Compassion Fatigue is very real. It’s serious. And if you are a caregiver or helper in any capacity, whether in your profession or caring for a loved one, you are at risk.
Compassion Fatigue is also known as post secondary stress disorder or caregiver burn-out.
It can affect almost every area of your life, your health, your relationships, your job performance, and your outlook.
Compassion fatigue rears it’s head with a wide variety of many symptoms.
However, people who are suffering from Compassion Fatigue rarely have just one. It’s almost always a serious cocktail combination of many of the symptoms and left unaddressed the list of symptoms will grow until a person reaches a critical breaking point.
If you are any of the following you are at very high risk for being affected by
The primary caregiver for a sick or disabled loved one
Working in the medical or mental health profession
Seriously involved in nonprofits or charitable work
Working in animal welfare in any capacity
Involved in law enforcement
A teacher
Just a few of the symptoms of Compassion Fatigue include:
Mental and physical exhaustion
Bottled up emotions
Isolation from others
Substance abuse used to mask feelings
Poor self-care (i.e., hygiene, appearance)
Re-occurrence of nightmares and flashbacks to traumatic event
Chronic physical ailments such as stomach problems and recurrent colds
Apathy, sad, no longer finds activities pleasurable
Difficulty concentrating or preoccupied
Anger and lashing out
The good news is, you are not alone. You can get help. You can feel better.