"... hints focus on actions or mental attitudes you can cultivate to prevent or deal with burnout (whose symptoms include irritability, feelings of hopelessness/helplessness/cynicism, non-enjoyment of activities enjoyed in the past, difficulty in making decisions, inability to stay focussed, and fatigue or other physical effects). There are, of course, various societal and organizational factors that will impact strongly on whether burnout will develop, be it particular world crises or a workplace culture that discourages taking days off after high stress periods. Though you may be far removed, physically, from a world crisis, you can potentially help create a work environment more conducive to positive mental health."

Also from Activist Trauma Support:
No Borders: Thoughts on guilt, shame & trauma (pdf file)
      Includes: Coping techniques and personal borders
      and: What to do if you think your colleagues are burning-out
             or cracking up.

"Many of the people who have been involved in No Borders work appear to be suffering from a complex mixture of guilt, shame and "low level accumulative" trauma. On top of this, some are also in a state of denial about their own symptoms, and if they do recognise any symptoms they do not think they should be ''allowed'' to have them. This is all very similar to activists' experiences in Palestine and other conflict zones."

and see: Other Documents from Activist Trauma Support

"For anyone in the helping professions, Compassion Fatigue is a common occurrence. Here is the origin of compassion fatigue, its relationship to physician burnout and what you can do when you recognize it in yourself."

" 'Burn-out is a disorder of hope. It sucks the life out of competent, hard-working people. You lose motivation and vitality,' says Dr Borysenko, a Harvard-trained scientist and psychologist."

"Many of us may have jobs in which we are confronted with these realities on a daily basis. Or we may be dealing with aging parents, with the challenges of illness in ourselves and others, or with the death of loved ones. It is so true, as Gautama Buddha said 2,500 years ago that suffering is common to all. And perhaps more than ever, we are asked to be a witness to it.

"In the face of this much suffering, we may find ourselves feeling burned out, depressed, angry, frustrated, and helpless. Particularly if we are in the role of a helper, friend or family member of those who have been traumatized in the past or are currently dealing with such situations, we may be particularly susceptible to developing a deep feeling of compassion fatigue. Compassion fatigue is a term coined by Charles R. Figley, a psychiatrist who has specialized in the naming, diagnosis and cure of Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS). He has defined it as follows:

" 'We can define STS as the natural consequent behaviors and emotions resulting from knowing about a traumatizing event experienced by a significant other–the stress resulting from helping or wanting to help a traumatized or suffering person' " (Figley, 1993).