Compassion Fatigue vs. Burnout: How To Spot the Difference and What You Can Do About It
If you're a healthcare worker, educator, or mental health provider, you dedicate your life to helping others. But who takes care of you when you're in need of support?
Compassion fatigue differs from burnout in that it refers to the physical and emotional exhaustion of caring for others' physical or mental health.
Compassion fatigue, or compassion stress, is common among professionals who regularly experience vicarious trauma through the experiences of those they help.
Signs of compassion fatigue include depressive symptoms, intrusive thoughts, loss of productivity, sleep disturbances, inability to separate personal life from professional life, and more.
Read below to learn more about compassion fatigue vs. burnout and what you can do about it.
Compassion Fatigue vs. Burnout
Compassion fatigue and burnout may feel similar but they manifest for different reasons. Burnout occurs after working too hard, too long. Burnout is cumulative fatigue that leads to feelings of dissatisfaction with your job or life.
Compassion fatigue occurs mostly in healthcare professionals and mental health workers. Long hours, stressful working environments, and daily exposure to traumatic events or traumatic material leads to symptoms of compassion fatigue.
While you love what you do and find reward in helping others, it comes at a cost when you push aside your own needs.
What Can You Do To Combat Compassion Fatigue?
1. Normalize Your Feelings
The first step to compassion fatigue recovery is to normalize your feelings. Many people in your position are feeling the same way. However, many of them are unable to decipher the difference between compassion fatigue and burnout.
Know that there is nothing wrong with you, and that these feelings are normal.
2. Observe Your Environment
Pretend you are an outsider looking in and observe your environment from a different perspective. What can you do differently to create a better work/life balance for yourself?
What needs to change and what bad habits do you need to break?
3. What Has Helped in the Past?
Whether it was compassion fatigue or burnout, what has helped in the past when you've felt this way? Maybe it was meditation or spending more time with family and friends?
Think about how you've dealt with tough emotions before and how you can implement those strategies into your daily life now.
4. Practice Self-Compassion
Self-compassion should be practiced always but especially when you are experiencing compassion fatigue. Be kind to yourself now and treat yourself as you would a friend going through a rough time.
Treat yourself to good food, self-care, and positive affirmations. Become aware of your negative thoughts and replace them with more positive, more encouraging thoughts. Just as you would if you were comforting a friend.
Compassion Fatigue Vs. Burnout-- The Takeaway
Compassion fatigue and burnout are similar, but they are not the same experience. Only those in the service of helping others can truly understand the mental exhaustion and physical exhaustion that comes with your profession.
Know that you're not alone and that it's okay to seek help. Book a free holistic health strategy session with me today to find out how a certified health and wellness coach can help you.
Let's dive into compassion fatigue and identify holistic strategies to help you feel like your normal, amazing, and wonderful self!
