What is Compassion Fatigue?
Compassion is the capability to be with others in their suffering and the desire to remedy their pain or misfortune. Compassion fatigue (also called vicarious or secondary trauma) is the cost of prolonged exposure to the suffering of others. It is most commonly seen in people who work, volunteer or support people in helping or healing professions, such as healthcare or mental health and is often exacerbated by long working hours, stressful work environments, experiencing abuse or threatening behaviours from people and a lack of appropriate resources. For context, take a moment to remember the NHS staff who worked tirelessly through the Covid-19 Pandemic, they most likely suffered in a lot of emotional and psychological ways (and may still be struggling) with the effects of that time.
Common symptoms of compassion fatigue include:
Changes in mood such as feeling anxious or down.
Withdrawing or appearing detached from people around them.
Being more pessimistic or cynical than usual.
Being quick to anger or irritability.
Low motivation and productivity.
Poor sleep.
Tiredness or exhaustion.
Feeling hopeless or helpless.
Poor decision making.
Taking more time off work.
Lack of interest in things they used to find enjoyable.
Poor functioning and self-care.
Here are some tips if you think you might be struggling with compassion fatigue:
Prioritize you. Helpers and Healers are so good at caring for everyone else but to the cost of themselves.
Look at your schedule, when was the last time you took some annual leave? Ideally you should have a small amount of annual leave every 6-8 weeks.
Reflect on your work/life balance.
Seek out Supervision (if it’s available to you).
Be kind to yourself. You are not letting anyone down by taking a break.
Eat well.
Go outside and spend time in nature.
Exercise.
Practice mindfulness.
If you need help, seek out therapy. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy can be very effective in treating compassion fatigue.
If you know someone who might be struggling with compassion fatigue (e.g. a GP, GP receptionist, health care assistant, nurse, consultant etc.) Please take a moment to check in with them. They might need some support. And if you need some support, please click the link below to get in touch and book an assessment.