Compassion fatigue: When the world weighs heavily on your heart and mind

By Mary Hightower

U of A System Division of Agriculture

Recently, our senses have been saturated by a seemingly endless loop of terrifying images and sounds from the mass shooting in Las Vegas.

“The videos are raw and gut-wrenching and difficult to turn away from,” said Brittney Schrick, an extension family life specialist with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. Schrick’s PhD is in Human Development and Family Studies.

The mass shooting was just the latest in a series of horrifying realities that included the massive devastation wrought by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, the terrorist attacks abroad and even crime in our own communities.

“We watch and we feel and we watch and we feel and we get tired,” she said. “We may feel it is our duty to keep watching because we not only care about what has happened or is still happening, we also do want to ignore the suffering of others.”

Sometimes we tune in because of personal connections to far-away places.

“Maybe your mom’s best friend just went to Puerto Rico this summer or your best friend from high school lives in Houston,” Schrick said. “We are all connected, so in watching others suffer, we all suffer.”

What is compassion fatigue?

Compassion fatigue, which is also known as secondary traumatic stress or trauma fatigue, can occur in first responders, mental health professionals, doctors, nurses, social workers and others who work closely with trauma survivors.

Symptoms may include dissociation or that feeling you are somehow disconnected from yourself, anger, anxiety, trouble sleeping, nightmares, emotional disturbances, feeling overwhelmed, powerless or on edge. Physical symptoms such as nausea, headaches or dizziness may also surface.

“It is normal to feel overwhelmed, despondent or even angry in the wake of yet another tragedy,” Schrick said. “Compassion fatigue occurs when an empathy response—feeling the feelings of others—causes a professional to internalize the trauma of their patient or client after repeated exposure.”

However, compassion fatigue isn’t limited to professionals.

“No one is immune to the effects when surrounded by, what may feel like, continual tragedy,” she said. “Parents may feel the effects more strongly as they try to filter information and explain tragic events to children.”

Name it, manage it

Schrick said that in order to avoid the negative effects of compassion fatigue, “it is important to acknowledge and name it.

“Often, simply taking a breath and noticing that you feel overwhelmed can be enough to start responding,” she said. “The most effective way for a non-professional to address compassion fatigue is to limit exposure to the traumatic event or coverage of the events.”

Schrick said that while professionals may be required as part of their jobs to continue exposure a lay person is not.

“Turn off the television. Get away from social media. Connect with family and friends and other sources of strength,” she said. “Engaging in self-care such as exercise, healthy eating or other activities that give you a boost can protect you from disengaging from your life.”

Follow Schrick’s Family Life Friday blog: http://bit.ly/2yI4GAd.

(Sidebar)

Fast facts:

Compassion fatigue can lead to feelings of despondency or anger;

Compassion fatigue also known as ‘secondary traumatic stress’; and

Acknowledgement is first step to managing compassion fatigue.