Thriving Starts With Me: The Importance of Rest and Renewal

I was in a coffee shop bathroom in Cambodia, crying my eyes out. I was hiding away because I didn’t want anyone to see me like that. 

I was overwhelmed. I had been filming and learning about the realities faced by children separated from their families, many living on the streets, or in orphanages. Though I wasn’t directly involved in the charitable work, witnessing the scale of the need was enough to weigh heavily on my mind and heart.

The world felt impossibly big, and I felt incredibly small. How could I, one person, make any real difference in something so vast and nuanced? Worse, I felt ashamed for even feeling this way. Why wasn’t I strong enough to handle this? How could I ever truly contribute to a solution when I was already breaking down and feeling so weak?

The Reality of Burnout

After traveling to 40 countries, I’ve met countless charity workers, social workers, and caregivers who dedicate their lives to the safety and well-being of families and children. The reality is that this work, caring for children who have experienced trauma, requires an incredible amount of emotional, physical, and spiritual energy. It’s beautiful and selfless but comes at a high cost.

Many struggle with guilt when they consider stepping away to rest. Like me in that bathroom stall, they worry about taking themselves out of the picture, fearing that they’re being selfish or neglecting their mission.

Over time, this internal battle can create a cocktail of exhaustion, burnout, and even relationship breakdowns. 

The statistics back this up: more than half of charity workers report experiencing burnout regularly, and many suffer from compassion fatigue, a condition where the constant exposure to trauma drains empathy and emotional energy.

Burnout doesn’t just affect the worker. It also impacts the families and children they serve. When we’re burned out, we lose our ability to operate at our best. The work begins to feel like a chore rather than a calling or an opportunity, and we may even unconsciously blame the people we’re serving for our exhaustion. That’s why living refreshed, prioritizing rest and renewal isn’t just beneficial. It’s essential.

Thriving Starts With Me

I’ve learned that thriving doesn’t happen by accident. It’s something we have to choose and intentionally work toward. For me, that has meant being firm about boundaries. I carve out time to do activities where work can’t follow me, like swimming in the ocean, going to the gym, or hiking with friends. When I’m home or traveling, I make a point to change up my environment. If I’ve been working in one place, I’ll try to go somewhere completely different to recharge.

I'm also learning to treat myself with care and kindness. Thriving looks like having something to look forward to: a personal reward, like time in nature or watching a favorite TV show. When I prioritize my health and well-being, I feel excited to work, more creative in problem-solving, and more confident in collaborating with others. Thriving gives me the emotional resilience to dream, to hope, and to fully engage with the work I'm passionate about. 

A Call to Action: Shifting the Culture

To those working in this field who feel guilty about taking time for yourself, let me remind you of something simple but critical: you are worth it. You deserve rest. It’s far better to build habits of rest into your routine than to wait until burnout or sickness forces you to stop. Rest is not selfish. It allows you to continue doing this important work without becoming bitter or broken by it. The children and families you serve will benefit most from the version of you who is thriving, not the version that’s just surviving.

For organizations and leaders, creating a culture that champions rest is vital. Workers need to feel valued for who they are, not just for the work they do. Commend and encourage balance, not just relentless productivity. Furthermore, when leaders themselves model rest and celebrate it, they set a tone that empowers their staff to thrive. Thriving isn’t just an individual act. It’s contagious. Healthy, thriving workers create healthier, thriving families and communities.

Conclusion

Thriving starts with me, and it starts with you. When we truly embrace rhythms of rest, we become better equipped to serve, to create, and to love well. Let’s build a culture that celebrates thriving over busyness and watch how it transforms not just ourselves but the lives of the children and families we’re here to help.


Let’s not just survive in this work. Let’s thrive in it.

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