How to Rejuvenate, Re-Establish and Maintain Balance
Here is my five step plan to avoiding compassion fatigue as a psychotherapist or other health care professional. I know from my years of experience as a trauma therapist, that self care and following these guidelines are key to being able to continue to do the important work and not suffer from burnout.
STEP 1: MONITOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS IN YOUR LIFE BY ASKING:
STEP 2: ASK FOR HELP
If your answer was ‘yes’ to several of the above, then it is time to ask for help. Helpers tend to believe they are strong and can handle a lot. Asking for help is difficult. It is easy for the helper to put their needs on the backburner to care for others first. This “Do as I say not as I do” approach only makes the helper appear unreliable and unauthentic.
Take the first step of talking to your family members, peers and supervisors about how you are affected and what you need to feel supported.
STEP 3: ACCEPT THE HELP
You have and deserve the right to protect yourself from the negative and toxic impact of trauma work. This belief is vital to manage self-esteem and self-worth about deserving a good life. Establishing this healthy boundary is necessary for personal and professional growth. It does not mean you are weak, stupid or incapable. It means you are human and as susceptible to being traumatized as anyone working in the helping field.
STEP 4: TAKE ACTION AT WORK
STEP 5: TAKE ACTION AT HOME
TO READ MORE ABOUT COMPASSION FATIGUE:
There are many excellent books on the topic of compassion fatigue. I have suggested a few to start the process of change.
Transforming the Pain: A Workbook on Vicarious Traumatization by Karen Saakvitne & Laurie Anne Pearlman.
Help for the Helper by Babette Rothschild.
Compassion Fatigue Workbook by Francoise Mathieu.
Compassion Fatigue: Coping with Secondary Traumatic Stress Disorder in Those Who Treat the Traumatized by Charles Figley.
Here is my five step plan to avoiding compassion fatigue as a psychotherapist or other health care professional. I know from my years of experience as a trauma therapist, that self care and following these guidelines are key to being able to continue to do the important work and not suffer from burnout.
STEP 1: MONITOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS IN YOUR LIFE BY ASKING:
- Am I feeling physically, emotionally and spiritually depleted? Am I experiencing disturbances in my sleep, changes in appetite, lack of control over emotions, trouble concentrating, numbing, disconnectedness or aloneness?
- Is there distance or lack of intimacy in my personal relationships? Do I feel a void in my life?
- How often do I feel ineffective vs effective in my work?
- Am I procrastinating, or experiencing a distracted mind or missing appointments and assignments?
- Do I feel helpless, powerless or vulnerable (notice the consistency)?
STEP 2: ASK FOR HELP
If your answer was ‘yes’ to several of the above, then it is time to ask for help. Helpers tend to believe they are strong and can handle a lot. Asking for help is difficult. It is easy for the helper to put their needs on the backburner to care for others first. This “Do as I say not as I do” approach only makes the helper appear unreliable and unauthentic.
Take the first step of talking to your family members, peers and supervisors about how you are affected and what you need to feel supported.
STEP 3: ACCEPT THE HELP
You have and deserve the right to protect yourself from the negative and toxic impact of trauma work. This belief is vital to manage self-esteem and self-worth about deserving a good life. Establishing this healthy boundary is necessary for personal and professional growth. It does not mean you are weak, stupid or incapable. It means you are human and as susceptible to being traumatized as anyone working in the helping field.
STEP 4: TAKE ACTION AT WORK
- Make sure you stretch, drink water, practice a few breathing and mindfulness exercises between client appointments. This helps to break the continuous flow of traumatic information to the brain, giving it a break from getting overloaded with traumatic material. The break gives your body an opportunity to recharge and focus on the next appointment.
- Writing notes between appointments gives you time to manage your emotions and collect your thoughts. Writing notes also helps to finish documentation in a timely manner, reducing your stress of “keeping up” with caseload.
- Lunch breaks are important to nourish your body, socialize with co-workers, go for a walk, and discuss events unrelated to your work. It will help to restore faith and hope that you are an important part in bringing change, creating new perceptions and motivating others to take charge of their lives.
- Examine if you are taking on too much at work. There are times when we take on more and more responsibilities, expecting unrealistic results from ourselves. We do that to show our loyalty to the company, hoping to impress upon them that we are valuable to them. We may be threatened by the competence of our colleagues and push ourselves in taking on more to prove our worthiness. In such situations it is important to listen to your gut and intuition. Deep in the core of your being, in your belly there is a sensation, a voice that speaks quietly to you. Go for a walk or sit quietly in a room without distractions. Take some deep breaths and meditate your attention on your gut. You will be able to answer questions whether you are overdoing it. Are you fearful of losing your job, not getting a promotion? Are your decisions based on insecurities, or do you have reasonable time and energy to take on new tasks? Do you have the skill set you have to take on this assignment? Recognizing the root reasons for your choices will help reduce your anxiety. It will give you the choice to choose wisely, figure out strategies to improve your performance or accept yourself at the level you are functioning without criticizing yourself.
STEP 5: TAKE ACTION AT HOME
- Communicate with family members the level of stress in your job.
- Distribute chores, responsibilities.
- Find a hobby and commit some time each week to it.
- Exercise. It stimulates both sides of our brain to work together and builds coping skills.
- Laughter. Watch or read funny anecdotes. Laughter helps the brain regulate the stress hormones cortisol and epinephrine. There is a link between laughter and the production of anti-bodies and endorphins, the body’s natural pain killers. Even the expectation that something funny is coming suffices to bring about positive effects, per Dr. Lee Berk, an immunologist from Loma Linda University.
- Holding, hugging family members, friends and pets reinforces our relationships. Research has shown that touch is essential to bonding, improves our sense of safety and reduces stress hormones.
- Baths, massages, yoga are various ways to relax our muscles and it affects mind, body and spirit in positive, energizing manners.
- Pets are wonderful stress busters. Playing with, exercising with them gives your brain a break from constant cognitive processing.
- Listening to music is another way to relax.
- Sleep hygiene is important. Before going to bed, do not read or watch intense, disturbing material. A light hearted article or a sitcom on TV prepares you better for a restful night.
- Maintain financial health. Healthy financial decisions might require you to postpone buying things that you want, but don’t need. Living within your means will support your emotional and physical wellbeing by not becoming stressed with unreasonable debts. When you have good financial health, you are can live by your principles and choose the kind and place of employment that honors your sense of self-worth. It improves your self -esteem and empowers you with more options.
TO READ MORE ABOUT COMPASSION FATIGUE:
There are many excellent books on the topic of compassion fatigue. I have suggested a few to start the process of change.
Transforming the Pain: A Workbook on Vicarious Traumatization by Karen Saakvitne & Laurie Anne Pearlman.
Help for the Helper by Babette Rothschild.
Compassion Fatigue Workbook by Francoise Mathieu.
Compassion Fatigue: Coping with Secondary Traumatic Stress Disorder in Those Who Treat the Traumatized by Charles Figley.