Deteriorating mental health and burnout are commonly experienced by young peacebuilders. Peacebuilding is tough because it requires a consistent focus on the well-being of others: ‘You're always looking out for everyone else, but no one is ever looking out for you and how you survive. So many people are struggling with their mental health because you have to take care of a struggling community as your own life is hanging by the thread’ (Wevyn Muganda, Kenya). For your peacebuilding work to be sustainable, you must be peaceful within yourself first:

‘If you're not in peace with yourself inside, it's very difficult to work for the peace outside.’ (Sakhi Ataye, Afghanistan)

‘Peace is anchored in an inner pursuit of peace inside the heart, the mind, which is then reflected and manifested externally in the world.’ (Christian Cito Cirhigiri, DRC)

Unfortunately, therapy is not always accessible to everyone – it can be expensive or not widespread within a community, as is the case for Rijve Arefin from Bangladesh: ‘Western countries have a lot of resources if you're burned out. There are recreational centres or ways to reach out to mental health experts, but in the Global South, we often don't have those facilities.’ The lack of institutional options may make people hesitant to tackle their mental health, especially when their problems stem from their work. In the case of peacebuilding, there are many nuances that need to be addressed with the care and sensitivity that only someone who understands you can provide – most times, peacebuilders cannot even imagine what that help could look like: ‘And I just looked back and said, I just wish someone spoke about mental health. I wish that someone spoke about what it was like to get help, how you get help, what does the other side look like and someone to present mental health in a positive light rather than the negative light that most of this issue is shined on’ (Sebastian Robertson, Australia). While this manual cannot teach you how to make therapy more accessible in your location of work, it can share alternative methods that our interviewees followed to care for their emotional well-being.

Care from the Outside

As mentioned before, peacebuilding is not a job to be done alone. Thus, it is no surprise that our interviewees stress the importance of having a strong support system based on a sense of community. Your community does not only have to contain friends – in fact, you should be in contact with a diverse group of people, each of whom you can rely on for different things. Your community should be made up of friends, family, passionate people who have the same goals as you, and role models or mentors. This way, you are simultaneously in contact with someone to simply confide in and someone you can seek advice from. Our interviewees emphasise that you should never be ashamed to admit you don’t know something or be afraid to ask for help:

‘Everyone feels that every day. It doesn't matter what age you are, no one has any clue what they're doing. Everyone's making it up as they go along. Find that comfort in discomfort, it’s normal to not know what you’re doing... And if you don’t have the answers, that’s also okay because someone else does.’ (Alice Langton, Australia)

There may also be support communities already created by the organisations around you – seek them out! These could be clubs, safe discussion spaces, or just an occasional dinner party among like-minded individuals. Sometimes, they might cater to a specific group of people (such as women, LGBTQIA+ folk, etc.), while some of them might be open to all. Do not be afraid to search for these gatherings – your initial discomfort will dissipate once you find one that works for you and your needs.

Another method of external support mentioned by our interviewees is closely connected to peacebuilding work. At times, nothing can put a smile on the face of a peacebuilder like encountering an individual from a community they helped. Seeing the results of your work – especially in the form of a happy young person telling you how you changed something for them – might be exactly what you need to put your emotional health back on track. Once you are reminded of the impact you make on the world, you are sure to feel pride, adoration, and a rekindled sense of passion to keep you going for a long time. Hold onto that.

Care from the Inside

While an external support system is necessary, you must also know how to care for yourself independently. This will ensure that you develop the self-sufficiency to care for yourself if your loved ones are not available (whether physically or emotionally).

Our interviewees built their internal support systems around the attitudes they wished to have towards the world and the emotions they wanted to feel the most. They view peacebuilding as necessary – by being the ones doing this impactful work, they build a sense of agency and feel empowered: ‘I can say now that I am my own person. Seven years ago, I was … like a puppet that was adapted to the space where you put her’ (Stella Grahek, Slovenia). Their motivation is fueled by their purpose and passion that when combined, create a strong will to act. They channel their energy towards positive emotions such as hope, courage, dedication, and resilience to keep this urge active. Some also use their spirituality or religion to create these positive emotions within themselves.

In cases where the interviewee still has to recover from atrocities committed against them or their community, they focus specifically on reconciliation above all else. They find this to be a prerequisite for any mental healing they wish to focus on after. While reconciliation demands a lot from the individual, our interviewees recommend focusing on the constructive and positive feelings that arise from this healing process, such as empathy, forgiveness, and harmony.