Have you ever been so emotionally invested in caring for someone else or helping to heal their distress that you became distressed yourself? If so, then you may have experienced compassion fatigue, the emotional residue that results from exposure to working with those suffering from a trauma. Compassion fatigue is common amongst individuals in helping professions such as social workers, nurses, veterinarians, physical therapists, psychologists, doctors, and more. We as human beings have the tremendous ability to relate to others. We feel their pain, experience their fears, and act to ease their worry. Sometimes we can become so invested in their struggles that we aren't ourselves anymore. Compassion fatigue is dangerous because it impairs our ability to be our best selves for all of our clients. If we are so tired and worn out from one client that we might skip over the behavior of another, like suicidal tendencies. Compassion fatigue also does not always have to apply to the professional world. Sometimes when our friends or family members experience a trauma, we feel their pain so deeply until we are reduced to nothing, a tiny spec on the window, unable to return to our stable level of well-being.
Compassion fatigue highlights the fact that we are incredible, caring, empathic individuals, but it should be taken seriously and not ignored. I attended a session during a conference on compassion fatigue. The presenter pointed out a specific difference between empathy and compassion. When we experience empathy, we are on the same level as the person who is hurting. We feel their pain and can take on their perspective. But empathy is only one step in the right direction. We may become frozen in this stage and unable to act. We shut down because we feel so much. But by taking it one step further and having compassion, we are able to have that piece of empathy, but we are not debilitated and we are able to take action to help that person. For example, as a social worker, if a client comes to me and reveals that they been through something traumatic, I would take the appropriate amount of time to talk through it and engage that empathy piece. But instead of being stuck in that phase, I would be able to point them to appropriate resources in order to get them help. It's important to point out the distinction between empathy and compassion so we prevent burnout and act in the best interest of others.
It's important for us to be self aware and point out when some of these things might pop up. Symptoms of compassion fatigue include poor self care, bottled up emotions, denial, being mentally and physically tired, chronic pain, and no longer finding things pleasurable. Compassion fatigue is real, but if we act accordingly, we can be the best we can possibly be for others.
