Compassion Fatigue
Compassion fatigue has been investigated by many authors as the number of cases increases. This type of fatigue, which can be really serious, is difficult to diagnose, since it is not as well known as fatigue caused by stress, anxiety or other emotions.
When we feel compassion for another person, we want to use all our resources to help them solve their problem and stop suffering, but this can come at a high cost to us.
What is compassion fatigue?
This term began to be used in the 90s, after the psychologist Charles Figley observed a series of common symptoms among health professionals, as indicated by historical reviews of this concept.
Certainly, compassion is a type of response that arises when we observe the suffering of other people, so that we are motivated to solve their discomfort. For this reason, Figley came to define compassion fatigue as:
You may not be a health professional, but you are a caregiver for the elderly or someone who is sick. Perhaps you are in contact with someone who has suffered a traumatic event and this could affect you.
Today we know that even those who care for pets can also suffer from compassion fatigue, which can trigger depression when left untreated.
On this, studies indicate that, when the context and emotions are strong, there is a physical, mental and emotional wear and tear in which stress, tension and conflict predominate.
Why does compassion fatigue occur?
As we have mentioned, this fatigue occurs when we have frequent contact with people who have experienced trauma or who live with emotional pain. It is also more likely to arise when we do not practice self-care.
If there is no balance between helping others who are suffering, and our duty to preserve our mental and emotional health, then our compassion can drag us into suffering similar to that of the person we care for.
Compassion fatigue is also known as empathy burnout syndrome – although it is not recorded in mental health manuals with that name – or emotional exhaustion.
What are the symptoms?
This condition behaves like post-traumatic stress disorder and may present the following signs:
- Reexperimentation: the caregiver feels that he is reliving the traumatic event, even though he was not the protagonist of it.
- Avoidance: with emotional or physical isolation from other people.
- Hyperarousal: tension and constant alertness.
Who suffers this fatigue can get to experience everything, just like the traumatized person, reaching the extreme of wanting to avoid places related to the traumatic events.
That is why it is necessary to take measures to avoid it.
How can we avoid compassion fatigue?
Although some research warns that compassion fatigue cannot be prevented, but rather alleviated, there are some mechanisms that we can put in place to prevent burnout. Some suggestions to avoid falling into this box are the following:
- Work on your own strengths so as not to fall.
- Healthy eating.
- Practice leisure activities.
- Use breathing techniques.
- Practice mindfulness .
- Exercise or take walks.
- Have contact with nature.
- Do mediation or yoga.
- Rest long enough.
- Avoid falling into the belief that you can solve everything, even the problems of people who have experienced trauma.
- When leaving work, avoid repeating what happened in conversations with family members, as this can negatively affect other family members as well.
- Seek support in the network of friends.
- Seek support from other health professionals.
It is essential to bear in mind that, although an episode that others have experienced is very painful, we will not be able to give them all the resources to make them feel better, since each person must live their processes at their own pace.
If you take care of another person, avoid playing the role of “savior” because you are a human being and do only what is within your power. Your emotional well-being comes first and is necessary in order to continue providing support to those who have experienced difficult events.
