COMPASSION IN SCIENCE

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF COMPASSION FATIGUE

The clear difference: Compassion Fatigue has a more rapid onset while burnout emerges over time. Compassion Fatigue has a faster recovery (less severe, if recognized and managed early).

Symptoms of Compassion Fatigue:

  • Affects many dimensions of your well-being
  • Nervous system arousal (Sleep disturbance)
  • Emotional intensity increases
  • Cognitive ability decreases
  • Behavior and judgment impaired
  • Isolation and loss of morale
  • Depression and PTSD (potentiate)
  • Loss of self-worth and emotional modulation
  • Identity, worldview, and spirituality impacted
  • Beliefs and psychological needs-safety, trust, esteem, intimacy, and control
  • Loss of hope and meaning=existential despair
  • Anger toward perpetrators or causal events

“First, you should understand that it’s a process. It is not a matter of one day, you’re living your life with a great deal of energy and enjoyment, and the next, you wake up exhausted and devoid of any energy – both physical and emotional. Compassion fatigue develops over time – taking weeks, sometimes years to surface. Basically, it’s a low level, chronic clouding of caring and concern for others in your life – whether you work in or outside the home. Over time, your ability to feel and care for others becomes eroded through overuse of your skills of compassion. You also might experience an emotional blunting – whereby you react to situations differently than one would normally expect.”

When Helping Hurts by F. Oshberg, MD

 

Tips for Managing Compassion Fatigue

Do:

Find someone to talk to.
Understand that the pain you feel is normal.
Exercise and eat properly.
Get enough sleep.
Take some time off.
Develop interests outside of laboratory animals science.
Identify what’s important to you.

Don’t:

Blame others.
Look for a new job.
Buy a new car.
Fall into the habit of complaining with your colleagues.
Hire a lawyer.
Work harder and longer.
Self-medicate.
Neglect your own needs and interests.

Source: Landstuhl Regional Medical Center

 

The ABC’s of Prevention

Awareness

What types of cases contribute to your stress level increasing your vulnerability to compassion fatigue?

Think of events or situation that causes one to experience an unusually strong reaction and often overpowers one’s usual coping mechanisms.

Are you aware of any of these issues or contributing factors in your workday? If so, you could be at risk of compassion fatigue.

  • Ability to function is interfered with or altered.
  • Situation or incident does not seem “typical or ordinary”, it feels traumatic.
  • “Compassion stress” impinges upon or breaks through normal boundaries
  • Regularly waking up tired in the morning and struggling to get to work?
  • Feeling as if you are working harder but accomplishing less?
  • Becoming frustrated/irritated easily?
  • Losing compassion for some people while becoming over involved in others?
  • Routinely feeling bored or disgusted?
  • Experiencing illness, aches and pains?

 

Balance

Keep Balance in Your Life

  • Practice excellent self-care.
  • Nurture yourself by putting activities in your schedule that are sources of pleasure, joy and diversion.
  • Allow yourself to take mini-escapes- these relieve the intensity of your work.
  • Transform the negative impact of your work (find meaning, challenge negativity, find gratitude).
  • Get medical treatment if needed to relieve symptoms that interfere with daily functioning- don’t use alcohol or drugs to self-medicate.
  • Get professional help when needed to get back on track- we all need coaches and consultants at times.

Balancing Exercise

  • List one mini-escape or diversion that worked well to restore and renew you.
  • List one thing that brings you joy.
  • Name 3 things you feel grateful for today.
  • Think of something that has brought you a sense of joy (Make your top ten list).
  • Who do you love that you can reach out to today? (Call them!).
  • What made you laugh today? (Share it!).

Find Your Passion

  • We all have hidden sources of energy and healing power.
  • When you identify the things that fuel you, the things that you have true passion for, your fatigue will disappear.
  • Balancing your life involves putting the things that we value and have passion for in our schedule.

Balance For Your Soul

  • Have quiet alone time in a calm, beautiful place- a safe retreat where you feel renewed.
  • Have an awareness of what restores and replenishes you.
  • Find ways to acknowledge loss and grief.
  • Stay clear with commitment to career goals or your personal mission.
  • Know how to focus on what you can control.
  • Look at situations as entertaining challenges and opportunities, not problems or stresses.

 

Connections

Talk out your stress- process your thoughts and reactions with someone else (coworker, therapist, clergy, friend, family, supervisor)

Build a positive support system that supports you, not fuels your stress

Pets accept whatever affection you are able to give them without asking for more—Pets are basically invulnerable to “provider burnout”–Blood pressure and heart rate decrease when interacting with animals

Source: The American Institute of Stress (AIS) © Copyright 1979 – 2017