How to cope with compassion fatigue

The Unseen Culprit Behind Your Mental Exhaustion

Compassion Fatigue plays a large role in your ability to sympathize and empathize with the people around you. It often comes as a result of taking on the responsibility for another person's physical, emotional, or psychological needs. This means that people working in helping professions, like veterinary medicine, are more likely to feel the effects of compassion fatigue.

Over time, this responsibility can become overwhelming for an individual, and compassion fatigue creeps. It's your body's way of saying, "I don't have room for any more compassion. This is too much for me right now." If you feel like you or someone you love is struggling through compassion fatigue, there are a few things that you can do to recharge and take back your energy.

What Can You Do?

Compassion fatigue results from chronic stress, often from helping others through suffering or trauma, like caring for severely injured pets or even humane euthanasias. This means that to find some relief, you need to focus on reducing your stress as much as possible. You must be very intentional about who you interact with and how you interact with them. It's time to take a step away from other people's needs for a bit and focus on your own. Set healthy boundaries with your workspace, and make sure you have time for yourself every single day. This will allow you space to be compassionate with yourself and address anything you might need to address in your life.

Creating a work-life balance is difficult, but it is so important for your mental health and well-being. One huge step to coping with compassion fatigue could be seeking professional help. Often professionals are better at pinpointing our source of stress as they are trained to do so. Seeing a professional also offers an outside perspective on the daily issues we are immersed in.

It's Not Your Fault

The best thing you can do for yourself amid compassion fatigue is to remember that you aren't doing anything wrong. You did not wake up and choose not to empathize or connect with others today. You are just mentally drained. This is a call to action for you to spend time with yourself, do some deep self-care, and get down to the root of the issue.