How to Cope with Compassion Fatigue

Does your work life require constant empathy and care? Are you a professional caregiver or supporting a loved one through a difficult time? Do you feel physically, mentally, and emotionally depleted after helping others through vulnerable moments? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may be at risk of, or already experiencing compassion fatigue.

What is Compassion Fatigue? 

Compassion fatigue is defined as taking on the suffering of others, specifically those who have experienced extreme stress or trauma. Caretaking is difficult for any professional who “uses their emotions [and] their heart…it represents the psychological cost of healing others.” Due to the stress of supporting others, caregivers often “become so over-empathic that they find themselves growing numb to their patients’ suffering”, as well as their own [1]. 

In addition to compassion fatigue, you may struggle with two related mental health conditions known as vicarious trauma and secondary traumatic stress disorder (STSD), which often overlap.

Vicarious Trauma

This type of trauma occurs when caregivers experience significant internal changes as a result of being exposed to the traumatic experiences of others [7]. Compassion fatigue can develop quickly; however, vicarious trauma builds up over time. It can affect your worldview, sense of safety, and ability to maintain healthy professional boundaries when caregiving for long periods of time.

Secondary Traumatic Stress Disorder (STSD)

STSD mirrors the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) but develops through exposure to other people’s trauma as opposed to direct traumatic experiences [8]. You may experience symptoms such as intrusive thoughts about people’s trauma, heightened anxiety, and difficulty sleeping.

While compassion fatigue is not an official psychiatric or mental health diagnosis, it is a serious mental state of being with an array of negative impacts on one’s emotional, physical, and mental health. Additionally, if left unaddressed, extreme compassion fatigue can escalate into mental health disorders, such as anxiety and depression [2].

Who does it affect?

Compassion fatigue can affect anyone, but it is most likely to impact those who take on professional or personal caretaking roles, such as therapists, counselors, doctors, nurses, social workers, family caregivers, senior caregivers, and teachers. Addressing compassion fatigue is essential for prioritizing self-preservation and longevity. Ensuring that patients receive the most effective and empathetic treatment possible [3].

Compassion Fatigue Symptoms

Compassion fatigue can have psychological, physical, and behavioral impacts, including, but not limited to, insomnia, changes in appetite, decreased immune system, nausea, mood swings, irritability, rumination, and increased drug or alcohol use. There is a wide range of symptoms and signs of compassion fatigue, and they are often categorized into personal and professional symptoms [4]. 

Personal Symptoms 

The most common personal symptom of compassion fatigue is an inability to feel empathy and sympathy for others. While sympathy is feeling concerned for someone else, empathy is understanding someone else’s pain and emotions. Conversely, compassion is the deep concern for someone else’s suffering, so much so that you join them in their suffering by emotionally attuning deeply to their suffering. Therefore, suffering too momentarily.  

Someone with compassion fatigue has expended their energy to the point of exhaustion from suffering with others in pain and can no longer have the capacity to feel concerned for others or understand others’ challenges. If you are feeling compassion fatigue, you might find yourself becoming more task-oriented and less emotional. You might even isolate yourself from others to avoid situations where you might be expected to feel empathy or sympathy [4].   

Professional Symptoms 

Compassion fatigue not only can cause an array of health problems but can also impact overall work performance and professional life. Feeling detached from empathy makes it difficult to provide compassionate and effective care for patients or clients. If a professional caregiver cannot feel sympathy or empathy for their client, the client might lose trust in their practice. In these cases, it’s common for clients to leave the practice or refuse payment [4].  

The Link Between Compassion Fatigue, Burnout, and Depression 

The symptoms of compassion fatigue, burnout, and depression often overlap, so let’s identify the differences among these conditions.

• Compassion fatigue refers to the mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion caretakers experience as a direct result of their empathy and compassion.
• Burnout refers to the extreme general exhaustion or decreased motivation one might experience from work [5]. Burnout can cause physical and emotional exhaustion, less enjoyment at work, and depression [1]. 
• Depression, or Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), is a psychiatric diagnosis defined as a mood disorder that involves a persistent low mood and loss of interest in activities.

