What Happens After the Breaking Point?
In humanitarian work, we pride ourselves on resilience. We push through long hours, adapt to shifting demands, and carry burdens most people never see.
But every system, every person, has a breaking point. And in our sector, the question isn’t whether we’ll reach it — it’s what happens when we do.
Recognizing the Breaking Point
The breaking point doesn’t always arrive with dramatic collapse. Sometimes it’s slow and silent:
You stop caring about the work you once loved.
Small frustrations feel overwhelming.
You’re physically present but emotionally checked out.
Other times, it’s sudden…a moment when the strain becomes unbearable.
What Comes Next
Crossing the breaking point can feel like failure. But it’s often the body and mind’s way of forcing a pause that’s long overdue.
In the aftermath, people may experience:
Emotional numbness or detachment.
Loss of confidence in their skills or purpose.
Strained relationships with colleagues and loved ones.
Questioning whether they can, or want to, stay in the sector.
The Risk of Rushing Recovery
In humanitarian spaces, the response to a breaking point is often “take a break and get back to it.” While rest is essential, this approach misses the deeper work needed to address root causes. Without that, the cycle simply repeats.
A Path Toward Repair
Recovery after the breaking point requires:
Naming the harm - to self, to trust, to values.
Identifying root causes, not just symptoms.
Restoring connection to purpose in ways that feel sustainable.
Rebuilding capacity at a pace that honors healing, not urgency.
For organizations, it means creating space for genuine repair - not just a quick return to productivity.
Why This Matters for the Sector
Every breaking point is a signal. Ignoring these signals erodes the very foundations of humanitarian work: trust, humanity, and care. But when we treat them as moments for reckoning and renewal, we can build something more sustainable.
Holding space with care and solidarity — here’s to staying whole, together,
~ Kate
Thanks for reading The Olive Pages: Fieldnotes on care, clarity, and staying whole
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KRC provides coaching, psychosocial support, and organizational consulting to humanitarian professionals and mission-driven organizations worldwide. Based in lived experience and trauma-aware care, our work helps clients navigate burnout, moral injury, organizational change, and career transitions — while staying human in the process.