# Tips from the Panelists of Mental Health in Community Caretaking ## OSS EU 2022 ### General - Contextualize and normalize your experience as a community manager rather than minimizing, judging, or gaslighting yourself–”It’s not so bad, why am I so upset? vs “Wow, today was a hard day.”) - Try to figure out what you need when you are debriefing a difficult moment or day as a community manager: do I need to download the details or share the cliff notes of it with someone who gets it? Sometimes sharing details gets you re-activated and sometimes it moves things through you - When you are struggling, try to figure out if you need support/validation or problem solving from someone (or ask when someone is reaching out to you). Sometimes, problem solving bypasses important feelings that need to be processed - Don't forget to acknowledge all your wins and progress in the community! Make a list of these to refer to when you get discouraged. - Remember why you do this work. Stay connected to your why. - Stay connected to your values. Ask yourself, what are the three most important values I want to center in this work? ### Social-political climate - Individualized self care can’t fix all that is making your job difficult- remember it is often larger systems, structural forces, or larger political conditions/factors that are the culprit ### Setting community standards - Find ways to empower your community members to be there for each other when you are offline; delegating is delicious! - Understand cultural differences- this can save you a lot of worry, frustration, and unsureness ### Burnout - Remind yourself: good enough is GREAT- for now - Focus on the the work you have completed versus the things that aren't done - Encourage a follow the sun model for community engagement - Take a step back once you feel overwhelmed, don't wait till you break down - Always document, communicate and be transparent with information/tasks/issues, so interested community members can help out. ### The balancing act of career growth, personal reputation, and exployer expectations - Invest in your own professional development and learn to invest in areas you want to grow - Practice radical honesty about where you are and what you need to be successful; a healthy community will understand and a healthy workplace will support you - Have formal and/or informal peer support for your role (don't do this work in isolation!) ### Setting boundaries - Clarify your "off" hours/work life balance/boundaries (do community mgrs get to have these!?). You're allowed to tell people you'll get to their question once you're back at work. - If you work from home, clarifying your boundaries is harder, but more necessary. Have a work computer or disable work notifications after a certain hour, a space that's just for work, and/or hobbies that take you offline.