Burnout Isn’t Inevitable: Tap Into Clarity, Courage, and Radical Self-Care
I’ll never forget the day my body shut down at work.
It was Fall 2021, and I was working as an in-house grant writer at a mid-sized nonprofit. Cozy in my living-room-turned-office, I kicked off my usual work-from-home routine, expecting the day to unfold as normal.
But something unusual happened—I couldn’t focus. I found myself staring at a grant proposal that was due in 48 hours, unable to type a single word. This was a writer’s block I had never experienced. Every time I tried, I froze. As a former yoga teacher with a toolkit of wellness strategies, I did what I thought would help—tea, sunshine, stretch breaks. But no matter what I tried, I couldn’t shake the paralysis.
By late afternoon, I chalked it up to having an off day, planning to double down tomorrow. So, I made a familiar compromise: sleep less, skip the workout, and get to my desk ASAP. But when the following day brought the same paralysis-like state, I was stunned—and starting to panic. I couldn’t name the feeling, but I knew I needed help. With a looming deadline, I messaged my supervisor on Slack and asked for a quick call. When I tried to explain, it came out something like this:
Me: “This grant is due tomorrow, and I can’t write it.”
Supervisor: “What do you mean you can’t write it?”
Me: “I feel… paralyzed. I don't know what to do. I’m sorry.”
She was just as confused as I was, and I don’t blame her. Just like me, she was an incredibly busy and overworked social impact professional and had also been thrown into her role with no manual for managing mental and emotional challenges alongside growing workloads. So, of course, she didn’t have a clear guide for helping me. But what was clear was that the workload had worn my nervous system down so severely that it had decided to shut down. My paralysis was my body’s way of saying: “I’ve had enough.”
I’m thankful my body took action, but I was curious as to why I couldn’t verbalize this earlier. How had I missed the warning signs?
Burnout in the Nonprofit Sector
As I shared my experience with peers in the nonprofit world, I quickly realized I wasn’t alone. Many of my colleagues were also on the brink of burnout. Stories of people burning through their PTO, getting seriously ill, and quitting on the spot (or quiet quitting) were shockingly common.
This validation wasn’t comforting–it was horrifying. Why do we continue to let this happen? Why do we keep missing the warning signs? Why do we wait for our bodies to scream for help before we allow ourselves to tap out?
One likely answer is that our nonprofit workplaces lack courageous cultures–places where people at all levels can have real, honest, and tough conversations about how work impacts them. Instead, these conversations often happen in whispers by the water cooler, which only leads to misinformation, feelings of exclusion, and erosion of trust and accountability.
What we truly need are cultures that center these conversations, so everyone can safely and courageously ask for what they need–regardless of title or placement on the org chart. That shift starts with having well-placed people on the inside who can courageously speak up for what is needed--this includes you. We have to be the change we want to see, not just in the world but in our own organizations.
I wish I had spoken up sooner. Maybe if I had, I could have paved a healthier path for others who were also struggling. If you or someone on your team is feeling stuck, now is the time to raise those flags and be a catalyst for change.
“We have to be the change we want to see, not just in the world but in our own organizations.”
My Big 3: Clarity, Courage, Radical Self-Care
Get Clear with Yourself
I often turn to this mantra from Brené Brown: Clear is Kind; Unclear is Unkind, to help with my own self-advocacy. It's a reminder that being unclear in my communication is a slippery slope to others not fully understanding what I need to perform well. The most unkind thing I can do is stay silent and not let folks in. Earlier this year, I presented on the need for emotionally intelligent clear communication to a group of fundraising professionals. You can listen to the full recording here.
Perhaps we avoid clear conversations because we fear rejection or conflict, and these fears are valid. But avoiding clarity perpetuates the very cultures where we suffer in silence, deplete our nervous systems, and drain the energy and joy we bring to work. When we choose clarity, we set the stage for healthier, more sustainable ways of working.
By understanding our own warning signs, breaking the silence around overwhelm, and being honest about what we need, we can reshape what it means to thrive as a social impact professional.
Practice Emotional Granularity
I recently learned about emotional granularity from Susan David, which refers to the ability to give a precise name to your feelings. One tool I use for this is the feeling wheel (pictured below), which has become an integral part of my “Clear is Kind” practice. When I’m having an off day, I check in with my wheel. If my mood seems to lean towards “anger,” I dig a little deeper and ask myself some questions, like am I actually angry, or is it frustration? Maybe I’m feeling inadequate or even a little embarrassed about something that happened at work.
It takes courage to get clear with yourself in this way, but its important to do so because naming your exact emotion then helps you navigate a plan for self-soothing. For instance, the way I cope with frustration is different from how I manage feelings of embarrassment. Back in 2021, I was likely lumping all my feelings into one big ol’ sensation of overwhelm, which can be hard to make sense of. Now, by naming my emotions more accurately, I can better understand what I’m feeling and communicate that to others.
Listen to Your Body. It's Brilliant.
Looking back, I’m grateful that my body took action and stopped me from overworking. While the physical paralysis was extreme, it wasn’t the first cue my body sent me. I had ignored the racing heart in stressful meetings, the headaches after long writing days, or the knots in my stomach when my workload increased.
That day, when my body shut down, I learned that compromising on self-care was no longer negotiable. Cutting back on sleep, skipping exercise, and doubling down on coffee was not the answer. What I really needed was a radical self-care practice of putting my needs before anything or anyone else. That day, I could have really used some deep restoration.
Just as important as having an emotional granularity practice is practicing pausing throughout the day and asking your body for insight. Thankfully, we now have tools that help us tune in to these signals. I recently invested in an Oura ring, which provides critical data like how my psychological stress fluctuates throughout the day, how my sleeping patterns affect my readiness, and even suggestions for how often I need to make space for restoration.
By regularly checking in with your body—whether through technology, mindfulness practices, or simply paying attention—you can better manage stress, prevent burnout, and stay balanced.
I learned that compromising on self-care was no longer negotiable.
Are you in it for the long haul?
The key to long-term sustainability in social impact work lies in knowing ourselves, embracing the wisdom of our bodies, and finding the courage to speak up about what is working–and what isn’t. Our sector is constantly evolving, and the challenges aren’t going away. We need to be clear and transparent about what equitable support looks like for those of us who give our whole hearts to this work. We need to model healthy behaviors for others and future leaders.
Compassion for ourselves is just as important as the passion we have for the causes we fight for. We are as worthy of care as the communities we serve.
I invite you to pause and check in with yourself. Can you integrate one of these practices into your work routine today? What warning signs can you be more honest about? What feelings are you willing to name and share with others? If you’re ready to be a wellbeing catalyst in your team or organization, and need an accountability partner, let’s talk!
To learn more about our work at Do Good Leadership Collective, click here.