Let’s Talk About Compassion Fatigue
What is Compassion Fatigue?
Do you ever find yourself regularly taking on the emotional needs of others?
You love being able to help other people, and you’re great at it, but you’re finding it’s starting to take a toll on you. Maybe you find yourself emotionally spent. As if you’re no longer able to empathize with the things going on around you.
This is Compassion Fatigue.
It’s a result of repeated exposure to trauma or things that are emotionally overwhelming. This is very similar to burnout. However, compassion fatigue occurs because of feeling other people’s pain. It is a form of secondary trauma that is very valid and real.
Who Does Compassion Fatigue Affect?
Previously when people talked about compassion fatigue, they were referring to people in helping professions such as health care professionals, first responders, caregivers, or teachers. However, we’re starting to realize that it is much more widespread than we realized.
It is becoming more apparent that your profession doesn’t have to be the only criteria for experiencing compassion fatigue. Loved ones of addicts, family members of people with special needs or chronic illnesses, family of military service members, and people who are empathetic towards others are also likely to develop compassion fatigue.
This became especially true during the height of the pandemic. While we were being impacted by physical isolation, it seemed like there was constantly harrowing information being shown on the news. As we were navigating the pandemic for ourselves, we were also inundated with the pain of others. Widespread grief and loss, financial hardships, and racial injustice were especially prominent during this time. It became very overwhelming. People found themselves checking out from the news, avoiding certain conversations, and wishing they could turn off their feelings for a while.
These feelings can be very frustrating but experiencing compassion fatigue does not make you a heartless person. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Compassion fatigue has often resulted from feeling too much. It is from taking on the feelings of others as your own. And now it is time to prioritize your own.
What Does Compassion Fatigue Affect?
Compassion fatigue can impact you in more ways than you may expect. It can affect you emotionally, mentally, physically, and socially. The emotional effects of compassion fatigue are where you might initially notice changes. To start, you may find yourself more irritable than usual. Especially when it comes to tasks that involve helping others. The emotions of others may start to feel frustrating and overwhelming which can then lead to feelings of anger and resentment. Soon you may feel as though you’re experiencing feelings of emptiness or a lack of empathy for other people or situations. This can then lead to you feeling detached from your own emotions, exhausted emotionally, and having a lowered sense of self-worth.
Mentally, you may find yourself experiencing burnout, feeling mentally exhausted, and having cognitive decreases such as difficulty concentrating or focusing. You may start to feel overwhelmed or significantly stressed by things you could easily manage in the past. More symptoms include loss of sense of identity, inability to acknowledge your accomplishments, and struggling to find meaning in your work. It also can result in the development of mental health diagnoses such as depression and anxiety.
Changes in your emotional and mental health will often affect your physical health as well. This is especially true when it comes to compassion fatigue. One of the biggest impacts will be your energy levels. You will likely find yourself physically exhausted yet find it hard to get well-rested sleep or any sleep at all. Additionally, you may experience a change in your appetite.
The way you socialize is another area that can be greatly impacted by compassion fatigue. You may find yourself isolating to avoid exposure to other people and their “problems”. Or you might find pleasure in your old activities. If you tend to take on the role of always helping others, some of the resentment you may develop can significantly impact your relationships.
The severity and amount of symptoms can vary from person to person. Some of you may find the mental effects to be the most draining, while others find that maintaining relationships with others is a struggle. And that’s okay! We all experience life differently, so it makes sense that the ways we experience things will look different too.
How Long Does Compassion Fatigue Last?
Compassion fatigue is often something that slowly develops. This can make it a little hard to identify the source. The widespread impact of compassion fatigue can also make the healing journey take some time. Without a change in circumstances, it is unlikely for the effects of compassion fatigue to go away on their own.
What Happens If Compassion Fatigue is Left Untreated?
The severity of compassion fatigue’s impact will continue to increase if it is left untreated. The emotional rollercoaster will continue to fluctuate, as will the likelihood of the development of mental health disorders. Daily living skills will begin to be impacted and this may make it significantly harder to attend work or continue to care for loved ones. Quality of life can continue to diminish, and feelings of hopelessness will continue to fester.
How Can Compassion Fatigue Be Treated?
Thankfully, compassion fatigue doesn’t have to last forever.
Be intentional with prioritizing your needs. Compassion fatigue developed from taking on too much of other people’s needs, so unloading the weight of what you’re carrying can help get the treatment process started.
Schedule a consultation with a therapist. They can help you to come up with some coping skills, create useful boundaries, and help you to identify any underlying causes that may have contributed to compassion fatigue.
Where to Start
Breathe and rest. Taking a step back from your current environment will be one of the best ways to start to find healing.
Try to identify the source. Is it from repeated exposure or needing an outlet to relax?
Establish boundaries. In a lot of cases of compassion fatigue, it’s not possible to remove yourself from the source. In those cases, having boundaries in place can help keep you from reaching the level of compassion fatigue again.
Prioritize your needs. Even if it’s just for a few minutes a day. Make sure to check in with yourself and be intentional about taking care of yourself.
Reconnect. Slowly start to experience the emotions of others again. Spend time with friends or join a support group so that you can ease your way back into relationships with others.
You’re Not Alone
Compassion fatigue can be a very isolating thing to experience. You may have gotten to a point where you have taken on so much for others that you now have nothing left to give. This does not make you broken. Take time to reinvest the energy you gave to others, back into yourself. You are worth all the healing that you aim to give to others.
Written by
Adebisi Gbadamosi “Bisi”, Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern
Bisi is a mental health counselor in Florida specializing in Women of Color, Christians, Racial Trauma, and Faith Related Trauma. Her personal connection to these areas creates a space for you to truly be seen and heard.
Bisi's goal is to help you discover the wounds that are impacted you, heal those areas therapeutically, and rejoice in your identity and growth! She also creates digital mental resources to help you wherever you are in your mental health journey!
Start blooming into who you're meant to be with Bisi by your side! Click here to schedule your free 15-minute consultation with Bisi or check out her website here!
