Treating And Moving Through Empathy Fatigue
In todays global pandemic, empathy fatigue can go hand-in-hand with caution fatigue. But its important to remain vigilant about slowing the spread of COVID-19. We must be mindful about what were doing to help and protect others, while also taking care of ourselves.
Empathy fatigue can eventually slip into depression, so its so important to pay attention to how youre feeling, address those feelings and move forward with caring for yourself and those around you.
When were talking about empathy fatigue in terms of treatment, we like to think about the ABC model, explains Dr. Albers. We need to work on our awareness, our balance of everything going on and our connection with others.
Here is more about what that means:
Seek Support From Others
When you realize you might be suffering from compassion fatigue, empathize with yourself. Seek help where you may get it, as your only fault is caring.
You need to realize that, to be able to help others, you need to be in top shape. So why not deal with yourself first?
Identify whats important to you.
Helping others may lead to you overlooking catering to your own needs. Sharing your worries with a certified professional may help to detoxify your situation.
Support may also come in the form of a support group. Find people who have been through the same thing and talk about your experiences with them because they can relate.
Realizing that youre not the only one whos been through a situation alleviates the guilt.
Is Compassion Fatigue The Same As Burnout
Alright, so compassion fatigue can be categorized as a type of burnout. But for the sake of explanation, lets separate the two.
So, burnout is when a person reaches general overall exhaustion, leading to a lack of motivation and interest in their work.
Compassion fatigue, in comparison, is sometimes called vicarious trauma. It involves the negative emotions a person may feel from helping others.
And it sucks. Im just going to say it. It sucks for a variety of reasons. For example, most of these individuals do care and dont want to experience these negative emotions. In fact, many of them got into their line of work to help people. But it can, undeniably, be exhausting. Day after day, youre empathizing. Youre giving. Its a lot.
On top of this, compassion fatigue doesnt necessarily come on slowly . Rather, it hits suddenly, usually when experiencing a particularly traumatic scenario.
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The Other Side Of The Coin
Compassion fatigue is a tough fact of life for many nurses, but that doesnt mean nursing is always a psychological drain. Carlson says he is optimistic about the career and the fulfillment that comes from the tangible differences a nurse can make with their patients.
There is an endless list of things that make nursing rewarding, Carlson says.
While it is important to focus on all the positive aspects of nursing, it is also crucial to address the challenge of compassion fatigue that some nurses will encounter as they strive to give the best care to their patients. Its also encouraging to know you can overcome it and continue the career you love.
Ripe Conditions For Compassion Fatigue
Compassion stress and compassion fatigue are widely accepted occupational hazards in caring professions such as nursing, firefighting, social work, emergency medical response or policing. An awareness of the signs and symptoms of these mental health problems are often part of professional training.
However, only more recently has compassion fatigue been recognized as a problem for educators. The slow erosion of resources in and for schools, and the chronic underfunding of services for vulnerable and special needs students over the past several years, has resulted in an intensification of educators workloads. Rather than having other professionals and support staff to assist with the day-to-day running of schools, teachers and school administrators have taken over the jobs that hold school communities together.
As one survey participant noted:
Its not always about the big events or students with big trauma. Its the day-to-day emptying of my bucket with no one there to fill it, decreasing understanding among administrators about this as well as decreasing respect for teachers from the general public. When I actually get to teach and help, I love it. The guilt of not being able to do it all is exhausting.
The consequences of ignoring educational caregivers burnout and compassion fatigue might lead to a high turnover of professionals, an inability to attract new employees and difficulty retaining experienced professionals .
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Collision Of Burnout And Compassion Fatigue
In addition to this alarming number of respondents reporting compassion fatigue, symptoms of burnout were also evident, including physical exhaustion and sensing a lack of feeling appreciated. Eighty-nine per cent of respondents reported feeling low energy and almost 70 per cent reported an inability to concentrate.
Fortunately, depersonalization, an extreme symptom of burnout characterized by a callousness or lack of caring towards students, was not evident. Conversely, respondents reported pushing themselves to exhaustion to meet the individual needs of their students.
Albertas dismissal of many educational assistants and support staff early in the pandemic devastated the respondents who either lost crucial supports, or lost their own job, and could not help vulnerable students.
What’s Important To You
Andy’s story is the tip of an iceberg that’s grown rapidly in the last few years. Ten or 20 years ago, physicians who were tired of medicine and trying to transition out were 45 to 55 years old. Now, we have many 35- to 45-year-olds asking us, Am I going to have to quit medicine to have a life outside of work? Our answer is no. You can be a family physician without having to compromise your well-being. But living a balanced life does require that you take the time for self-reflection, identify what’s most important to you and adopt a healthier lifestyle. This isn’t something that’s been taught in most medical schools, and it’s not something that can wait until changes occur in the health care system.
