COMPASSION FATIGUE IS A
TERM FAMILIAR TO HEALTHCARE
PROFESSIONALS, ALSO SOCIAL
WORKERS, THERAPISTS, ANYONE WHO
PROVIDES CARE AND SUPPORT AND
COMPASSION ON A REGULAR BASIS.
AS COVID-19 AND RACIAL
UNREST CONTINUE TO BRING STRESS
AND TRAUMA TO OUR COMMUNITIES,
ALL OF US ARE BECOMING
OVERWHELMED.
HOW DO WE PROTECT OURSELVES?
JOINING US NOW, DR. SHANDA
KRAFT IS HERE THIS MORNING.
GLAD TO BE HURT.
WHAT IS COMPASSION FATIGUE?
IT IS SIMPLY PUT, COMPASSION
FATIGUE IS THE EMOTIONAL TOLL
OR STRAIN OF CARING FOR PEOPLE
WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED TRAUMA.
IT IS SOMETIMES REFERRED TO AS
SECONDARY TRAUMA OR VICARIOUS
TRAUMA.
IT'S THIS IDEA OF IF YOU'RE
SOMEONE WHO IS IN A ROLE OF
CARING FOR OTHERS OR YOU'RE
CONSTANTLY EXPOSED TO TRAUMATIC
EVENTS AND DISTRESS, IT'S LIKE
YOUR BODY AND YOUR MIND KIND OF
SOAK IT UP AS A SPONGE.
AT SOME POINT, THAT SPONGE
BECOMES OVERWHELMED AND THEN
THE FATIGUE SETS IN.
AS JOURNALIST, I THINK WE
ARE SOMETIMES FAMILIAR WITH
THIS AS WELL, AS YOU ARE OUT
IMMERSED IN STORIES THAT
REQUIRE COMPASSION.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE SIGNS?
I THINK EVERYONE HAS A LITTLE
BIT OF FATIGUE ON A MINOR, NOT
A MINOR BASIS, BUT ON A
SINGULAR EPISODE, HOW DO YOU
LOOK AT THIS BEING A BIGGER
ISSUE?
COMPASSION FATIGUE IS REALLY
OVER THE COURSE OF TIME.
IT'S NOT JUST ONE SINGLE
EPISODE . IT IS THIS CONSTANT
EXPOSURE TO THINGS THAT ARE
DRAMATIC AND AT SOME POINT, THE
PERSON WHO WAS PROVIDING CARE
OR WHOSE ATTENTION IS NEEDED
ACTUALLY STARTS TO TAKE ON SOME
OF THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF
POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS SYNDROME,
FEELING NUMB, DEPRESSED,
ANXIOUS.
WE ALSO SEE PEOPLE WILL HAVE A
LOT OF PROFOUND DISTURBANCES
AND OTHER BODILY FUNCTIONS, SO
THEY ARE NOT SLEEPING AS WELL.
THEIR MIND IS PREOCCUPIED.
THEY MAY HAVE A LOT OF
EMOTIONAL CHANGES, PEOPLE WHO
DON'T NORMALLY CRY ARE CRYING
MORNING.
THEY WILL TALK ABOUT HOW THEY
FEEL LIKE THEY ARE FEELING
EVERYTHING AND THEY CAN'T GET
RID OF THE FEELINGS.
CHANGERS AND BEHAVIOR.
YOU MAY START TO KIND OF MAKE
MISTAKES ON YOUR JOB OR MAYBE
YOU ARE ACTING A LITTLE MORE
ERRATICALLY OR JUST KIND OF
ISOLATING YOURSELF FROM PEOPLE.
THERE REALLY IS THE SENSE OF
NUMBNESS AT SOME POINT, LIKE
PEOPLE JUST FEEL LIKE THEY
REALLY CAN'T GO ON.
I THINK FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE
IT'S HARD TO RECOGNIZE THAT YOU
ARE SUFFERING FROM COMPASSION
FATIGUE OR HE MAY BE GETTING TO
THAT POINT WHERE YOU ARE
CRYING EVERY DAY OR YOU AREN'T
SLEEPING.
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO PROTECT
YOURSELF BEFORE YOU MAKE IT TO
THAT BREAKING POINT?
IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO
TRY NOT TO LASH OUT WITH THE
ANGER AND BLAME, THAT ALSO
SHOWS UP IN THE SENSE OF I JUST
DON'T CARE ANYMORE BECAUSE YOU
COME SO OVERWHELMED.
WHILE IT IS IMPORTANT TO ALLOW
YOURSELF TO FEEL YOUR FEELINGS,
ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT WE ARE NOT
MEANT TO ABSORB A HIGH AMOUNT
OF TRAUMATIC STRESS ON A
REGULAR BASIS.
WHEN YOU ARE FEELING THAT
OVERWHELMED, IT IS SOMEWHAT OF
A NORMAL RESPONSE BUT SOME OF
THE BEHAVIORAL THINGS THAT
MIGHT NOT BE HAPPENING ARE NOT
NORMAL.
GIVING YOURSELF THE OPPORTUNITY
TO SAY WHAT ARE THE LIMITS OF
MY ABILITY.
HOW MUCH CARE CAN I PROVIDE,
HOW MUCH ATTENTION CAN I GIVE
AND RECOGNIZING THAT WE CAN'T
SAVE EVERYONE AND WE CAN ALWAYS
MAKE ALL OF THE CHANGES THAT WE
REALLY WANT TO SEE IN THE
WORLD.
SOMETIMES WE ARE GOING TO HAVE
TO STEP AWAY.
THAT MAY MEAN TAKING TIME OFF
FROM YOUR JOB IF THAT'S THE
SOURCE OF YOUR HIGH TRAUMATIC
STRESS.
IT MAY MEAN TURNING OFF SOCIAL
MEDIA ARE NOT WATCHING AS MUCH
NEWS BECAUSE THERE IS SO MUCH
THAT IS COMING AT US ALL THE
TIME.
WE HAVE TO SOMETIMES GIVE
OURSELVES FAITH SPACE TO STEP
AWAY AND FIND SOMEONE ELSE TO
TALK TO YOU TO SHARE OUR
FEELINGS BEFORE WE COME SO
DESPONDENT THAT OUR COMPASSION
IS COMPLETELY GONE AND WE ARE
FEELING SO NUMB THAT WE ARE NOT
A HELP TO ANYONE.
DO YOU HAVE ANY QUICK ADVICE
FOR PEOPLE TO TRY TO SUPPORT
SOMEONE IN THEIR LIFE AS YOU
WANT SOMEONE GOING THROUGH THIS
SORT OF FATIGUE?
I THINK SPEAKING UP REALLY
EARLY AND NOTICING IF PEOPLE
ARE BEHAVING DIFFERENTLY.
IF THEY ARE MORE EMOTIONAL THAN
YOU TYPICALLY SEE IN HIM.
JUST LETTING THEM KNOW THAT YOU
SEE THAT, ASKING THEM IF THEY
ARE OKAY, ASKING THEM IF
THERE'S ANYTHING YOU CAN DO TO
LIGHTEN THE BURDEN BUT JUST BE
HONEST WITH THEM AND LISTEN.
WHEN I USE THIS ANALOGY OF A
SPONGE, WE OFTEN TIMES NEED TO
FIND A PLACE TO WRING OUT OUR
SPONGE.
IF YOU'RE THE PERSON WHO IS
THAT SUPPORT, BEING THAT BUCKET
FOR THEM, THE PLACE TO WRING
OUT THE SPONGE IN A PATIENT
WAY, AND A COMPASSIONATE WAY.
AFFAIR THAT PERSON WHO NEEDS
THAT HELP, IT'S IMPORTANT TO
RECOGNIZE THAT SOMEONE IS
REACHING OUT.
IT'S BETTER TO TALK THROUGH
THESE THINGS AND WORK THROUGH
THESE THINGS WITH THE HELP OF
SOMEONE ELSE WHETHER IT'S A
PROFESSIONAL OR FRIEND OR
FAMILY MEMBER.
ABSOLUTELY, AND DEFINITELY
FOR OUR WORKERS WHO ARE ON THE
FRONT LINES, WHETHER THAT IS IN
HEALTHCARE OR GROCERY STORES,
AS WELL AS THOSE OF US WHO ARE
OUT COMMUNITY ORGANIZING, IT IS
REALLY IMPORTANT TO JUST SAY, I
NEED TO TAKE A BREAK, THERE ARE
LIMITS AND BE HONEST WITH