Compassion Fatigue

Compassion Fatigue is best described by Charles Figley, a Trauma Therapist: "We have not been directly exposed to the trauma scene, but we hear the story told with such intensity, or we hear similar stories so often, or we have the gift and curse of extreme empathy, and we suffer. We feel the feelings of our clients. We experience their fears. We dream their dreams. Eventually, we lose a certain spark of optimism, humor, and hope. We tire. We aren’t sick, but we aren’t ourselves.”

Compassion Fatigue is most widely experienced by caretakers, educators, social workers, nurses, doctors, emergency responders, veterinarians, and animal rescue workers. Basically, anyone who helps people or animals in distress can fall victim to the secondary traumatic stress caused by the preoccupation with the damaged subject. Caring too much can hurt.

When the focus is on others, and self-care is disregarded, destructive behaviors can take root.
Do you consistently wake up tired in the morning? Do you struggle to get to work? Are you guilty of chronic absenteeism? Are you losing empathy and compassion for others? Have you grown tired of your personal interests? Do you find yourself over-involved with traumatic situations? Do you feeling as though the harder you work, the less you accomplish? Are you easily frustrated or bored?  Do you suffer from unexplained aches and pains? You may have answered yes to some of these questions. You also may have made some excuses for these admissions.

So here's the thing, denial of compassion fatigue is one of the most detrimental symptoms because it prevents us from seeking help. Compassion fatigue can look like mere exhaustion or minor burnout until it reaches a drastic degree. By using the validated Professional Quality of Life (ProQoL) scale, you can identify your level of compassion fatigue. The assessment takes into consideration the milieu of characteristics of the work environment, personal traits, and exposure to trauma in the work setting. (17 different languages... Arabic, Greek, Turkish, Italian...)

Exercise:

  • Take the ProQol assessment this week. I will post the link in the comments.
  • Find someone to talk to family, friend, clergy, therapist. Someone who will process with you. Build your support system. 
  • Practice extreme self-care.
  • Get quality sleep.
  • Develop a work-life balance.
  • Take some time off from work. 
  • Develop your interests outside of work. Plug those activities into your calendar.
  • Identify what’s important to you and do what sets your soul on fire.
  • Get medical treatment if needed - don’t use alcohol or drugs to self-medicate.

Journal:
Expressive writing can help to build resilience, it also can help professionals to cope with stress and trauma.

  • Describe a past traumatic or stressful work-related event. What happened? How did you resolve it? How do you feel about it today? 
  • Rewrite the passage and shift from first to third‐person view. Writing in the third person allows the writer to act as an omniscient narrator. When you write from a broader perspective, you know all the feelings and thoughts of all the characters.

 (Blog 12/30/2018) Take care of your mind, body, and spirit, your own well-being. Establish daily habits: implement healthy eating, take high-quality supplements, meditate in quiet, exercise at your pace, reduce your screen time, practice your passion, be creative, spend time in nature, hydrate, listen to music.  Ironically, this daily self-care practice requires a modicum of happiness.

There is wisdom in taking decisive action to master the art of resiliency and stamina. To return to work rejuvenated, invest in the time to rest and replete your mind, body, and soul. Relish quiet moments of prayer or meditation, reading, or rejuvenating nature walks to build stamina and elevate your mood.


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