Compassion Fatigue: what are the symptoms and what can I do about it?

Compassion fatigue was most common among those in the helping professional but over recent years with the instantaneous media coverage it has bled over into a multitude of people’s lives.  Some symptoms of compassion fatigue are: 

• Feeling burdened by the suffering of others

• Blaming others for their suffering

• Isolating yourself

• Loss of pleasure in life

• Difficulty concentrating

• Insomnia

• Physical and mental fatigue

• Bottling up your emotions

• Increased nightmares

• Feelings of hopelessness or powerlessness

• Frequent complaining about your work or your life

• Overeating

• Excessive use of drugs or alcohol

• Poor self-care

• Beginning to receive a lot of complaints about your work or attitude

• Denial

Some helpful tools to reduce compassion fatigue are: 

• Clarify your personal boundaries

• Be kind to yourself

• Express what you need verbally, and

• Take positive action to change your environment (speak up to colleagues, family, friends, etc.)

• Connect with friends and/or family who can validate your needs.

• Limit the amount of daily news you watch or read about.

• Use gratitude.

• Take time off from work if needed for rest and resetting.

• Use breath work to regulate your nervous system. 

Remember: you can not feed someone who is hungry from an empty spoon (you’re the spoon!). Take care of yourself & take time to rest so you can provide the best care to those around you.