In 1992, emergency room nurse Carla Joinson noticed that her colleagues were suffering from a different form of burnout. They weren’t simply tired, but rather experienced profound emotional fatigue, a feeling of being completely drained.
Although they felt great personal and professional satisfaction caring for those most in need, the daily exposure to the suffering of others and the stress inherent in their profession made them more prone to what she called “compassion fatigue.”
The Cost of Caring for Others
Compassion fatigue affects the ability to think clearly, assertively manage emotions, and effectively cope with daily life. Although it can occur in all professions related to caring for others, from physicians to veterinarians, it manifests itself particularly strongly in nursing staff. In fact, it is estimated that between 10 and 43% of nurses suffer from mild to severe compassion fatigue.
The classic symptom is a decreased capacity for empathy and a growing detachment. The person focuses more on tasks and less on the human aspect. The other classic symptom is profound physical and emotional exhaustion, which many describe as “feeling fatigue in every cell of your being,” which ends up significantly affecting daily functioning and well-being.
This intense fatigue is often accompanied by a negative mood dominated by emotions such as anger, intolerance, irritability, cynicism, bitterness, and resentment. Obviously, these emotional changes also negatively impact decision-making, cloud judgment, impair concentration, and cause memory lapses, negatively impacting the person’s work and daily life.
In the short term, compassion fatigue often causes minor health issues, such as headaches, nausea, or dizziness. However, when it persists over time, it can increase the risk of developing more serious illnesses, in addition to fueling feelings of incompetence and helplessness that lead to maladaptive responses and disorders such as anxiety or depression.
However, nurses are not completely unprotected. Nursing programs often include courses related to psychology and mental health that lay the foundation for understanding one’s own emotional reactions and learning to detect the early symptoms of compassion fatigue to prevent its onset.
How can you prevent compassion fatigue in your daily life?
You probably spend your entire day listening to, accompanying, and supporting patients. But who is caring for you? You don’t have to be at your limit to start taking care of yourself. The sooner you integrate small wellness practices, the easier it will be to sustain your vocation without it taking its toll. Recent research has identified three essential pillars for preventing compassion fatigue in healthcare workers: mindfulness, self-care, and resilience.
1. Mindfulness: Much More Than Deep Breathing
Mindfulness isn’t just about sitting in the lotus position or meditating with the sunrise. It’s about learning to stop and reconnect with what you’re feeling here and now, without judgment. And yes, that also includes stopping mid-shift to reset your mind.
How can you apply it to your daily life?
- Before starting to work, take 10 deep breaths before walking through the door. Literally. Just that. It will help you rebalance your emotions, calm down, and start your shift with the right energy.
- Between patients, pay attention to your body. Clenched jaw? Tense shoulders? Consciously relax those muscles. That way you won’t accumulate all that tension throughout the day.
- After your shift, when you get home, spend one minute in silence before doing anything. Notice how you feel. It’s not about “getting ready,” but about acknowledging and paying attention to yourself.
2. Realistic Self-Care: A Form of Prevention Even If You Have a Thousand Things to Do
You may think that taking care of yourself is a luxury, but in this case, it’s a medical prescription. You have to take care of yourself to continue taking care of yourself. And it’s not just about “getting a good night’s sleep” (although that counts too), but about making space in your life for what recharges you emotionally.
How to apply this to your daily life?
- Take mini, pleasurable breaks. Bring a snack you love to work, make a tea you like, or listen to an audio that gives you peace. And dedicate 5 minutes to it without doing anything else. It’s about pampering yourself a little even in the midst of the hustle and bustle to recharge your batteries.
- At the end of the day, instead of checking your phone on autopilot, make a quick list of what you’ve done well or things you’re grateful for. This will help you reconnect with the satisfaction, joy, and meaning of your profession.
- Create rituals that protect you and emotionally detach yourself from work, such as taking a relaxing hot shower, enjoying music you like before going to bed, or spending quality time with your family. These are all part of self-care and essential for maintaining your mental balance.
3. Resilience, the invisible muscle you must train
Resilience is not only the ability to cope when things go wrong, but also to thrive in unfavorable environments. It means knowing how to resist, but also how to adapt. And when you develop it, it not only increases your perception of self-efficacy but also reduces the stress with which you react to everyday problems.
How to apply it in your daily life?
- Lean on others. It’s important not to repress your emotions, so if you have trusted colleagues at work, you can spend some time talking without filters: what hurt, what frustrated you, what relieved you. Being heard and feeling understood has enormous therapeutic power.
- Questions to grow, not just endure. There will be tough times, but how you deal with them can make all the difference. At the end of a difficult week, ask yourself: What did I learn from this? What can I change so it doesn’t hurt me so much? It seems simple, but this shift in focus greatly strengthens resilience and encourages you to adopt a proactive attitude, rather than simply reacting to what happens.
- Prepare your “emotional emergency kit.” Anything can be helpful, from a song that calms you down to a photo that reminds you why you started, or a small object that serves as an anchor during the most difficult moments at work. The important thing is to be clear about what to turn to when everything seems to fall apart or your stress levels skyrocket.
In short, remember that you need to recharge your batteries daily and treat yourself with the same care, compassion, and concern you show others. Sometimes, we can be very hard on ourselves and demand too much of ourselves. The secret to avoiding compassion fatigue is knowing how to take care of yourself by incorporating small everyday gestures and actions that protect you and serve as a shield when suffering or stress escalates.
References:
Collier, J. et. Al. (2024) An integrative review of strategies to prevent and treat compassion fatigue in oncology nurses. Can Oncol Nurs J; 34(1):28-37.
Ye, L. et. Al. (2024) The prevalence and related factors of compassion fatigue among nursing interns: a cross-sectional study. BMC Nurs; 23: 762.
Paiva-Salisbury, M. &Schwanz, K. (2022) Building Compassion Fatigue Resilience: Awareness, Prevention, and Intervention for Pre-Professionals and Current Practitioners. J Health Serv Psychol; 48(1):39-46.
Stoewen, D. L. (2020) Moving from compassion fatigue to compassion resilience Part 4: Signs and consequences of compassion fatigue. Can Vet J; 61(11):1207-1209.
Izaguirre, A. et. Al. (2020) Effectiveness of a nursing program of self-care and Mindfulness, in the approach to the common mental disorder in primary care. Aten Primaria; 52(6):400-409.
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