Tag Archives: aid workers’ burnout
Workplace violence and abuse of power
Sexual harassment and abuse of power in aid: a brief reflection on the culture of silence, “machismo” and impunity A recent article told us about sexual abuse within UN organisations: “The United Nations has allowed sexual harassment and assault to flourish … Continue reading
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Aid to Zen: X/Y/Z – Xanax, Yoga and Zen
This post is part of Aid to Zen – A Quick Guide to Surviving Aid Work from A to Z by Alessandra Pigni. Today I’m serving you a trio of common (or not so common) practices among do-gooders: drugs, yoga and…Zen. … Continue reading
I don’t have time
Scenario: A friend and fellow aid worker based in Sudan sends me a link to a website that runs an online course on Essential Principles of Staff Care Me: Have you done it? Her: Of course not. I am too busy to … Continue reading
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Work: it’s time for a new year’s revolution
How do you prevent burnout? How do you keep sane when the road to doing good and meaningful stuff is paved with terrible managers, short-sighted organizational visions, and power relations that can bend your soul? How do you keep resilient in difficult places? … Continue reading
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Aid to Zen: U – Uncertainty
This post is part of Aid to Zen – A Quick Guide to Surviving Aid Work from A to Z by Alessandra Pigni. When I first went to work in Palestine I brought with me a little book of reflections by … Continue reading
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Aid to Zen: R/S – R&R and Stress Reduction
This post is part of Aid to Zen – A Quick Guide to Surviving Aid Work from A to Z by Alessandra Pigni. R&R “Tell me about your new job” I ask a friend who has been recently deployed to Gaziantep to … Continue reading
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Burning without Burning Out!
Dear friends, There’s a beautiful poem by the Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish called Think of Others. I chose it as the opening poem of my book, The Idealist’s Survival Kit. 75 Simple Ways to Avoid Burnout. I carefully picked it because of … Continue reading
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Aid to Zen: Q – Qigong
This post is part of Aid to Zen – A Quick Guide to Surviving Aid Work from A to Z by Alessandra Pigni. *** The term qigong is not part of “aidspeak“, so let me introduce you to a practice that … Continue reading
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Aid to Zen – O: Organisations
This post is part of Aid to Zen – A Quick Guide to Surviving Aid Work from A to Z by Alessandra Pigni. Most of us work for an organisation: we are at once colleagues and employees, some may be managers, consultants … Continue reading
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Aid to Zen: M – Mindfulness
This post is part of Aid to Zen – A Quick Guide to Surviving Aid Work from A to Z by Alessandra Pigni Why mindfulness is (still) relevant for aid workers In 2011 I started a project called Mindfulness for NGOs: back … Continue reading
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