The Heller School for Social Policy and Management hosted a panel on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the pressures of working in a high-stress environment and provide advice for students on how to find balance in their personal lives. The event ended with a short stress-management workshop led by Justin Haaheim, a leadership coach that works with social movements. Panelists included Dr. Maria Torres, a senior research associate at Heller, and Elizabeth McClintock, founder and managing partner at the consulting firm CMPartners. The panel was titled “Taking Care of Ourselves, Taking Care of Others.”
The discussion centered on the topic of avoiding burnout while working long hours in situations of crisis or urgency. Haaheim shared his own story of burnout and stressed the importance of long-term self-care, the kind that would allow a person to continue to work hard while staying passionate about their work. Part of this, he explained, is acknowledging that people can approach social issues from different avenues and that not every person is suited for certain jobs.
In order to avoid these crash and burn situations, Haaheim said, sometimes people have to pause and assess how they are feeling. “When we see that we are really struggling, sometimes the first thing that we need to do is put the brakes on.” Taking this step can help maintain balance over long periods of time.
Haaheim talked about long-term self-care that helps keep people motivated and successful. He argued that “the self care that happens when what we are doing, in particular what we are doing and the way that we are doing it is fulfilling us. That we can do something and get through the end of the day and be more energized than when we started.”
Some people, the panelists argued, will over-work themselves on the theory that they are simply meeting the job requirements. They will continue to work much longer hours than they are expected to, until they burn out and lose the drive that led them to their careers. This issue can often be avoided, however, if job expectations are clearly explained in the beginning. Also important is looking to colleagues for feedback, they explained, about what amount of work is normal.
One of the central concepts that the panelists centered on is the importance of building a supportive community of friends, mentors and coaches. These people can provide opportunity for the reflection and feedback that is essential in any high stress environment.
Elizabeth McClintock, who spent part of her career working in one of the poorest countries in the world, Burundi, shared some suggestions for balancing professional progress with personal health. For her, exercise has been critical to keeping healthy physically and mentally. When in Burundi, she said, she chose to join an exercise club instead of going out running, her preferred activity, because of potential danger. Though it wasn’t ideal, being able to keep that form of stress-relief was still of great importance.
McClintock argued that having local friends when in a foreign country can be one of the greatest resources to provide perspective in times of conflict. She was in Burundi during an attempted coup d’etat, a situation both foreign and potentially very dangerous. However, she explained, the friends she had made in Burundi were more accustomed to dealing with these conflicts and were able to check in with her and advise her.
Being able to assess one’s own emotional or physical depletion can also help long-term self-care. Torres described one strategy she uses that involves assessing at the beginning of the day what ones goals are and what ones weaknesses that day might be, and figuring out how to help oneself throughout the day. Remembering the things that motivate you, she said, is key to sustaining happiness and health.
At the end of the session, Haaheim brought up a phenomenon known as “monkey mind.” This type of indecisive, restless thinking is what often drives people to feel like they are the only ones that can complete certain tasks, causing them to over-work themselves. He handed out a sheet of these “monkey mind” symptoms, encouraging participants to check off what they felt most applied to them. Haaheim explained that channeling these tendencies can help foster success, both in a career and in personal lives.
The Heller School is home to many graduate programs that deal with conflict in both the international and domestic spheres. Many of the students in attendance come from places with high levels of conflict and poverty, and many will go to these places later in their careers.
The panel was sponsored by the Coexistence and Conflict and the Sustainable International Development Graduate Programs at the Heller School, the Heller School Diversity Working Group, the Heller School Student Social Services, the Heller School Office of the Dean and the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life.
