The war has been going on for a year – and Ukrainians still need a lot of strength to win.

Olena Kolesnyk, a volunteer in the area of military aid and People Partner at Yellowblue Force Foundation shares advice on how to avoid burnout in a volunteering marathon.

1. Take care of your psychological and physical condition.

This advice seems obvious, but I recall how I “put a pin” in taking care of myself in the first months of the war. And then I would “switch off” like a battery with no charge. It is wrong. Helping others without breaking down is only possible when you support yourself at a basic level: sleep, eat, exercise, etc. Otherwise, there is a threat not only to burn out, but also to harm your health.

2. Don’t try to help everyone.

At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, I accepted evacuation requests and looked for drivers, helped the Kyiv doctors with food, looked for various ammunition – all at the same time. Our strength and attention cannot focus in this kind of operational rhythm. There is no clarity about the scope of assistance that can be provided. At the same time, there is poor feedback from the people whom you fail to help.

You will not be enough for everyone, so choose a specific unit or group of civilians and help them. Also choose a specialty: medicine, equipment, cars, food. When there is a focus on one specialty, your expertise grows.

3. Don’t take the blame.

In stressful situations, people who expect help may say unpleasant things. A person in a different context and emotional state does not understand what condition you are in. Ignore the poor feedback and focus on the essence of the request.

4. Talk about what you are doing.

Share your volunteering experience on social networks and chats with your friends. Photo reports and real stories are the currency of trust in you and the main tool to quickly fulfill requests. When people know that you can be trusted, they are ready to invest their resources. Not only to donate money, but also to help with contacts, logistics, and psychological support. You get extra energy from synergy. It is also energizing when you are able to help someone and justify their trust.

In this way, you work to establish your reputation that can be trusted by both the military and civilians. This keeps me going: I see a focused outcome and know that there is a community of volunteers there to help me when I don’t know the solution. But I also must put effort and resources into other volunteers so that they can help those they care for.