• Prioritize rest: It’s easy to glorify busyness and celebrate accomplishments, but this often leads to imbalance. We need to be able to balance work with the rest of our lives and not use work as a distraction or escape from the challenges we face. Some stressed individuals may shift their attention to work, try to increase productivity, and seek a higher sense of self-worth through endless to-do lists. Communities can help prioritize well-being. Productivity, whether at work, in volunteerism, or at home, is often valued more than health and well-being. We unintentionally communicate that productivity is better than, and in competition with, rest. People need permission to take time off. That permission comes from their community. If you know someone is working 60 hours per week and they’re showing up to volunteer for 10 hours, remind them that rest is not only possible, but necessary. Appreciate their commitment but prioritize their well-being. You just might help prevent burnout. Employers can encourage staff to use personal time off, offer mental health days, and implement company-wide days of rest. Take a cue from the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice. In response to the impact of COVID-19, they enacted a 15-day organization-wide pause. Similarly, the Equality Fund took two months of rest. • Socialize: With so much going on in the world, we forget to just relax and enjoy each other’s company. This is separate from checking in, empathizing, or doing acts of service for each other. It’s important to have time together free from thoughts and conversations about the things that aren’t going well. Watch great movies, check out the new restaurant in the neighborhood, choreograph a dance to the latest hip-hop hit, play a raucous game of Taboo, or take a class together. Much of this can be done virtually, too. Do something to keep you from watching or talking about the news. You may find a self-massage is just what you need to combat touch starvation. Use this time to be together as a community that’s not bound together only by the struggles you share, but by your common humanity. Connection itself is reason enough.
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