Compassion Fatigue
Have you heard the term compassion fatigue? Compassion fatigue is defined as “the emotional duress that results when an individual hears about the firsthand trauma experiences of another. It comes when someone is exposed to these things over time, it includes exhaustion and even burnout.”
Symptoms of compassion fatigue include:
- Anxiety
- Difficulty concentrating
- Depression
- Changes in sleeping/eating patterns
- Hypervigilance
- Anger and/or aggression
- Guilt
- Loss of boundaries
- Indifference
It is important to remember, that one of your best defenses for preventing compassion fatigue is taking time to care for yourself. If you spend all day giving and giving and giving, you will eventually feel drained IF you don’t take time to fill your own bucket as well.
Take time to focus on your mental wellness and resilience to combat compassion fatigue. You are important and you deserve to spend time taking care of yourself!
For additional ways to prevent compassion fatigue, check out this pocketcard from compassionfatigue.org
