Sometimes people put so much into volunteering that it has an adverse affect on their health.
It was sobering therefore to receive a column for my next e magazine Hethersett Herald from Sarah Lawrence explaining why she recently resigned as chair of Hethersett Parish Council. Sarah also resigned from the council itself and it made me pose the question "do we expect too much from our volunteers and do we appreciate them too little?"
And there is no doubt in my mind that at times far too much is demanded. The powers that be launch an avalanche of rules and restrictions, documentation that has to be read and acted on and any number of other demands.
My experience of this is in the world of education and local politics which may sound grand but really isn't. For many years I was a governor of one of our local schools. I started as a parent governor and then became a community governor when my sons had finished at the school and finally ended as chair of governors.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed my time and my involvement but eventually suffered burnout trying to perform the functions alongside family commitments and a full time job. I came to the conclusion that trying to be all things to all men just wasn't feasible and the people suffering were myself and my family.
That's the sentiment expressed by Sarah in her column in the coming Hethersett Herald. She has a young family, a job, several other voluntary commitments and being chair of the parish council was just too much.
I sympathise as I was on the parish council for a number of years. It wasn't the workload that necessarily made me resign as much as a wish to be able to report on the council independently and not being constrained in what I wrote.
That didn't mean that I didn't and don't support the council but I felt it wasn't possible to perform the function I wanted to perform from the inside.
On Sunday afternoon we popped along to Wymondham Methodist Church to watch and listen to a presentation by the Methodist Minister Steve Cullis on his recent sabbatical which saw him visit varying parts of the UK and also Queensland in Australia. Methodist Ministers take a three month sabbatical every seven years. Steve spoke about how this is compulsory rather than optional. Steve sees it very much as a way of fending off burnout and recharging the batteries and suggested that everybody needs to step away and reassess at times.
I certainly agree with that. I have recently resigned from being a trustee of two organisations - one because I didn't feel I was contributing anything of note or worth and the other because after 10 years or so I was struggling to find the necessary motivation. Having said that I'm still involved with both organisations in other capacities.
I have spoken before about suffering burnout and I reckon it's happened to me two or three times in my life. I would define it as a feeling of inadequacy and even uselessness where you feel you just cannot contribute another ounce of strength, energy or ideas. Allied to this is a distinct loss of interest which is sad because often you start out on a road with great enthusiasm only to find that enthusiasm waning as time goes by. Often this waning is due to outside influences or interference.
Sometimes a break will do the trick but on other times it won't and negative thoughts are too deep-seated to regenerate enthusiasm.
I'm trying desperately not to replace the things I've given up with anything new as I still have more involvement than I can poke a stick at and there are lots of my own things I would like to do that I just haven't had time for in the past.
If you read Hethersett Herald you will be interested in what Sarah has to say about what I suspect is her own form of burnout.
If you've ever suffered burnout thisight strike a chord with you. Do let me know.
*. *. *
The lovely people of the American Library at Norwich Forum have come straight back to me about my query that I mentioned in yesterday's blog. I got a reply on Sunday which was impressive in itself. Now I await details of what they can find. This is the kind of service I really appreciate.
*. *. *
How good has the rugby world cup quarter finals been? England v Fiji, Argentina v Wales, South Africa v France and New Zealand v Ireland have brought some astonishing sport and some incredibly exciting and close games and I can't help but comment that rugby players go forward all the time which might be stating the obvious but this has been edge of the seat stuff unlike watching Norwich play their negative style of backwards and sideways football which certainly has you on the edge of your seat trying to escape through the sheer boredom of it all.