If there’s a question you’d like to see answered or a topic you’d like to see discussed, please share it in the comments or email me at support@wordcamp.org with the subject line Tuesday Trainings. Now onto this week’s topic.
Disclaimer: I’m not a mental health professional, I’m just a person who does a lot of emotional labor and cares deeply about the emotions and mental well being of others. I’ll do my best to share what is working for me and I hope you’ll share what works for you.
This week’s question: What’s the deal with self care?
Let me jump into this one a little differently. Usually these Tuesday Training posts are aimed at anyone in the WordPress community that is looking for the information I’m serving up, but this week’s post is something else. Many of the topics we bring up in this series of posts are near and dear to my heart, but this one especially is important to me. So while I intend this information for anyone who needs to read it, this post in particular is for the organizers out there. The meetup organizers, the WordCamp organizers, the community organizers. This goes out to the people who activate teams of volunteers, who make our little corner of the internet a safer and more inclusive space.
This goes out to those who tirelessly give of themselves with active listening and engagement so that we can get to the root of issues when they arise or stop them in their path–before most people even notice.
So what’s the deal with self care? Self care is important. I’m not just talking about getting a haircut, facial, or a manicure. Those are all forms of self care, sure. But I’m talking about the kind of self care that fills you up and fortifies you so you can continue to be the best you that you can be while supporting others in being their best selves. All of that allows us to engage in and build this project with authenticity and respect for one another.
In community work we take care of other people. In order to be able to take care of other people we first must be taking care of ourselves. The clearest example I can share with you is that you can’t pour from an empty cup. Which means if you have nothing left to give, you can’t give it. That way leads to burnout. Exhaustion. Dissatisfaction. And sometimes calling it quits altogether.
I don’t want that for any of you. I want you to continue to embrace, improve, grow, and uplift the WordPress community in the special way that you each do. So let’s talk about how to make sure our cup isn’t empty.
Say no mindfully
Be aware of your bandwidth and what you have to give; say no to taking on additional work when it isn’t the right thing for you. I never want to say no to helping others, but it has helped me to reframe it by reminding myself that when I say yes to one thing, it means there are other things I’m going to have no choice to say no to down the road.
Ask yourself: In saying “no” to one thing, what am I saying “yes” to? Or vice versa.
For more on the importance of saying no, check out this past Tuesday Training post.
Ask yourself what you would tell someone else
I’m hard on myself sometimes. And that’s a choice I make. But sometimes I have to step back and look at everything on my plate, both professionally and personally, and realize that there’s too much.
If I have a headache and a day full of meetings, it is my inclination to just find a way to power through. But if any of my teammates or mentees let me know that the same was happening with them, I would insist immediately that they take some time to rest and feel better. A headache or being physically exhausted or ill is an easy example, but it’s just as important to give yourself that break if you are upset, stressed, anxious, or just plain overwhelmed.
Check in with yourself: How are you today? What would you tell a friend, teammate, or colleague?
Give yourself the same grace you would give to someone else you care about.
Do something nice for yourself
It might be a haircut and a nice lunch out, or it might just be finding time to go on a walk, draw a picture, or straighten up your surroundings so you feel better about them and yourself. It might be sitting in a park watching nature. It might be drinking one more glass of water a day. Find something that you need to do for yourself that will help you feel better, or happier or less stressed and do it. Little things can count here just as much as big things. It might not necessarily be something you want to do. But maybe it’s something you should do. Like taking a walk, getting some exercise, having a side of veggies with lunch, or starting your day with a healthy breakfast.
Think on it: What’s one kindness you can give yourself today?
Say something
People don’t always notice when others are overwhelmed, overworked, or burned out. Some folks handle their stress and workload silently and seem to carry it with such grace that others may not notice that they’re under stress. “Holding up” to stress doesn’t mean you should have more of it, it just means you’re good at fooling people into thinking the stress isn’t there. If you’re struggling say something. Ask others in the community to take over responsibilities that are causing the issues or aren’t right for you. Let folks know that you need a break. Ask for help getting some space or solving a problem that’s standing in your way.
Delegate: What is something on your plate that you might share with someone else to lighten the load?
Wrapping up
Taking care of oneself is absolutely a critical component of being able to take care of others and build a healthy community. I hope you all keep that in mind in the days, weeks, months, and years to come. Each of us here is critical to the success of this project, and self care is critical to surviving and succeeding over all.
If you’d like to share what helps you, I’d welcome your thoughts in the comments below. And as always if you have any questions or topics you’d like to see addressed in this space let me know in the comments or by emailing support@wordcamp.org
#tuesdaytrainings
The CDC says that, “Currently, there is no evidence to suggest that handling food or consuming food is associated with COVID-19.”
