Burnout and Resilience

Understanding Controllable vs. Uncontrollable Stressors

Controllable Stressor Solutions: Ideas for Planful Problem Solving

Grasp a greater sense of control.

Gaining a sense of control often comes with effective and direct communication. (See below: ‘clarify job demands and expectations’). Additionally, planning for seasonal instability (financial plans, housing, community building, off-season employment) may help gain a sense of security.

Clarify demands and expectations.

Whether it is how or when a task needs to be completed, positions of leadership or advancement, or expectations of participation; guiding is an occupation, (no matter how fun it is!) and ambiguity is not usually the best approach. Clarification of expectations and needs can greatly deter miscommunications and hard feelings. If needed, suggest 15-30 minute breaks for check-in within your crew, having pre/post-trip meetings, or asking for formal outlines of company policies are all possible helpful solutions.

Build strong support systems.

Social support or a sense of strong community is a key factor to building resiliency, combating burnout, and contributes to more positive mental and physical health outcomes. It is important to make an effort to connect and build community within and outside of guiding. Acting as a role model and advocating for resiliency within your team may also prove to set an example for others.

Create more of a work-life balance throughout the season.

Working to create ‘work-life balance’ can be a little more complicated for guides. However, recognizing that we are not invincible and still need to take care of ourselves is a huge step towards resilience. Integrating short, attainable self-care routines, monitoring or cutting back on substance use, and taking breaks when we need it (short breaks during trips, and taking weeks off if financially feasible) are ways to work towards this.

Find opportunities for personal growth and development.

Experiencing challenges and opportunities for growth and development keep life and work interesting and dynamic. Communicate with your outfitter and team about your goals such as new skills you want to achieve; leadership, instructional, or mentorship roles you are interested in; or different places you’d like to guide. Or maybe you desire a bigger change, such as a total career change, guiding in a completely new discipline, stepping into a managerial role, or outfitting yourself. These feelings and transitions are normal, and whether you feel you are “burned out” or not, we all come to a time in our lives when something else makes sense.

Uncontrollable Stressor Solutions: Ideas for Positive Reappraisal

Check-in with why guiding is important to you.

Whether it be the nature of the work, occupational flexibility, the ability to work outside, opportunities for education and stewardship, etc., try and remember what brought you to guiding in the first place. What keeps you guiding? What inherent values does guiding bring to the people we serve/society?

Remember the unique, dynamic, skill sets that guiding requires. And that it is a legitimate career.

It is easy to forget how many incredible skills guiding requires and how much you’ve mastered. You may not be able to control comments that get under your skin, but you can control how you react to them.

Recognize the strengths that you already have to combat stress, burnout, and adversity (ie, resiliency!)

We all have inherent traits and characteristics that make us adaptable, strong, and able to handle difficult situations. Some of our strengths may be different than our crew members, and it may be helpful to recognize that while you may be very graceful with your social skills and leadership abilities, another guide may excel in other places, such as in bravery and perseverance. Learning to lean into your strengths and how to work together as a team can prove to be incredibly beneficial in combating burnout.

Work on gratitude and self-compassion practices.

Gratitude has been scientifically proven to improve mental and physical health, sleep quality, relationship strength, self-esteem, resilience, and help to combat stress and burnout. Simply writing down or acknowledging a few things you are grateful for may seem simple, but goes a long way. Additionally, positive self-talk, giving yourself permission to feel stress, burnout, other feelings, and recognizing stressors can help to validate your experiences.

Validate your stress, discomfort, emotions, and conflicts.

Burnout, stress, and hardships within guiding are often not talked about, which can feel very isolating. Along with practicing self-compassion, it can be very helpful to check in with someone you trust, whether it be another guide or a person in your company’s management to discuss feelings of conflict and burnout. It is usually simpler to acknowledge and change unhealthy dynamics as they occur rather than letting them build up over time and turn into colossal, complex issues.