Don't let mentoring burn you out

Mentoring can potentially lead to burnout if not appropriately managed. Mentoring requires a significant time and energy investment, and it can be emotionally and mentally taxing to provide guidance and support to others.

Here are a few ways that mentoring can contribute to burnout:

1. High demand: mentoring relationships often require a lot of time and attention, which can be overwhelming if an individual is already stretched thin with other commitments
2. Emotional labor: providing support and guidance to others can be emotionally draining, especially if the mentee is facing challenges or setbacks
3. Lack of boundaries: without clear boundaries, it can be easy for mentoring to become all-consuming, leading to burnout.

1. Pay attention to signals such as feeling chronically exhausted, being more cynical than usual, or showing signs of apathy. Invite a peer to check in with you regularly and review your mentoring workload and any concerns you are having
2. Consider mentoring models that maximize your time while broadening your mentoring reach: group and peer mentoring and mentor-the-mentor
3. Make mentoring fun: read a book or go to a conference together, create a networking event for your mentee, or do a mutual role shadow
4. Talk about it: be open and transparent about your capacity and discuss the consequences of working from a place of reduced capacity with your mentees. Modeling self-awareness and self-care helps mentees learn these critical skills.