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Taking a break from saving the world : a conservation activist's journey from burnout to balance

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  • Date:
    Created
    2020
    Summary:

    A veteran of burnout himself, Legault looks at the culture of self-sacrifice that permeates the work done by volunteers and paid staff in the environmental conservation movement, and dissects how to manage our own time, energy, and commitment to our causes. Following a river-running metaphor, and proposing a variety of techniques to help with various states of anxiety resulting from burnout, including clarity of purpose, recognition of limits, fitness and diet, mediation and yoga, as well as organizational structural changes such as leave-of-absence policies, Legault encourages readers to find time to 'eddy out' to rest a moment in quieter waters and scout downriver to ensure our lifetime of engagement is fulfilling, effective, and self-sustaining.

    Contents:
    • Cover
    • Title Page
    • Contents
    • Author's Caution
    • Preface
    • The Cost of Capsizing
    • Notes on Technique
    • Chapter 1: Paddling Heavy Water
    • Learning from Rivers
    • Notes on Technique: Paddling Heavy Water
    • Chapter 2: The High Brace
    • Why and How to Stay in Your Boat
    • Making a Plan
    • Enlisting Help
    • When to Throw the High Brace, and When to Eddy Out
    • Notes on Technique: The High Brace
    • Chapter 3: When to Eddy Out
    • Looking for Flat Water
    • Solo or Tandem Paddling
    • Options When Cutting the Eddy Fence
    • Notes on Technique: When to Eddy Out Chapter 4: How to Cut the Eddy Fence
    • Dealing with Anger
    • Storytelling
    • How to Meditate
    • Back to Waterton
    • Math and Nightmares
    • Notes on Technique: How to Cut the Eddy Fence
    • Chapter 5: Forward Ferry
    • Taking Responsibility
    • Notes on Technique: Forward Ferry
    • Chapter 6: Thrown Overboard
    • Notes on Technique: Thrown Overboard
    • Chapter 7: Reading the River
    • When Reading the River
    • FOMO
    • What I Read in the River
    • The Power of Myth
    • Notes on Technique: Reading the River
    • Chapter 8: Bow-In and Pointing Downstream
    • Bow-In
    • The Role of Creativity Emotions and Passions
    • Low Brace to Maintain Balance
    • This Is Not a Holiday
    • Notes on Technique: Bow-In and Pointing Downstream
    • Chapter 9: Rescue Mid-River
    • Creating a Culture of Resilience
    • NGO Leaders
    • Nonprofit Organizations
    • NGO Funders
    • Notes on Technique: Rescue Mid-River
    • Chapter 10: Eddy Back In
    • Notes on Technique: Eddy Back In
    • Gratitude
    • Notes
    • Bookshelf
    • About the Author
    Original Publisher: Victoria, RMB Rocky Mountain Books
    Language(s): English
    ISBN: 9781771603645