Self-care for helpers: avoiding burnout

Helping costs physical and emotional strength. Anyone who witnesses suffering takes some of it home with them – this is sometimes called compassion fatigue. In the first, acute phase tension often masks tiredness: you feel alert and capable until your strength suddenly runs out.

A long crisis is more of a marathon than a sprint. Anyone who gives everything in the first days drops out later – just when help is still needed. Anyone who plans breaks, sleep and sharing, by contrast, stays effective for longer and in the end helps more people.

This applies to volunteers in shelters as much as to neighbourhood helpers or family carers. Family carers in particular often have nobody to relieve them and are therefore especially at risk of overloading themselves.

Typical signs that it is time to step back: irritability, sleeplessness, cynicism (“None of it makes any difference”), feeling irreplaceable, drinking more alcohol, withdrawing from family and friends. More frequent mistakes, headaches or the feeling of being unable to switch off also belong here.

Such signs are often easier to see in others than in yourself. That is why a buddy system makes sense: two helpers look out for each other, remind each other of breaks and mention warning signs openly and kindly. A short daily self-check helps as well: how did I sleep? Have I eaten? How am I really doing?

Before: clarify your own situation. Are you healthy, is your family taken care of? How long can you realistically help? Who is your contact person, and who do you sign off with?

During: keep to fixed breaks, eat and drink regularly, stick to shifts and take turns with others. Only take on tasks that match your abilities. Talk about your experiences within the team or with trusted people, without overloading others with distressing details.

After: close deliberately, for example with a handover or a short ritual. Rest, spend time with family and friends and do things that do you good. Many organisations offer support services for their helpers – use them, especially if what you experienced keeps preying on your mind.

Exhaustion is an accident risk. Drive, work with tools or clear up after storms only when rested. Do not help beyond your abilities: danger zones are reserved for emergency services, and for lay people first aid means the basic measures and calling for help, nothing more. Masking exhaustion with caffeine or alcohol only postpones the problem.

These tips do not replace supervision or professional help and are not a treatment for burnout or trauma effects. If the strain persists, turn to your family doctor, a counselling service or mental health professionals. With thoughts of suicide or self-harm, or danger to others: immediately call the local emergency number (112 in the EU) or a local crisis line.

The WHO guide on psychological first aid contains a separate section on caring for yourself and colleagues before, during and after helping. The IFRC Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support published “Caring for Volunteers”, a toolkit specifically for volunteers, and the IASC guidelines count support for helpers among the minimum responses in emergencies.

In an emergency, breaks often feel wrong – as if you were letting others down. A different view helps: a rested helper is a better helper. Looking after yourself takes nothing away from others; it makes sure the help does not break off.