Holding Steady: How Helpers Can Navigate Political Stress Without Losing Themselves
Politics, as you may have noticed, is a noisy, unpredictable beast. It changes shape, direction, and volume depending on who’s holding the megaphone. And if you are in the business of helping people—whether as a social worker, educator, healthcare provider, community organizer, or just a human trying to make things slightly less terrible—you feel it.
Some mornings, you wake up ready to change the world. Other mornings, you open the news, sigh deeply, and consider a career raising goats on a quiet farm. Both are reasonable responses.
The problem isn’t just the politics themselves. It’s what they do to you. The weight of systemic injustices, policies that make your work harder, funding cuts that gut the very services people rely on. It’s watching people struggle while knowing that the resources exist—but are just out of reach, locked behind a labyrinth of bureaucracy and fine print.
This isn’t burnout in the way people usually talk about it. It’s not just being tired. It’s being tired of the fight itself. And that’s a different beast altogether.
Why Political Stress Feels So Heavy for Helpers
Political stress is a sneaky thing. It doesn’t hit you all at once. It accumulates. A little frustration here, a little heartbreak there, until one day, you realize you’ve been carrying an emotional backpack filled with bricks.
Harvard’s Human Resources research points out that prolonged exposure to political stress can cause anxiety, fatigue, and a creeping sense of powerlessness. Social workers and frontline helpers experience this even more acutely. The Oxford Academic Journal of Social Work found that when policies shift against the needs of the people they serve, helpers often feel like they are fighting an uphill battle—without shoes. On ice. Against a hurricane.
What makes this so draining is that helpers aren’t just bystanders. You’re invested. You care. You have spent your life trying to dismantle barriers, only to wake up one day and realize that someone has built ten more overnight.
So how do you keep showing up, without losing yourself?
The Helper’s Survival Guide to Political Stress
Since we can’t control the political chaos of the world, we have to control the way we navigate it. Here’s how:
1. Set Boundaries with Information
There is a fine line between staying informed and drowning in outrage. Limit your news consumption. Pick one or two reputable sources. Set specific times to check updates—maybe once in the morning, once in the evening. And for the love of everything good, do not scroll before bed. That’s how you end up awake at 2 AM, debating strangers in the comment section of an article you didn’t even mean to click on.
2. Control What You Can, Accept What You Can’t
Politics will do what politics does. You can scream at the sky about it, or you can focus on what’s actually in your control. That might mean advocating for policy change, organizing your community, or simply continuing to do your work with as much integrity and kindness as you can. Let go of the idea that you have to fix everything. No one ever has. No one ever will.
3. Connect with People Who Keep You Grounded
Isolation is the enemy of resilience. The more politically charged things become, the more important it is to find your people—those who remind you why you do what you do. Talk to colleagues who get it. Have dinner with friends who make you laugh. Join a group that shares your values. And when things feel hopeless, let someone else carry the hope for you for a little while.
4. Take a Break (No, Really)
You are not a machine. Even machines need maintenance. Take a step back when you need to. Watch a terrible reality TV show. Go outside and touch a tree. Do something utterly unrelated to your work. The system will still be broken when you get back—but you will be a little more whole.
5. Advocate for Yourself, Too
Helpers are good at fighting for others. They are terrible at fighting for themselves. Social workers have some of the highest burnout rates of any profession. So do healthcare workers. So do teachers. If you’re exhausted, that’s not a personal failing—it’s a sign that the system has asked too much of you. Seek support. Ask for what you need. And remember that you deserve help, too.
The Reality Check: You’re Not Alone
There are days when it feels like everything is unraveling. But here’s the truth: history has always been messy. There have always been barriers. And yet, somehow, people like you keep showing up. Not because it’s easy, and certainly not because the system makes it simple. But because helping is what we do.
The work has never been about fixing everything overnight. It’s about pushing the needle forward, inch by inch. It’s about ensuring that when someone reaches out for help, there’s a hand waiting for them. And maybe, just maybe, it’s about making sure that we don’t lose ourselves in the process.
So, take a breath. Set down your emotional backpack for a moment. And remember: you are not broken. You are just blocked. And blocks can be moved.
Reflection Questions for Helpers
Where do I feel the weight of political stress the most? Is it in my emotions, my body, my work, or my relationships?
What is within my control, and what do I need to let go of?
Am I taking care of myself with the same compassion I give to others? If not, why?
Who are the people I can lean on when I need support? How often do I let them know I need it?
What is one small way I can reconnect with joy, even in the midst of stress?
Bringing the Conversation to Your Team or Communty
If you’re leading a team or working in a space where political shifts and funding changes impact the way you help, this isn’t just about managing stress—it’s about keeping your team grounded and focused amid uncertainty. That’s where the Holding Steady Discussion Guide comes in.
This guide is designed for small group conversations, offering structured ways to talk about political stress and uncertainty in a way that builds resilience, not just frustration. It includes:
✔ Ways to navigate uncertainty without losing focus
✔ Strategies for keeping teams connected and supported
✔ A space to reflect on what’s shifting—and what still holds steady
Because here’s the reality: Political change will happen. Funding will fluctuate. But helpers? We endure. And the best way to stay in this work is to make sure we’re supporting each other along the way.
You Can’t Control Everything, But You Can Protect Your Energy
This work is hard. It’s always been hard. And when policies change, when funding disappears, when the work feels heavier than before, the instinct is to push harder. But burning yourself out won’t protect your clients. Running on empty won’t create better outcomes.
The real challenge isn’t just about adapting to political change—it’s about adapting in a way that keeps you in this work for the long haul.
So take the time to check in. Have the conversation. And when you’re ready to go deeper, download the Holding Steady Discussion Guide—a resource designed to help you stay steady, stay connected, and keep showing up in a way that lasts.
📖 Get the guide. Lead the conversation. Support each other.
Bring a Helping Academy Workshop to Your Organization
Want to go deeper? The Helping Academy powered by Mezzo Solutions offers a variety of workshops designed to support those who dedicate themselves to helping others. From Burnout Prevention & Recovery to Navigating Change, our sessions provide real-world strategies for creating sustainable work practices while prioritizing well-being.