Whether you want to prevent compassion fatigue or find your way back from it, begin to identify what’s important to you. It can help you feel better about your life and your life’s work.
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Compassion Fatigue: The High Toll Of Caring
by Julie FergusonJune 29, 2018 in Caregivers, Problems
Compassion fatigue is often called the cost of caring. Its a type of stress response or burnout, sometimes likened to PTSD a syndrome that occurs most frequently in helping professions: nurses, physicians, counselors and other health care professionals police, firefighters and first responders, and anyone who treats and is continually exposed to the pain and trauma of others.
Psychologist Dr. Charles Figley, Professor at Tulane University, New Orleans and Director of the Tulane Traumatology Institute is a pioneer in the study of this particular type of professional stress. He says that:
Compassion Fatigue is a state experienced by those helping people or animals in distress it is an extreme state of tension and preoccupation with the suffering of those being helped to the degree that it can create a secondary traumatic stress for the helper.
While there are similarities with burnout, the American Institute of Stress says that there is a clear difference: Compassion fatigue has a more rapid onset while burnout emerges over time. Compassion Fatigue has a faster recovery .
The American Stress Institute offers these management tips. Although aimed at physicians and healthcare workers, they re largely applicable to anyone who suffers from this syndrome.
- Find someone to talk to.
- Understand that the pain you feel is normal.
- Exercise and eat properly.
Warning Signs Of Compassion Fatigue In Family Caregivers
- Feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and drained
- Avoidance and not wanting to be around your loved one
- A decrease in patience and tolerance
- Angry outbursts that are uncharacteristic of your behavior
- Cynicism and hopelessness
- Impaired ability to make care decisions
- Difficulty sleeping
- Physical symptoms, such as headaches or gastrointestinal issues
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Pro Tip: Dont Confuse Having An Interest With Having A Hobby
Part of the joy of pursuing a hobby is the doing. You see, hobbies, unlike interests, require action. Now, a hobby can be inspired by an interest, but the key difference is that an active pursuit toward an interest that makes it a hobby.
Choosing a hobby shouldnt be complicated or stressful. Look into your past. Was there something you enjoyed as a child that you might still enjoy as an adult? Are there projects around your home that you gave up?
If you are still struggling to find a hobby, start with something small. You dont have to find the perfect hobby. In fact, there is joy and adventure in exploring new things. The key is to try out new things and explore whats out there. And remember, get out there!
The Cost Of Caring: 10 Ways To Prevent Compassion Fatigue
Compassion fatigue can be a serious occupational hazard for those in any kind of helping profession, with a majority of those in the field reporting experiencing at least some degree of it in their lives. This is no surprise, as it is typically those with the most empathy who are the most at risk.
Compassion fatigue is characterized by physical and emotional exhaustion and a profound decrease in the ability to empathize. It is a form of secondary traumatic stress, as the stress occurs as a result of helping or wanting to help those who are in need. It is often referred to as the cost of caring for others who are in physical or emotional pain. If left untreated, compassion fatigue not only can affect mental and physical health, but it can also have serious legal and ethical implications when providing therapeutic services to people.
While it is not uncommon to hear compassion fatigue referred to as burnout, the conditions are not the same. Compassion fatigue is more treatable than burnout, but it can be less predictable and may come on suddenly or without much warning, whereas burnout usually develops over time.
Because it can arise so abruptly, it can be important for therapists and others in the helping professions to protect themselves from this condition. Here are 11 ways to prevent compassion fatigue from happening to you:
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Resources To Take Action Against Compassion Fatigue
Still looking to learn more about compassion fatigue and how to combat it? The additional resources in this section can help you figure out whether compassion fatigue is creeping into your life and provide practical and actionable tools for handling them.
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Compassion Fatigue Impacts Us All
Prevention is better than a cure. However, compassion fatigue tends to be sudden and very unpredictable.
To be on the safe side, we need to encourage traumatic training in all help professions.
Compassion fatigue is a serious occupational hazard as most who are affected deal with other peoples lives. Its not only dangerous to the caregiver, but may also affect the patient and a host of family and friends.
If left untreated, it can lead to dire legal and ethical implications. All because the caregiver was so empathetic, they became sick too.
Lets be the ambassadors of awareness and save a life. The life of the patient and the caregiver and anyone else affected.
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Signs Of Compassion Fatigue
Compassion fatigue, also sometimes referred to as vicarious or secondary traumatization, often comes on more quickly than burnout. Nurse burnout and compassion fatigue share some similar signs, including emotional and mental exhaustion, feeling isolated, and a sense of disconnect between one’s work and the goals or cause at hand.
