What are the best ways to develop a support network for preventing burnout and compassion fatigue?

What I've found most helpful in knowing your needs is Behavior Tracking. This isn't for those seeking personal development entertainment. You have to want a severe upgrade in self-awareness and lifestyle transformation. The way I perform it is through a minimum 30 days of tracking - meaning writing down, on paper or through an app like Trello, every action you did today. Most people never do this. They come up with reasons why it won't work for them or just believe that they don't have the patience for it. But the effort pays enormous dividends. How could you manage your life if you knew you only ever did 300 actions? Or that every day you can sustainably accomplish 25? Your life is more manageable than you think. Tracking is essential.

The abovementioned are great strategies. And for me, what I find work best, is to ease into the week, rather than rush into it. So if Mondays are the start of the workweek, allow colleagues who take on caregiving roles over the weekend, or are in highstrung work/family roles, to pause on a Monday morning, to have time for themselves, before getting into the work itself. We often disregard how important the pause and space for breathing is, and just rush into it. It is important for the support network to feel supported to, by taking the start of the workweek, to do a check-in for themselves, with themselves and amongst themselves.

I kind of disagree with this approach of seeking diverse support for work related burn out. Every organisation and professional has its own culture vibe which is best understood by the team or the one in that field..I would say its best to have a go to person or persons in your organisation and someone in a same professional Industry. This would keep in perspective the issue and avoid over thinking and too much analysis.

The most unfortunate part of personal suffering is not asking for support earlier. People are really good at hiding in shame, the fact that they need help and can't help themselves. But trying to help yourself, when you're in need of real help, is often a futile cause and often takes more time from your life than was ever necessary. Learn how to delegate what you need to others. It gives other people purpose and it helps you combat the belief that 'no one cares about you.' This is the belief that undertones almost every personal struggle that's kept to yourself. The best part? As you discover that you can solve problems faster by employing some help, you'll want to spend less time with problems and ultimately this speeds up your growth.

I do agree with this perspective as it is impossible for an individual to know or experience all possible events in life. Even after attending masters, I personally feel that there are still so much to know and understand as there are different clientele categories, different modalities approaches. Having that diverse of support network not allows you to learn faster and better, be better in your helping job, it also provides and reaffirms the “light” and “affirmation” in the purpose and reason of the job you chose to pursue. Afterall, we are human and we need support ourselves.

I've coached hundreds of people in my career as a personal development guide, and of all the tricks and techniques available to use, appreciation is the end of it all. But appreciation isn't just one sided. In fact, if all one does is appreciate others and not themselves, or vice versa, they can cause themselves extraordinary suffering. I built a tool - The Integrated Appreciation Method - as a process to help people practice the art of appreciating themselves and others equally, which leads to properly restored dopamine loops in the mind, which ultimately leads to a restored system of health and wellness. We get to acknowledge, honor, and appreciate the accomplishments we make for each other. That's mental health in it's simplest form.

Communication your needs is really important but yet tricky to do so particularly when you are a giver :) or your belief and existence in life is to be the support of others. You tend to prioritise others ahead of you. I walked that path and it took a lot of self awareness, self reflection and time to understand concept of addressing your own needs is really seen as being selfish. It is ok to let others know what you need and want as you have your own “void” to fill. When you are emptied out yourself, it’s very difficult to continue the path in helping others. That is why self care is so important in the social services industry.

One of the hardest yet simplest to experience forms of personal sabotage is lying to gain or avoid pleasure or pain. Most people sway to the avoid side, which means they'll lie about their needs in order to avoid conflict. This is essentially spiritual suicide. It's vital that you appreciate yourself enough to be able to say yes and mean yes and no and mean no, with integrity. My observation is that as people appreciate what they've done for what they've gained in life, equally and fairly, their capacity for natural boundaries increases. Boundaries shouldn't be a chore. It's a natural response to you caring about yourself. That's why appreciating your actions is vital to your well being and your capacity to be honest with others.

In my own experience, it can be really scary to give yourself into the hands of someone claiming to be a therapist. I've found it useful to, if possible, have a coffee with the person before committing to a contract. There are a lot of coaches, therapists, and facilitators of therapy or personal growth methods who are doing their work in an unconscious attempt to feel important and intellectually validated. I know this very well because I did it for years. A true master of therapy and coaching will focus directly and intensely on your life in the present moment, and deviate into the past only when it's absolutely necessary. You practice when you practice. Your therapist or coach will help you practice the skill you need to transform.