Compassion Fatigue. 

If you work in healthcare, chances are, you have experienced this reality. It’s prevalent, misunderstood, and disheartening. Quite frankly, it’s a very lonely place to be. If you are constantly helping others, especially on the worst days of their lives, you could easily find yourself drowning in Empathic Distress. In addition, staffing shortages, high census, increased patient loads, and overtime can lead to exhaustion, decreased motivation, reduced productivity, and an overall negative attitude.

Compassion Fatigue, also know as Empathic Distress Fatigue, is defined as the physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion that can result from providing emotional support to others. Simply put, it’s the weariness you feel from being responsible for the pain of others for an extended amount of time. 

In my experience, not everyone can understand what you are going through. First of all, it’s hard to describe how you feel to your close friends and family. Secondly, you may not even understand what is happening, you just know that you do not feel like yourself. Finally, the overwhelming advice seems to be, buck up buttercup.

The symptoms of this phenomenon can include isolating yourself from others, the inability to connect with others, and lack of energy to care about what is going on around you. It can make you feel powerless, hopeless, depressed, unsure, angry, and sad. The physical signs and symptoms include headaches, nausea, and difficulty sleeping. It can cause an inability to focus and to complete simple tasks. It can also cause conflicts in relationships and medicating with drugs and alcohol.

Here’s the thing, friends. If you are reading this, and you feel like this is something you are dealing with, please reach out. Take some time to talk out your feelings with someone. Turn to your community, it’s where you will find encouragement, support, and strength. Carrying the weight of other’s pain and suffering is extremely heavy, and it should not be carried alone. 

Joshua 1:9 says, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” (NIV)

What an amazing and inspirational scripture to live by, and God will absolutely be with you wherever you go. But, the Word also encourages community to help us carry the heavy burdens of humanity. 

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor; If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” Ecclesiastes 4: 9-12 (NIV)

Take some time away. Throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus often took time away to pray to the Father. That time spent with the Father sustained Him as He took on the burdens of humanity. In times of stress, we need to understand that spending time praying and reading God’s word can lift our spirits, protect our hearts, and nourish our souls.

Jesus portrayed compassion throughout his time on earth. “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Matthew 9:36 (NIV)

In John chapter 11, Jesus wept at the grave site of Lazarus. In Luke 19: 41-42 He wept over the relentless sin of Jerusalem. As Christians we seek to have compassion and a tender heart, just as Jesus did. And, when we become overwhelmed, let’s seek to be like Him and take some time with God our Father. He will guide and direct us, comfort us, protect us, and love on us.

In the healthcare setting, these paralyzing feelings can take us down a dark path. But, with support of our community, prayer, and quiet time with God, we can overcome. That being said, professional help is so important and under utilized. Stay strong, my friends. We can do this.