What Is Compassion Fatigue? Information & Resources

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Kindness of Strangers E_CO Member

What Is Compassion Fatigue? Information & ResourcesAnother gem from Aquaman, i am saving this one for myself too! lol Thank you!Aquaman ~ Ocean DefenderCompassion Fatigue"It's not the load that breaks us down. It's the way we carry it"In this quote, Vicktor l eloquently and succinctly summarizes the dilemma of compassion fatigue for every caregiver. We have all volunteered to be givers of light. In making this effort, we are all going to burn. We have all seen atrocities and yet we go forward and strive to change the wrongs in this world and lessen the suffering of all sentient beings.Caring too much can hurt. When caregivers focus on others without practicing authentic, ongoing self-care, destructive behaviors can surface. Apathy, isolation, bottled up emotions, substance abuse, poor hygiene, and emotional outbursts head a long list of symptoms associated with the secondary traumatic stress disorder now labeled: Compassion FatigueIt is important to note that Compassion Fatigue is a term, not a disease. While the effects of Compassion Fatigue are dismal, chances for complete recovery are not. Definition Of Compassion Fatigue A state experienced by those helping people in distress; it is an extreme state of tension and preoccupation with the suffering of those being helped to the degree that it is traumatizing for the helper.A deep physical, emotional and spiritual exhaustion accompanied by acute emotional pain.Compassion fatigue is a term generally applied to health care providers that work in intense fields. Those who work in the fields of trauma, mental illness, surgery, emergency medicine, obstetrics, and rural general practitioners are particularly at risk.Other professionals at high risk * Animal Givers * Rescue Workers * Police Officers * Firemen * Dentist * Teachers * Nonprofit ProfessionalsSymptoms of Compassion FatigueThe symptoms of Compassion Fatigue are important to discuss, because a lot of them are symptoms that people can experience on a daily basis and just explain them away as being due to the stress of daily living. However, if you are in the helping profession please be aware that if you have these symptoms, these are warning to practice self-care and prevent burn-out. The symptoms can be found in these seven areas, Cognitive, Emotional, Behavioral, Spiritual, Personal, Physical and Professional. Let's discuss some of the more common symptoms in each category.Cognitive: We may begin to feel apathetic about our work, clients or patients. We may become preoccupied with the disease process, illness or trauma. Professionals often talk about the occupational hazards of working in the health field. For example, it is common to hear someone saying they have a pain in their abdomen and they are convinced it's cancer because a client of their's had similar symptoms and that's what they were diagnosed with. We can live in perpetual fear of what's going on in our body and can begin to question the medical community if we perceive they are not on top of their game. Emotional: Anxiety, depression or overly sensitive. We may become guilty because we feel we should have or could have done more for our client/patient. We may become shut down where our patient's and their families can no longer elicit emotional responses from us.Behavioral: Irritable or sleep disturbances.Spiritual: We can start questioning the meaning of life and our religious beliefs.Personal: We can become withdrawn from our loved ones, and have decreased intimacy with our significant others. This may be done in an effort to not become emotionally available to anyone, or we have given so much of ourselves through work that we have no more to give to our family. We may become intolerant of others. We may become overprotective parents.Physical: We may have a lowered immune system because of the stressors we encounter on a daily basis, and much like Caregivers, people in the helping profession usually sacrifice their own needs for the needs of others.Professional: Our work may suffer because we have low morale, low motivation, staff conflicts, unusual or high absenteeism, fatigue and irritability.So it's easy to see how mundane some of these symptoms can be, so it's particularly important for us to pay attention to these symptoms, especially if they are compounded. One way to keep track of how we are doing in our work is by doing check-ins with ourselves. There are several tests out that very quick and easy that one can take to see if they are in danger of Compassion Fatigue, or worse - Burnout. These tests can be found on-line.The Compassion Fatigue Self TestThe Compassion Satisfaction and Fatigue TestThe Caregiver Strain IndexNote: This test requires registrationThe Path to WellnessNow the next thing is you know if you are in at risk