Community Care and Restorative Rest
It’s time to shake loose the ties that bind us to a toxic cycle of burnout and grind that is not serving our organization.
I heard about the concept of “Restorative Rest” at a conference for educational professionals. The idea is simple: the antidote to fatigue is REST. So part of our work together MUST be rest. Restorative Rest looks like a cycle of recognizing that something fatigues you, resting while learning how to CHANGE the thing that fatigues you, returning with clarity that allows you to do the actual work, and becoming free from the thing that fatigued you.
I’m proposing that we infuse a culture of restorative rest for our leaders and our organization. Sometimes, we move too fast. In my personal experience talking with leaders of this organization, I’ve learned that members move at a fast pace out of fear and shame that is often associated with critical membership feedback or things not going as planned. So I’m proposing a culture of restorative rest that manifests in three ways:
Planned and predictable days off where the organization rests: this includes major holidays off and planning periods for national and regional leadership teams.
Pre- and Post-evaluation periods for all major events: we know how to throw a great party! We don’t know how to look back at the party and evaluate it for its effectiveness, successes, and opportunities to be better— mostly because we’re off to the next thing.
Utilizing our communication systems to inform members when we are in a rest period and what we learned during the rest periods: I’ve always said that the national board serves at the pleasure of its members. This must include vulnerable communication of the things that fatigue us, when we need rest, and what we’ve learned during rest.