Compassion Fatigue and How To Stay Healthy

Written by: Lorri Wilkerson, Peer Support Specialist, SCCMHA

Compassion Fatigue

Anyone who works in a field that requires one to care for others, such as a therapist, nurse, peer,  or other, can become burned out over time.  Even healthy workers or helpers with an optimal balance of life and work can experience compassion fatigue when faced with an overloaded work schedule, dealing with a client with a lot of traumatic content, or finding the caseload suddenly filled with a lot of people who are in a major crisis.

Compassion is a limited resource; one that needs refilling from time to time.   Listening to people who are suffering and not being able to do enough for them puts tremendous pressure on the caregiver.

Compassion fatigue can affect anyone; the most caring and dedicated nurses, social workers, physicians, or psychiatrists alike are at risk.  These problems can affect  professional  and personal lives.  Some symptoms include difficulty concentrating, intrusive thoughts, loss of hope, anger, exhaustion, irritability or thoughts of suicide.  It can make you feel cynical at work, make more clinical errors, violate  client boundaries, and lose  respect towards your clients. It makes it harder to empathize with someone.  You may simply stop caring. You may find yourself avoiding one of your clients.  Or avoiding work all together. If you are someone in recovery, compassion fatigue can be harder to deal with. The feelings of guilt over not feeling  compassionate or "right" towards others can overwhelm you.

It is important that you recognize the signs of compassion fatigue, and take the steps needed to help yourself. Take the time to inventory your life, both personal and professional.  What is demanding of your time?  Work? Family? Home? Volunteering?  List them all, try to make the list as detailed as you can.   

Once you have your list, look at it.  What jumps out at you?  What factors are making your plate too full? What would you like to change the most?

Overcoming compassion fatigue means coming to terms with  anger, fear and self-doubt. This requires honest self-reflection, a process that some find quite painful. Yet, if you're compassion fatigued, getting in touch with yourself is perhaps the most important step in the recovery process. Without it, the lifestyle changes you're trying to make may not be enough to sustain you.   Make sure you have someone you can talk to about this; a close friend or counselor who will listen non-judgmentally.

Start gathering ideas for self care.

 Maybe include some co-workers or friends in this.  Gather as many ideas as you can and place them in a list.  Include them all, even if you don't think you would use them.  You never know.

Make time for yourself every day.

Can you think of simple things you could do for yourself?  Maybe a 10 minute cat-nap during your lunchtime.  Maybe close your office door and listen to 5 minutes of your favorite music.  Or at home, turn the TV off early and spend some quality  time before bed. Even small changes can make a difference in a busy life.

Learn to say "No" more often.

Do you always volunteer your time? Are you the crisis go-to person for your family and friends?  It can be exhausting!  Can you set realistic limits for your time? Find the reasons why you can't say no.  Is it because of issues such as self-esteem or some other personal issue?  Take a moment to think about this.  Also, have you stopped saying yes to family, friends and new opportunities?

Get enough sleep

When people are stressed, it is easy to forget to eat, take breaks, get exercise, or get enough sleep.  These are all important to over-all health. Pay close attention to your habits. Maybe start a journal to keep track.

Know your "ABC's"

Awareness

Journal writing, therapy, and talking with a supervisor or friend are examples of good habits that build self awareness.

Balance

Maintain healthy boundaries between work and home.  Develop new interests and hobbies.  Do something relaxing, such as meditation or reading a book.

Connection

Having supportive colleagues or peers at work can help reduce isolation and give opportunities to share. It is also an important way to develop and nurture more trust in relationships.

All together, these things will help you get back on track with the goals you have set for the future.  You can feel better about yourself, if you take the time to nurture yourself.  It may not happen overnight, but you CAN do it.

If you are having thoughts of suicide, PLEASE talk to someone or call a hotline.  Don't give up on yourself or on life.

RESOURCES

*Workshops for the Helping Professions

www.compassionfatigue.ca

*wiseGEEK search engine

www.wisegeek.com/what-are-the-best-tips-for-treating-compassion-fatigue.htm

*Wikipedia

www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compassion_fatigue

*Overcoming Compassion Fatigue

http://www.aafp.org/fpm/2000/0400/p39.html

Other Resources

Professional Quality Of Life Test

www.proquol.org/uploads/ProQOL_5_English.pdf

(They assess compassion fatigue as well as levels of satisfaction.)