What Is Compassion Fatigue? 3 Tools You May Find Helpful
Do you think you may be suffering from compassion fatigue or burn-out? Do you know the differences between the two?
In this video, I discuss these two terms which are often used interchangeably but are very different. I also make references to depression and anxiety as being an underlying theme of burn-out and compassion fatigue. In fact, a lot of caretakers and helping professionals struggle with anxiety and often end up becoming the victim of compassion fatigue.
Allow me to explain what happens to use when we are anxious, worried, or uncertain.
We have what is known as a sympathetic nervous system (similar to a gas pedal in a car). When things get us anxious, this system kicks in. Most people refer to this as the “fight or flight” mechanism that prepares us to endure anxiety or run from it.
When this happens our bodies go into "overdrive mode."
You may notice:
Increased heart rate, nausea, shakiness, nervousness, sleeplessness, overeating, feelings of doom, etc.
It's even worse with depression. You may find no pleasure in activities once enjoyed (anhedonia), you may not have an appetite, you may sleep way too much or not enough, you may cry all the time, and you may have fleeting thoughts of being dead rather than alive.
Self-care is important for all of us. But it is even more important for those who are prone to worry, get anxious or hyper-focus on stressful events. If you feel this categorizes a lot of how you react to stress in your life, stay right here as I will be talking about self-compassion, changing the way you talk to yourself, and I will offer you my list of 38 ways to relax.
For the video on Wise Mind, click here: https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=PHqn6DLqn54
For that list of 38 ways to relax, click here: https://blogs.psychcentral.com/caregivers/2015/01/tips-for-finding-ways-to-relax/.
For part 1 of this series, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtJXL7M_WEE.
For my new book (Kindle/Paperback) on Understanding and Helping Suicidal Adolescents, click here: https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-....
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/therapisttee
Website: http://anchoredinknowledge.com
International http://blogs.psychcentral.com/caregivers
NOTE: Please forgive the lighting, I was in a terrible spot that day!