Buffets could be cheaper in some cases.
Personally, I’m not eating at a buffet restaurant for at least another year or two. At conferences, a buffet-style lunch encourages people to gather in close proximity to each other whereas boxed lunches or prepared meals could alleviate this concern.
Then again, if everyone at the event is vaccinated, perhaps it is a non-issue.
The cruise lines have had to deal with this issue as well considering that people expect buffets. They DON’T want a boxed lunch. Therefore, the answer to providing the buffet experience was to have staff members serve people what they want rather than them handling the utensils and food themselves. The same would go for beverages and snacks, if that was an issue.
This is a great opportunity for organizing small, local, generalistic in-person meetups/WordCamps, and huge, global, themed, online WordCamps.
By “themed” I mean WordCamps built around a single topic: security, accessibility, publishing, SEO, podcasting, ecommerce, development…
I love the idea of seeing more specialized WordCamps focused on one specific topic! 😀
Overall it seems pretty solid – my biggest concern is a return to smaller camps without the support of the global sponsorship funds will put a lot more weight on the shoulders of the organizers.
I think it makes sense that events need to meet the guidance of the relevant local government at a minimum, but I don’t see any reason they shouldn’t be able to take further precautions if they feel it would be better for the event and it’s attendees.
This seems like a solid guideline to have. It may mean we need to adjust (or rethink, split, or reword) our opt-in for E-Mails?
I think the biggest is likely to be around funding. If global sponsorship funds aren’t available, maybe at least some additional help with the fundraising? Could we allow bigger companies (current global sponsors, but also anyone that wants to opt-in) to offer a point person and contact info that could be compiled as a resource given to organizing teams? Maybe have a list somewhere of camps in the planning stage that still need funding, such that it can be easily shared (maybe even on official social channels?)
I also think there will likely be a chance to highlight some of the creative ideas that work, so that other camps can re-use them. A creative outdoor venue? An interesting way to handle lunch that maybe helps local eateries? New place to look for sponsors? I feel like there will likely be a lot of small wins that are discovered by the early events, and having a system in place to share those quickly with events in the planning stage and compile them for future events, will be super helpful.
Another thing to consider is – if we aren’t helping with the cost of the event, will we still mandate the ticket price?
Great question!
I think the inclusivity of WordPress Community events is so essential value of the program, that freely defined ticket prices are not likely going to happen. But we definitely should give a thought if the current price cap should and could be increased a little.
I 100% agree on low-price being an integral part of keeping our events inclusive, and one I don’t want to see go away. I do think that with funding systems changing, we need to at least think it through though.
I think it’s possible for us to adjust the 2022 global sponsorship program to cover WordCamps again, though it’ll probably have to look more like it did in 2013-14: billing based on number of WordCamp attendees, probably with a “base” cost to address operational expenses. It’s going to require more admin time than the program has in a while, but I think it’s probably the right path forward.
First, thanks so much to you Rocio and the rest of the folks who worked so hard on this post. I know that for some this is a scary thing to be discussing and for others it feels long overdue. A lot of emotions here for everyone <3
I think it’s a huge step in the right direction of imagining a future where we can meet in person again.
A question: We’re halfway through 2021 so I understand not preparing “global sponsorship” funding to support in-person camps this year. But most of the organizers I talk with aren’t looking at doing something in-person over the next 6 months. Are we ready to make a change to the Global Sponsorship program to support events in 2022 and beyond? Some communities do not have the same access to funds as other communities do and I think this would have a large impact on who is able to organize events and where they are able to be organized.
Wondering: While WordCamps should be inclusive and open to all, during this time of transition it seems logical to me to apply local/regional standards to local/regional events. Long ago there was some discussion of limiting who is allowed attend the event to people in the region to ensure folks from areas where COVID is less/differently controlled aren’t attending causing potential additional risk.
Mandatory registration, so attendees can be contacted in case of exposure.
From WCEU’s point of view, just to say we will follow the recommendations of Local Health Authorities in Portugal at the moment of the event. We will keep everyone informed about it in the website.
Regarding the questions set at the post:
What do you think about the proposal? : Very complete and full of common sense
Is there anything that you’re missing or that you’d change? Why?: No, I think it includes everything an organisers needs for taking decisions.
Are there any ideas listed above that you’d include as guidelines for in-person WordCamps in this transition period?: All of them, this is a complete guide and we should publish it as a general guideline.
What could the Community Team do to assist with easier and/or inexpensive WordCamp events? Writing a post with all the new format ideas, as a handbook page, and share it with the WordCamps organisers through the Mentors and the official channels.
Best regards
mon