Brittany is the Director of Communications at Global Health Corps, an international non-profit working with rising leaders in the U.S. and Africa. Fluent in Swahili and an avid reader, writer, and hiker, Brittany currently lives in Northeast Pennsylvania with her husband and their young son. 



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Brittany Cesarini

  <h4
        id="h-brittany-cesarini-is-the-director-of-communications-at-global-health-corps-brittany-holds-a-degree-in-public-policy-with-a-focus-on-gender-studies-and-african-studies-from-princeton-university-here-she-shares-an-anecdote-on-not-letting-your-work-push-you-to-burnout-cultivating-humility-and-making-life-more-about-others"
      >
        <strong
          ><span style="color: #673092"
            >BRITTANY CESARINI</span
          >
          is the Director of Communications at Global Health Corps. Brittany
          holds a degree in Public Policy with a focus on Gender Studies and
          African Studies from Princeton University. Here, she shares an
          anecdote on not letting your work push you to burnout, cultivating
          humility, and making life more about others.</strong
        >
      </h4>

      <hr class="vertical-space1" />

      <p>
        There’s so much good advice out there on how to prevent and manage
        burnout. But the foundation of real change is a change in mindset and
        narrative. So I encourage young professionals to start with what’s most
        within your control: your beautiful, powerful, flexible mind.&nbsp;
      </p>

      <p>
        <em
          >“it helps to say that i’m on the edge of burnout. in the past i flew
          right by all the telltale signs and right into the flames, almost
          welcoming the rest that came when I relinquished all ability to live
          in my life.”<br />–adrienne maree brown&nbsp;</em
        >
      </p>

      <p>
        When I was starting out after college, I was a prisoner to grind
        culture, often tempted to run right into the flames of burnout. It felt
        intoxicating. Look at me! My defining characteristic is my work ethic. I
        will let it define me at all costs – anguished mind, achy body,
        unwatered hobbies and relationships be damned.
      </p>

      <p>
        At the heart of this self-destructive tendency was fear. Without the
        unshakeable work ethic I’ve been cultivating since childhood, what do I
        have to stand on? I’m not <em>that</em> funny. I’m not
        <em>that</em> smart. I’m not <em>that</em> interesting.
      </p>

      <p>
        Besides, the world was always on fire. Shouldn’t I be right there in the
        flames or risk complacency? Every headline was a taunt, reminding me I
        wasn’t doing enough. Every Tweet was an invite to do more, do better,
        and do it yesterday. Every protest was a demand to quit my current job
        and work on what I “should” be passionate about – gun violence, the
        criminal injustice system, the war in Iraq, gender-based violence,
        homelessness, climate change, etc.
      </p>

      <hr class="vertical-space1" />

      <div class="block-image">
        <figure>
          <img
            width="603"
            height="795"
            alt="Avoiding-burnout2"
            class="lazyload has-img-center"
            src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Avoiding_burnout2_d8ba9ad49a.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-12T05:04:56.419Z"
          />
        </figure>
      </div>

      <hr class="vertical-space1" />

      <h4>
        <strong
          ><span style="color: #75aa3b"
            >Cultivating self-love &amp; humility</span
          ></strong
        >
      </h4>

      <p>
        Thankfully, through conversations, reflection, reading, therapy, and
        life experiences, my internal narratives have shifted over the past
        decade. I’m a little older now, a little softer, and a little wiser.
        Definitely more tired, but also more anchored and hopeful, even as
        heartbreaking fires rage around us.
      </p>

      <p>
        Most importantly, I love myself more.<br />Paradoxically, I think of
        myself less.
      </p>

      <p>
        At a cellular level, I know that the entire future of our community, our
        society, our planet does not rest on my shoulders. I extend grace (okay,
        and some gentle ribbing) to the version of myself that once acted like
        it did.
      </p>

      <p>
        <em
          >“humility can let our shoulders drop, can make us more adaptive and
          flexible…and more accepting of the truth that the outcome is not only
          a mystery, but so so so much bigger than our work…[we can] relax in
          our smallness, our insignificance.”<br />–adrienne maree
          brown&nbsp;</em
        >
      </p>

