b'Balance or Burnout Achieving balance can be difficult. Taking an active part in the MS community can be empowering. It can feel like you nally have a way to ght back against MS, and you may want to chase that feeling. However, doing too much can have consequences, up to and including burnout. Burnout is a feeling of being overwhelmed, exhausted, and emotionally drained as a result of incessant demands from a given activity. We often think of burnout as being related to demanding jobs, but advocacy burnout is a real issue. Because advocacy comes from a place of personal interest or passion and is conducted on your own time, not limited by a sense of business hours, it can be easy to nd yourself devoting more and more of your time and energy. Its important to manage your energy and stress levels, even when doing something as positive as participating in the MS community.How can you engage with the MS community without losing yourself in it?1. A.B.C.Assess before committing If youre new to the MS community or to a certain type of advocacy, make sure you have a full sense of whats involved before you make a commitment. For example, running an online group for fathers with MS might sound simple enough, but what if people join who are in different time zones? Who will manage issues that occur while you sleep? Can you recruit moderators to help? What other challenges do you need to be prepared for? It would be wise to discuss what is involved in this kind of effort with the leader of a similar online group before you commit. 2. PrioritizeThere are so many opportunities to get involvedresearch studies, political advocacy, awareness campaigns, support groups, fundraisers, and more. All are valuable ways to contribute, but it would be difficult to do them allat least, it would be tough to do them all at once. Think about what activities are most important to you, and start there. You can add in additional activities as you have time.3. Set boundariesEstablish reasonable limits on how and when you will be involved. Do you nd yourself up scrolling through group comments or reading project emails late into the night? Do you feel compelled to check your phone notications even when you are watching a movie or spending time with family? Create a set of rules for yourself. Write them down and stick to them. For example, you might have rules such as I will mute notications during family dinner and social activities, or I will not read or respond to messages after 9 p.m. Communicate these boundaries to others in your circle, so they understand when you will and wont be available. 4. Give yourself the understanding you would give to othersIf a friend were having a relapse and had to slow down or step away from an activity, would you understand? What if they were late answering messages because 8'