Cultures of Wellbeing: Why We Need Space to Process

Mar 16

As a nonprofit leader, you’re likely no stranger to the emotional demands of your work. The high-stakes and fast-paced nature of social impact work often leaves little time to slow down and process what’s happening in your communities and beyond. Sometimes, major events—such as political changes or environmental crises—directly impact your work and livelihood. In the wake of these moments, you and your teams are often asked to take action and quickly adapt to what's happening, leaving little time to pause, reflect, and process.

But what if making time to pause, reflect, and process could enhance your team’s resilience, focus, and overall effectiveness? What if creating time to process became a critical part of your organizational strategy for navigating urgent and unprecedented challenges? This edition of Cultures of Wellbeing will provide a roadmap on how you and your nonprofit team can advocate for and integrate more space to process in a demanding workforce.

What Is Workplace Wellbeing?

At its core, wellbeing is a combination of factors that impact our ability to live healthy and fulfilling lives. It encompasses every facet of our lives, from our physical health, to our finances, and our social connections. Work is no exception. Everything from workplace culture to daily tasks directly impacts our wellbeing. For nonprofits, where teams are often stretched thin due to funding limitations and high expectations, the impact can be even greater.

Workplace wellbeing has become a critical focus for organizations looking to create supportive and productive environments for their employees. These initiatives are meant to help professionals feel valued, supported, and equipped to sustain their passion for their work. For nonprofit leaders, this means creating environments where people can thrive in their roles and contribute to an organization's mission without sacrificing their mental and emotional health.

What Is "Space to Process?"

One often overlooked yet essential element of workplace wellbeing is giving ourselves and the people we lead space to process emotions and experiences, especially in turbulent and uncertain times. If we want our dedicated staff to stay motivated and engaged during difficult periods, we must create psychologically safe spaces to pause (have permission to slow down and stop what we are doing), reflect (ask ourselves important questions about what we are experiencing), and process (make sense of our emotions in a way that provides us with clarity and confidence to take intentional action).

When executed well, space to process allows people to step out of constant urgency, engage in self-inquiry, and make sense of the world around them without the pressure to immediately act. This processing time is not just about taking a break from work—it’s about ensuring we have the mental and emotional clarity to continue our critical work with renewed energy and purpose.

Why Do We Need Space to Process?

Space to process is especially important for nonprofit professionals who are often deeply invested in work that is emotionally and socially complex. Social impact work can be rewarding, but it can also carry significant rates of burnout, compassion fatigue, and martyrdom. Research from 2024 shows that burnout is a top concern for most nonprofit leaders, with burnout affecting their organization's ability to achieve its mission. Burnout is a blend of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced productivity, all of which result from high-pressure environments that leave little room for recovery.

Having space to process—whether it be recent political news or conflicts in the workplace—can help combat these pathways to burnout. While burnout is considered to be an occupational phenomenon and not a mental health disorder, it still poses mental health risks. According to the U.S. Surgeon General, nearly 80% of U.S. workers reported experiencing at least one symptom of a mental health condition in 2021. With the social impact landscape facing more uncertainty following the U.S. election, professionals in these fields are feeling the pressure more than ever. The Surgeon General also highlights that social support, a sense of belonging, and community connection are essential to creating cultures of wellbeing. Creating space to process is a key component of these remedies, helping to prevent feelings of isolation while reinforcing connection and resilience within teams.

A commitment to creating intentional space to process can lead to a range of benefits:

Increased Emotional Resilience: When we allow ourselves time to process, we develop the self-awareness and coping strategies needed to navigate challenges with more clarity and confidence.
Enhanced Focus and Decision-Making: A well-rested and emotionally balanced mind is more focused, creative, and better equipped to solve problems that are values-aligned.
Improved Team Cohesion: When we create spaces for people to process together, we create opportunities to build trust. This can be an opportunity for teams to navigate challenges together while reinforcing a sense of belonging and shared purpose.

What Our Community Is Doing

We've been keeping a close watch on how our community is responding to uncertain times, and we’ve seen some incredible efforts. Here’s what we’ve observed so far:

Scheduling Internal Team Processing Meetings: Teams are designating specific times to gather, reflect, and process the challenges they’re facing. These meetings create a safe space to talk openly, share experiences, and ensure no one feels isolated in their work. When possible, teams are integrating reflective activities like journaling and movement, or fun and simple activities like puzzles to help employees pause and reflect during their workdays.
Seeking External Community Spaces for Processing: Great leaders are making sure to tell their teams about accessible spaces to process. Whether this be grief circles, community-based activities, or specialized support groups, they’re staying informed about available resources and sharing them with their teams. Here in San Diego, we host monthly, donation-based Slow Down events that serve as a space for processing, connection, and healing. Nonprofit professionals across the country may consider checking out The Nonprofit Hive, which offers a free-of-cost platform for changemakers to share their passion, fight burnout, and make connections.
Encouraging Access to Benefits: Leaders are reminding team members about the wellbeing benefits that are available to them, whether it be flexibility with sick time or access to mental health care. Other organizations are offering opportunities for employees to work with mental health professionals and coaches, helping them process and navigate personal and professional challenges in one-on-one and group settings.

3 Questions to Consider

Practicing workplace wellbeing requires deep, intentional, and dedicated change. Anyone can be a catalyst for positive change in this work. Here are three key questions to reflect on and share with your teams if you’re hoping to create more spaces to process:

Am I actively modeling healthy processing behaviors?
Do I regularly pause to reflect or seek support when needed?
What could be different for this team if we had more time to pause and process together?
What positive changes can we expect in our performance and team dynamics?
Do we have local partners who want to co-create a space for processing?
Could collaboration with community organizations or leaders enrich our wellbeing strategies?

2 Action Steps to Get Started

Creating space to process is an ongoing practice, and it’s never too late to start. Here are two concrete ways to begin making a difference today:

Schedule Check-Ins: Reach out to your staff members individually to check in on how they’re doing, or schedule a team meeting with an agenda fully focused on helping colleagues process something together. This will be a great opportunity to gather feedback on how others perceive the need to process, both individually and collectively.
Partner Up: Reach out to other organizations and leaders in your network to learn about what they’re doing to help their teams process. Collaborating with others opens doors to new strategies and support systems that can benefit everyone involved.

1 Healthy Mantra To Keep In Mind

“Pausing, reflecting, and processing is the key to taking intentional and impactful action.”

Let Us Be Your Space to Process Partner!

At Do Good Leadership Collective, we believe that nonprofit employees shouldn’t just survive their work—they should thrive in it. Thriving workplaces begin with intentional wellbeing practices. We specialize in facilitating and holding space for leaders and teams to process, whether it be through day-long staff retreats or 60-minute private coaching sessions. If you’re looking for ways to embed meaningful wellbeing strategies into your organization, we’d love to collaborate!

If this post resonated with you, share it with your network or reach out to continue the conversation!

Sources & More