If you’ve read the earlier sections, you’ll notice that I’m familiar with burnout and other mental ill health.
I’m personally not a fan of the sweeping under the rug that many employers continue to do. The incidence rate of mental illness it’s so high that we should all be viewing it like the common cold. Your chances of having mental illness sometime in your life either directly impacting you or impacting someone close to you are very high.
Of course, if you’re currently considering becoming a CM when you’ve never done anything like it before, I’m telling you now that it will impact your mental health. I’ve never seen anyone mention it so plainly but it’s a job hazard as a community manager. Yes, there is the usual job stress but as a CM you’ll be interacting with multitudes of people and when you wear the title, you’re responsible for up to hundreds, thousands or tens of thousands or more of community members.
This is why it’s important to join a company that recognises mental health as I discuss in Finding a CM job.
Whether you’re in an on-site role, hybrid or remote, you cannot put your health last as a CM. Please, please take it from me as someone who’s done it multiple times in their career. The burnout will set you back months in your life and your career and it’s just not worth it.
While your job is to care, it’s important that you learn how to set boundaries between you and your stakeholders.
Schedule non-negotiable regular times during the week for self-care and self-love. That means exercising regularly, getting sunlight (keep an eye on your Vitamin D levels if you spend a lot of time indoors), eating well, sleeping well, socialising and doing things that bring you joy.
The most important tip I’ll share regarding mental health that has served me well over my career is also learning how to vent. You’re going to run into a lot of frustrating situations and people: the last thing you want is to react to this in a way that hurts others or yourself. Learn how to let it out by discussing (without divulging anyone’s privacy, of course) things with trusted confidantes. This is also a great way to work through a problem out loud and gain a perspective on it you may not have had if you tackled it alone.