category, you know the symptoms you may have, you know how to evaluate yourself to see if you are heading into trouble, but what can you do prevent it? You have to practice self-care. We all know this, however it is easier said than done. I realize this, but seriously - if you want to continue to help people and do the good work that you do, then it is necessary and vital that you take care of yourself. The first lesson is to practice saying "no." People in the helping profession have a very difficult time with this. You may find it easier to start practicing saying "no" on family members or friends.Here are some other key strategies that you may find helpful:Know your own triggers and areas of vulnerability. Learn how to avoid them and diffuse them. For example, if your case involves a terminally ill child that is similar in age to one of your own children, then you know that this case may be an emotional trigger for you. What are your alternatives in dealing with this and preserving yourself? Can another professional handle the case? Can you talk to your supervisor about your concerns? Can you summon a strong support system to help you through the case? It's important to explore and discuss your options. You don't have to tackle this alone.Allow yourself to grieve. People in the helping profession are expected to respond to the loss of life, emotion and tragedy that surrounds them everyday as part of their work, but they are not expected to react as a human. Impossible! The fact is there will be humans and animals you become attached to, there will be lives lost, there will be times that you grieve their loss.Set boundaries for yourself. Boundaries are in place as protective measures. It is very common to have the boundary line blurred from time to time when you are working in the helping profession, that is only natural, but learn to recognize when you are getting ready to cross the line and why - this will help you keep those boundaries in place in future situations.Alter irrational beliefs. There are many different reasons why people are drawn to the helping professions. A lot of us are perfectionists and don't want to be judged. We need to know that we can't do it all and we don't have all the answers. Replace your irrational beliefs with affirmations, such as "I am capable," "I am competent," or "I am good."Healing the symptoms of compassion fatigue is an inside job. You've been loyal to your self-care plan, clarified personal boundaries in both your personal and professional life, and now understand your negative behaviors and their origins. As you continue to do the necessary internal work, you will reap the benefits. Your life will begin to change for the better.In order to move forward on your path to wellness, you must continually commit to authentic self-care that includes:• Health-building activities such as exercise, massage, yoga, meditation.• Eating healthy foods• Drinking plenty of water• Use natural healing products to care for and heal your body• Practicing the art of self-management. Just say no• Developing a healthy support system: people who contribute to your self esteem, people who listen well, people who care• Organizing your life so you become proactive as opposed to reactive• Reserving your life energy for worthy causes. Choose your battles.• Living a balanced life: Sing, dance, sit with silence And as always if these self-care techniques do not alleviate your symptoms please seek out the help of medical and behavioral professionals that offer Compassion Fatigue assistance. Reasources & LinksHere is an old blog I posted that I think is very useful: Balancing Service and Self Care. Compassion Fatigue Awareness ProjectCompassion Fatigue The Stress of Caring Too MuchWhen Compassion Is in CrisisCombating Compassion Fatigue in the Animal Care FieldExcellent resource offered by HSUSCompassion FatigueAnimal Care Professionals are Vunerable to Compassion Fatigue and BurnoutCompassion Fatigue: It's not life — it's stress. And it's not you — it's real Please leave comments HERE. In UnityAquaman ~ Ocean Defender__________________________________Kindness of Strangers E_CO Member usually does environmental and nutritional education work through Donate here to Kindness of Strangers a project of the 501 © 3 non-profit International Humanities Center__________________________________

Updated Working Links For The Above:The Compassion Fatigue Self Test

The Compassion Satisfaction and Fatigue Test

The Caregiver Strain Index

Balancing Service and Self Care

Compassion Fatigue Awareness Project

Compassion Fatigue The Stress of Caring Too Much

When Compassion Is in Crisis

Combating Compassion Fatigue in the Animal Care Field

Animal Care Professionals are Vunerable to Compassion Fatigue and Burnout

Compassion Fatigue: It's not life — it's stress. And it's not you — it's real

Living On Love Social Network

Essence Of Eden Social Network