Volunteer Burnout. Do you relate?

In rural communities, oftentimes it's the same people who volunteer for many different organizations. If it weren’t for these volunteers, the after school programs, all-school reunion, or church bake sale to raise funds for a new roof (one brownie at a time!) just wouldn’t be possible.

I am a volunteer who has struggled with the guilt that if I say "no," then that project won’t happen or I’ll be letting down community members and fellow volunteers. Does that sound similar? Volunteering is extra time and sometimes even extra pressure on top of my day-to-day stressors, personal relationships, and professional development.

If you are a volunteer, thank you! However, please make sure you aren’t burning yourself out. Take care of yourself. Delegating or strategically stepping down from some of your responsibilities to preserve your mental and physical health is not only good for you, but it benefits and breathes life into the responsibilities you decide to keep. For more resources like this on mental health, check AFBF’s Farm state of mind website: https://www.fb.org/land/fsom

-Rachel Arneson, P&E Committee