What is Compassion Fatigue?
Compassion is an admirable quality, but caring too much in a way that harms yourself or goes beyond your abilities and resources can come at a cost. This cost is known as compassion fatigue and it arises from a combination of factors:
Imbalance of tools (I.e., practical, personal, energy) to cope with the demand of caring
Entangling yourself with other people’s emotions as if they were your own
Limited positive feedback for being compassionate
Role confusion (I.e., being a therapist rather than a partner)
But what is compassion fatigue?
Compassion fatigue is a complex topic that has been discussed in academic literature. It refers to the loss of empathy and concern that people in caregiving roles may experience, along with physical and emotional symptoms. Caregivers are more likely to experience compassion fatigue than people who are not in caregiving roles.
What are the signs and symptoms of compassion fatigue?
Someone experiencing compassion fatigue may experience a few or all of the following:
Apathy, emotional distancing, feeling your on-auto pilot, non-responsiveness, feeling the weight of the world on your shoulders or hopelessness
Self-criticism and judgment, distress when seeing someone suffering, agitation, resentment, and avoidance of emotional topics and conversation
Not wanting to go to work, lack of job satisfaction, minimal support from superiors or little training
Fatigue, disruption to sleep and appetite, interpersonal difficulties, not attending to your own needs or not communicating them effectively
How do I prevent compassion fatigue?
1. Adjust and manage expectations about your caring role.
You cannot be the superhero for everyone and you do not have superpowers. What you do have is knowledge in your field and tools to respond to the situation in the best way you can.
Being compassionate towards yourself is a protective factor against compassion fatigue.
Be mindful of how you feel and give yourself credit for caring, considering the difficult situations which you are exposed to.
2. Recognise any negative automatic thoughts which are unhelpful.
For example, discounting the positives, jumping to conclusions or labelling ourselves (I.e., “idiot, stupid, useless etc.”). We leave ourselves vulnerable to further stressors and take away from the positive impact we are having on people’s lives.
3. Take the stance of prioritising yourself at home and work.
This means implementing healthy boundaries that promote separation between home and work (I.e., not checking emails, thinking about work); and attending to your needs (eating, sleeping, exercise, social outings, recreation and downtime).
4. Communicate with a supervisor or mentor figure after stressful events.
This allows you to receive support when you need it, debrief and get feedback on how to manage similar situations in the future. This way you are not bringing thoughts about work home and you increase the tools to cope with the caring role.
5. Assess the way that you show compassion in your caring role.
By keeping the focus on the other person and not allowing yourself to enmesh with their experience, you can accurately validate their emotions and provide appropriate support.
6. Clearly understand your role and seek to provide empathy in a realistic and appropriate way.
Don’t take the stance of a counsellor, GP, nurse, or parent when this is not your role. Role confusion creates unrealistic expectations and responsibilities you are not equipped for. Delegate tasks where you need to.
This is also true of romantic relationships, whilst reaching out for support is a positive thing, if you or your partner is becoming overwhelmed by providing support make sure you build skills to cope and access professional support if you need to.
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