      <p>
        I now say no to commitments that mean I won’t get enough sleep, fresh
        air, exercise, and quality time with loved ones. I am practicing
        relaxing (with varied success from week to week), scheduling it as
        non-negotiable, and not feeling shameful about needing it.&nbsp;
      </p>

      <h4>
        <strong
          ><span style="color: #75aa3b"
            >Community</span
          ></strong
        >
      </h4>

      <p>
        Once I learned to love myself more, and got a grip on genuine humility,
        the next step of the journey was to practice being in and about
        community.
      </p>

      <p>
        <em
          >“the more i prioritize caring for myself, caring for my community,
          and accepting care from my community, the better and brighter spark in
          the movement flame i can be.”<br />–adrienne maree brown&nbsp;</em
        >
      </p>

      <p>
        As a human, a white person, an American with educational privilege
        married to a Black man, mothering a biracial son, I have a
        responsibility to be awake and engaged. To keep learning and trying. To
        contribute to a radically different future where everyone lives with
        care and dignity and abundance.
      </p>

      <hr class="vertical-space1" />

      <div class="block-image">
        <figure>
          <img
            width="600"
            height="488"
            alt="Avoiding-burnout3"
            class="lazyload has-img-center"
            src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Avoiding_burnout3_913286553b.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-12T05:05:30.508Z"
          />
        </figure>
      </div>

      <hr class="vertical-space1" />

      <p>
        It’s not about me; it is about <em>us</em> who envision that future. I
        show up to my life and my work to make the us bigger and stronger, to
        make that future more likely. And if I want to contribute to that
        ambitious long-term project, I have to take care of myself and others
        along the way.&nbsp;
      </p>

      <p>
        Paradoxically, this allows me to contribute more, because my definition
        of contribution is not limited to leadership roles or driving a project
        forward at work. I donate (money or time, even in small amounts), I
        participate in mutual aid efforts, I support friends and be supported, I
        amplify others, I lend my skills and expertise in behind-the-scenes ways
        without needing credit, a title, or purview on the return on my
        investment.
      </p>

      <p>
        Ultimately, I can grieve what’s heartbreaking and choose to rest and
        release the illusion of control, because I know there are many others
        out there contributing.&nbsp;&nbsp;
      </p>

      <h4>
        <strong
          ><span style="color: #75aa3b"
            >Rejecting binaries &amp; seeking connections</span
          ></strong
        >
      </h4>

      <p>
        <em
          >“everything is small. everything is changing me…everything is an
          invitation to practice being free and interacting with other free
          beings.”<br />–adrienne maree brown&nbsp;</em
        >
      </p>

      <p>
        Looking for and threading connections has helped me step back from the
        edge of burnout many times. On the whole, the binaries between work and
        life, between productive and non-productive ways to spend our time, are
        not real. The sooner we live accordingly, the healthier we’ll be.
      </p>

      <p>
        I work hard at my day job, but these days I also put time, energy, and
        thoughtfulness into having fun, spending time with my people, and
        resting. When I consider every realm of life as a canvas to live out my
        values and create a better future, I keep burnout at bay.
      </p>

      <hr class="vertical-space1" />

      <div class="block-image">
        <figure>
          <img
            width="600"
            height="703"
            alt="Avoiding-burnout4"
            class="lazyload has-img-center"
            src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Avoiding_burnout4_0dafc757d8.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-12T05:06:03.265Z"
          />
        </figure>
      </div>

      <hr class="vertical-space1" />

      <p>
        Raising my three-year-old son to name his feelings, choose his clothes,
        and consider other opinions has a lot to do with creating a more
        equitable future. Setting aside my endless to-do list to call a friend,
        share encouragement, or watch a funny video is a radical choice in the
        face of exploitative capitalism. Daily exercise and good sleep are a
        necessary balm and fuel for me to show up as a colleague, friend,
        mother, wife, sister, daughter, and neighbor. It’s all connected.
      </p>

      <hr class="vertical-space1" />

      <hr />

      <h4 class="has-text-align-center">Illustrations by ANANYA PATEL</h4>

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