Though compassion fatigue, burnout, and depression share common symptoms, a key identifier of compassion fatigue is the ultimate detachment from compassion among caregivers, clinicians, doctors, nurses, teachers, or others in supportive roles [5].

Related: What Causes Mental Illness?

Preventing, Managing, and Overcoming Compassion Fatigue  

While compassion fatigue is often overwhelming, there are effective strategies available to prevent and manage the emotional exhaustion that can come with it.

Practice Self-Care

The most important part of preventing compassion fatigue is prioritizing self-care. Make sure that you are prioritizing sleep, a balanced diet, and movement into your routine and schedule for one of the most effective ways to recharge, pour energy into yourself, and ultimately prevent compassion fatigue. To practice emotional self-care, attend regular therapy, create time for activities that bring you joy, practice mindfulness, and lean on your support system. 

Set Healthy Boundaries

In addition to practicing self-care, set healthy boundaries to maintain a healthy lifestyle. This can be practiced by saying no to social outings, extended work hours, or a new client when you do not have the bandwidth. Setting boundaries is necessary for upholding your mental wellness, especially if you work in an empathy-driven, client-facing position, and is especially important for family caregivers who often struggle to separate their personal and professional lives.

Build a Support Network 

Another effective remedy for compassion fatigue is building a support network and having a community of trusted loved ones to lean on during challenging times. Being able to process, vent, and feel supported by others is invaluable as you care for your patients or a loved one.

Self-Compassion 

Finally, practicing self-compassion is important when managing compassion fatigue. Practicing mindfulness, self-kindness, and treating yourself as you would a loved one can help you mitigate symptoms of compassion fatigue and reclaim a sense of physical and mental wellness [6]. 

Compassion Fatigue Prevention Plan  

If you are in a personal or professional role that may put you at risk of developing compassion fatigue, creating a compassion fatigue prevention plan is highly beneficial. Identifying key warning signs and applying therapeutic skills, tools, and techniques can help you get ahead of compassion fatigue and maintain your mental wellness.

Be Aware of Any Behavioral or Mental Changes 

If you’re a caretaker, keep a close watch on any changes in thoughts, mood, or behaviors that may be linked to empathy burnout. These changes might include insomnia, loss of appetite, nausea, mood swings, irritability, rumination, and increased drug or alcohol use.

Practice Mindfulness  

Whether you’re already experiencing compassion fatigue or are at risk of developing it, establish a self-care routine and practice mindfulness. Try incorporating activities into your daily life that boost your mental and physical well-being and help you to feel present, grounded, and recharged. Going for walks, spending time in the sun, prioritizing sleep, scheduling a therapy session, and reaching out to your support system are all healthy self-care activities that can combat compassion fatigue.

Regular Check-Ins  

Once you’ve developed a self-care routine, make time for regular check-ins and adjustments to your schedule. A weekly or monthly check-in to reflect on possible areas for improvement can keep your self-care routine joyful and effective [6]. 

Related: 8 Ways To Connect With Your Most Important Relationship and Practice Self-Care!

Professional Support and Resources  

Compassion fatigue can have serious repercussions if not addressed properly. If you are struggling with compassion fatigue, consider seeking support from a mental health professional. At Clear Behavioral Health, we offer a wide range of mental health treatment programs to give you the tools and support for you to overcome your compassion fatigue.

Our intensive outpatient programs (IOP), including the virtual IOP program, allow a flexible treatment option so you can find support that works around your schedule. Our outpatient, inpatient, and residential mental health treatment programs incorporate mindfulness, self-compassion, daily group therapy, weekly individual therapy, and weekly individual counseling sessions to help you create a robust support system for stabilization and recovery. 

If you or a loved one is experiencing compassion fatigue, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at Clear Behavioral Health for support today. We have mental health treatment facilities throughout the Los Angeles, CA areas including Redondo Beach, CA, Pasadena, CA, Van Nuys, CA, El Segundo, CA, and more.

Take a look at our comprehensive mental health treatment programs for more information about our outpatient PHP (Partial Hospitalization Program) and IOP (Intensive Outpatient Program) programs, residential treatment centers, teen IOP programs, and virtual IOP programs. We’re here to support you at every step of your wellness journey and help you reclaim your inner peace. 

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