Preventing & Recovering from Burnout in Sustainability

Constantly tired. Anxious. Can't focus. Unmotivated. Lonely. Irritable. In physical pain. Hating work even though you once loved it.

Am I burnt out?

If you've ever asked yourself this question, you're not alone. A recent study of 159 sustainability professionals found 62% to be experiencing burnout.

The sustainability community is particularly vulnerable.

Sustainability professionals are at particular risk of burnout given the urgency and complexity of the issues we're trying to solve.

Not forgetting the daily challenges - shrinking budgets, shifting geopolitics, endless stakeholder resistance - standing between us and the solutions we know are needed.

And, underneath it all, the emotional weight of genuinely caring. It's no wonder so many of us swing between overwork and overwhelm.

We can do something about it.

So what exactly is burnout? What causes it and what can be done about it?

Join this workshop to understand how we can prevent and recover from burnout. Part science, part somatic (referring to the physical body), this workshop will help you to understand your personal experience of burnout and give you practical tools to prevent and recover from it.

What to expect:

The session is split into two parts;

1. Science

   
   

   We'll begin with the science of the nervous system and what this means for the modern human. We'll look at the traits, behaviours and patterns that can make us more vulnerable to burnout, knowing that identifying them is the first step to changing them.

2. Somatic

   
   

   In the second half, we'll move into somatic practice - simple body-based techniques using breath, grounding, orientation and movement - that you can use to move fluidly through different nervous system states, as and when you need. No previous experience required.

You should leave the session feeling resourced; able to recognise symptoms, understand their meaning, and know how to respond to them.

About the facilitator

Colwyn Elder is a long-time yoga practitioner, teacher and yoga therapist specialising in stress, burnout and fatigue conditions, including long covid. She also headed up the planning department at sustainability consultancy Futerra from 2016 to 2022 and recently co-founded Citizens Creative.

Colwyn experienced first-hand how stress, anxiety, overwork and overwhelm can lead to burnout. Drawing on the growing scientific evidence around the body-brain connection, Colwyn uses the lens of yoga therapy to advocate for a holistic approach to health and wellness.