What is compassion fatigue? Signs and symptoms

When someone feels compassion, they’re motivated to help people relieve their struggles. Seeing other people being relieved from the stresses and strains of life can be uplifting and extremely rewarding for compassionate people. On the other hand, compassionate people can sometimes feel the weight of the world on their shoulders and start to withdraw from caring and social activities.

When a person is suffering from compassion fatigue, they may come across as cold and vacant, when they are usually warm and engaged. During this period, they’re facing an imbalance of energy, psychologically and emotionally, from perhaps becoming too invested in others for a prolonged period of time and feeling traumatised by the suffering they’re trying to help relieve.

The signs of compassion fatigue can vary from person to person, depending on the situations they’ve gone through. A person who has witnessed the passing of a friend they were looking after may show signs of chronic exhaustion and a reduced attention span if they’re losing sleep due to nightmares or insomnia. A person who was unable to stop their friend from taking the wheel while drunk and losing control of the car, resulting in their death or the death of another road user, might have feelings of guilt and express pessimism about the future. Some people lose interest in activities they used to be passionate about, and some individuals keep their close friends and family at arm’s length to avoid past traumas repeating themselves.

What Causes Compassion Fatigue?

A number of events can result in someone feeling worn out after showing compassion, including:

Burnout

If a person doesn’t take enough time out from their caring duties and they have limited access to resources designed to take the weight off of them, they’re at risk of developing anxiety as well as physical and mental exhaustion.

Pressure

Caring people tend to put pressure on themselves. They may feel like they’ve failed someone who is reliant on them for support if they take a step back and hand over that person's care to someone else for even a short period of time. They need to be aware that it is of great benefit to the person they’re caring for if they, the carer, are taking time to themselves and processing their emotions away from the people or person they’re looking after.

Life events

Sometimes a personal event in the life of the carer that occurs without warning can disrupt that person’s ability to deliver care appropriately. For instance, they may have found out that their spouse has been cheating on them, leading to feelings of anger, frustration, or numbness. They may feel that they put their all into the relationship for nothing. Also, they might think that good people who care about others don’t receive the same treatment in return, and hence they experience compassion fatigue symptoms and detach themselves from their caring responsibilities to prevent getting hurt again.

What are the coping strategies for compassion fatigue? 

An individual with compassion fatigue will usually cope with the trauma they are experiencing by detaching themselves from others in an effort to numb and protect themselves. Whilst this may seem like the safest approach initially, the effects it can have on their social, mental, and physical well-being are numerous. They may decide to isolate themselves and not take the weight off of their shoulders by opening up to others. They could eat too little or too much, or they might exercise less than they would ordinarily.

How to Manage and Prevent Compassion Fatigue

The good news is that compassion fatigue isn’t a permanent situation. There are many healthy ways to fight compassion fatigue or support someone you suspect is showing signs and symptoms of this challenging experience.

Taking time to recharge the batteries is a good place to start. Nobody can be someone’s support system around the clock without a break and expect to not feel drained and fatigued. It’s important to step out of a caring role for a period of time for self-care purposes. There’s that well-known adage: if a person doesn’t look after themselves, they won’t be in the best position to look after others.

Compassionate individuals should identify ways to give themselves the same compassion they freely give out to those around them. Engaging in hobbies and interests that don’t involve caregiving is a great way to re-energise and keep a stable psychological and emotional balance. It’s important for caring people to also use meditation and relaxation techniques to reduce stress and soothe their souls.

Digital detoxing can benefit a carer and prevent compassion fatigue by limiting their exposure to bad news stories or reminders of traumatic personal situations they’ve experienced or are currently going through. Social media is a great way to connect with friends and family, but overexposure to negative ideas and emotional triggers can cause compassion fatigue.

All these management techniques contribute to the maintenance of creating healthy boundaries to protect the emotional and mental balance.

Seeking to connect with a peer support network or a professional counsellor can help individuals share their emotions and experiences to gain awareness and peace of mind to reduce the symptoms of compassion fatigue. Therapists, counsellors, and psychologists are regularly required to speak with a colleague to help them process their emotions after listening to clients who often have harrowing stories to share.

If you’re worried about someone who might be showing signs of compassion fatigue, The Grove Counselling can help offer advice and connect them with a professional who will be able to support them through this difficult time. Get in touch today.