Combating Compassion Fatigue

2015-12-17 17:28:05 Katie Navarra

You can find yourself experiencing compassion fatigue not only as a professional caregiver, such as a nurse, doctor, therapist, counselor, etc., but also as a result of being a full-time caregiver for a hurting family member, close friend, church small group leader, lay counselor, or any other volunteer position where you are walking alongside hurting people.

So, you may ask, what is compassion fatigue? Naomi Ramen paints a vivid picture, “The expectation that we can be immersed in suffering and loss daily and not be touched by it is as unrealistic as expecting to be able to walk through water without getting wet.” Through this poetic language, it is clear compassion fatigue can be a normal part of walking alongside hurting people, in fact, something to be expected. Validating the fact that you may be experiencing this type of fatigue can allow you to walk through it, heal from it, learn from it, and move forward in your work.

Now that you have the knowledge anyone can experience compassion fatigue, what exactly does it look like and how can you find resiliency through it? Compassion fatigue can look like physical, emotional, or mental exhaustion caused by emotionally demanding situations, which start to cause negative feelings within oneself. You may feel drained, discouraged, and be experiencing high emotional exhaustion and low satisfaction with your work. It is the natural consequence of constant empathy and the stress that results from caring for people. It may look like anxiety, numbness, fear, physical pain and body aches, spiritual dryness, sleep disturbance, or social withdrawal.

So what can you do:

• Know the warning signs (be aware and on the lookout)
• Discover what your triggers are
• Ask yourself: How healthy are my boundaries?
• And…most importantly, work to build resiliency

Shifting from compassion fatigue to resiliency:

Understand that resiliency does not mean there is an absence of stress and negativity, yet is actually based on our ability to cope and respond to the stress and adapt to the adversity. So how…?

• Work through the emotions and effects of stress
• Remember whom the ultimate Healer, Counselor, Helper is. Be Christ-conscious instead of Self-conscious.
• Take REST: Restore, Energize, Sustain, and Trust.
• Maintain balance in your life (both personally and professionally)
• Practice self-forgiveness and self-compassion
• Eliminate the idea that you have to be perfect at helping others
• Increase coping strategies: rest, exercise, eat healthy, find social support, grow in your own spiritual journey, do not self-medicate, reduce exposure to negative stimuli outside of your work, and get professional help before it gets worse.
• Utilize breathing exercises (A simple one is: 8 seconds in, 2 seconds hold, 8 seconds out, Repeat 3x)
• Recognize your own limits

Overall, remember to laugh and not take yourself too seriously. You can continue to be a helper when you release control, and instead choose to walk into your own humanness and be a fellow traveler with those you serve and work with.

Mental Health