helped me change my internal landscape and the relationship I have with myself.  It allowed me more space to be human, and gave me permission to be kind to myself.  I felt like a weight had been lifted from my mind and shoulders.  

I invite you to try this 5-minute self-compassion practice for yourself, and to mull over the questions below.  

How would you describe your mental health today? 

How comfortable are you taking time to care for yourself? 

What's 1 thing you could do in this moment that would bring you relief, or even joy? 

Look for more content this month from Rising Tide Volunteer Solutions exploring mental health, boundaries, and self-care for volunteer leaders.