However, compassion fatigue often includes more specific signs:
- Impairment of judgement and behavior
- A loss of hope, self-worth, and self-esteem
- A potential for PTSD and depression
- Negative impact on spiritual identity and worldview
- An overall decline in morale
- A decrease in cognitive function and ability
- Disturbances in sleep pattern
Give Yourself The Gift Of Time
While you have your calendar out, give yourself the gift of time and create more white space in your calendar. For many of us in medicine, we are encouraged and rewarded to always be moving. We are encouraged to see more patients, attend more meetings, and have all our charting done while being a successful husband/wife/father/mother. Friends, my brothers, and sisters in medicine, we need to slow down quickly, or the flames of burnout will consume you.
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How To Recover From Compassion Fatigue And Burnout
How to Recover from Compassion Fatigue and Burnout
Enduring the many waves of the pandemic as a therapist has been a perfect recipe for compassion fatigue and burnout.
We have lived through the exact same situation as our clients over the past two years isolation, being down and out with COVID, sick family members and friends all while trying to navigate how we feel about the whole thing. None of us have been through a pandemic before, and the strategies we were once able to provide to our clients may no longer feel suitable with potential lockdowns, changing restrictions, and the unknown of what lies ahead.
Enduring the many waves of the pandemic as a therapist has been a perfect recipe for compassion fatigue and burnout.
You might be exhausted from pretending as though you have it all together for your clients sake and your own! Others may look at your life and admire your achievements, yet you might feel like you arent good enough or are falling apart at the seams. Or maybe your friends and family compliment you on the amazing ways youve been supporting your clients though these tough times, but somehow you can only focus on what isnt quite right.
We have lived through the exact same situation as our clients over the past two years, all while trying to navigate how we feel about the whole thing.
Perhaps youre tired and just want to be by yourself, but right now you honestly dont even know who you truly are.
Exercise And Eat Properly
Taking care of yourself should take precedent when dealing with compassion fatigue. Eating a nutritious breakfast can go a long way in bettering your day.
Compassion fatigue causes physical exhaustion, you can counter this by eating healthy meals to boost your system throughout the day. A healthy meal will replenish your blood sugar which will give you energy to power your muscles.
Your brain will also be able to focus on the tasks you handle at work.
Also, dont forget exercise. Working out increases your stamina.
Most health professionals spend their day in constant movement. Exercising trains your body to be more efficient while using less energy. This reduces the stress your body goes through as you work.
It also helps you sleep better, which is significantly beneficial since compassion fatigue can cause sleeplessness.
Increased stamina and a balanced diet increase your chances of overcoming compassion fatigue.
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Clear Difference: Compassion Fatigue Has A More Rapid Onset While Burnout Emerges Over Time Compassion Fatigue Has A Faster Recovery
Symptoms of Compassion Fatigue Affects many dimensions of your well-being Nervous system arousal Emotional intensity increases Isolation and loss of morale Depression and PTSD Loss of self-worth and emotional modulation Identity, worldview, and spirituality impacted Beliefs and psychological needs-safety, trust, esteem, intimacy, and control Loss of hope and meaning=existential despair Anger toward perpetrators or causal events
First, you should understand that its a process. Its not a matter of one day, youre living your life with a great deal of energy and enjoyment, and the next, you wake up exhausted and devoid of any energy both physical and emotional. Compassion fatigue develops over time taking weeks, sometimes years to surface. Basically, its a low level, chronic clouding of caring and concern for others in your life whether you work in or outside the home. Over time, your ability to feel and care for others becomes eroded through overuse of your skills of compassion. You also might experience an emotional blunting whereby you react to situations differently than one would normally expect.
When Helping Hurts by F. Oshberg, MD
Examine Beliefs About Self
Its not enough to just go through the motions of self-care, emphasizes Schwanz. It needs to be a legitimate attempt. In our society, we applaud people who work themselves to death, who neglect their own self-care to help others, says Schwanz. We rarely applaud people for taking the day off. Psychologists may have internalized this message, viewing self-care as selfish, says Schwanz, who is studying such beliefs relationship with compassion fatigue. As a result, psychologists may not reap the benefit of any self-care efforts they make, because they engage in behaviors such as worrying about work on a day off. And psychologists shouldnt feel guilty about taking time for fun and laughter during this sad, anxious time, adds Thomas Skovholt, PhD, of the University of Minnesota. Playing games, watching funny movies and the like can replenish the energy needed to help others, he says. Even a tiny dose of positive emotion, such as noticing flowers blooming, can help.
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