The Burnout is Real

Do you ever take moments of peace to sit back and reflect on your life? Take a moment or two to look back at the experiences, the lessons and the life that you built up around you?

If so, how does it make you feel?

Accomplished? Satisfied? Excited? Sad? Disappointed?

Over the last year things have significantly ramped up over here at PARF. New horses came in and some were adopted out. Relationships were built, grants were awarded, equipment was purchased, volunteers were added. And most significantly, a contract was awarded to the rescue that would allow for monthly income as well as the opportunity for the horses to connect with a program in our area that supports youth healing from past trauma. It was a life-changing opportunity and we are ecstatic.

But with all of that growth and excitement comes a bit of heaviness. With all of the progress and the transformation comes something we all know very well over here. Burnout.

To say we are exhausted most days is an understatement. It’s not solely the care of the horses that we undertake on a daily basis. But most of us work full time jobs, some even extra part time jobs. Take those responsibilities plus our duties with the rescue, the effort needed to support continued expansion, and personal life on top of everything else - it can be a lot to handle when you don’t have a peaceful outlet to reset in.

The last few months have been a rude awakening of how important it is to take the time you need to practice self-care, lean on community, and take a breath every now and then. And while this post is short, and not necessarily horse-related, we hope it gives a few people the peace of mind knowing that you are not alone and it’s okay to take care of you and your needs sometimes.

With love - the exhausted team at PARF