How to Combat Compassion Fatigue
(Specifically for Youth-Serving Professionals)
If you are part of what I would consider a “helping profession” as a social worker, teacher, health care provider, or other youth-serving professional, then you have probably heard the term compassion fatigue. Compassion fatigue is often wrapped up with other concepts such as burnout and vicarious trauma but what does it really mean and how can you address it in your own work?
What is Compassion Fatigue?
Compassion fatigue or burnout can have many different definitions but ultimately it is the way the world looks and feels different as a result of the work you do. That includes how things may feel different physically, mentally, or emotionally. Key symptoms of compassion fatigue include:
Emotional exhaustion – the fatigue that comes from caring too much, for too long
Depersonalization – the depletion of empathy, caring, and compassion
Decreased sense of accomplishment – feeling that nothing you do makes any difference
Understanding the intricacies of compassion fatigue is the first step towards effectively combating it.
Compassion Fatigue for Youth-Serving Professionals
Youth-serving professionals, including educators, counselors, social workers, and health care providers are particularly susceptible to compassion fatigue due to our intense emotional investment in our work. The daily challenges of guiding and supporting young people through various life struggles can take a massive toll on our well-being. For example:
We feel extra responsible for our students/clients/patients because they’re minors.
Young people have less control and autonomy because of their age. Teens can’t always make the changes that are healthiest for themselves because of the barriers of family and systems that they’re a part of (schools, foster care, etc)
Working with minors also means working with parents and caregivers. Have you ever heard a teacher say “I love teaching but I can’t stand the parents”. True, not all parents make things more difficult but even if you work with the most awesome parents and caregivers, you still have multiple parties to consider and consult with when it comes to the work you do.
Culture as a whole misunderstands or outright has a bias against teens and young adults. Everything from “what are they wearing?!” to “they’re always on their phones” - our larger culture has issues with teens. I don’t know a single person who works with teens who hasn’t had someone say to them “omg… I could never...” As a result, this work can feel isolating at times or it takes extra energy to combat those negative stereotypes.
Compassion Fatigue Examples
There are many different ways that compassion fatigue can show up. Some symptoms are more obvious or well known than others. Here are a few examples:
Emotional Exhaustion
Feeling emotionally drained and depleted
Having difficulty connecting with other people including clients/patients and loved ones
Physical Exhaustion and Ailments
Experiencing physical symptoms like headaches, fatigue, or sleep disturbances.
Neglecting self-care due to work-related demands.
Reduced Sense of Accomplishment
Experiencing a lack of achievement or satisfaction in your work
Feeling like nothing you do is making a real difference
Diminished Creativity
Often getting stuck in black or white thinking
Feeling uninterested in creative projects you used to enjoy outside of work
Inability to Listen/Avoidance
Finding yourself unable to pay attention to what people around you are saying or difficulty remembering conversations you’ve had
Keeping your voicemail full or avoiding checking your emails
Numbing
Putting up walls so that it’s difficult for you to feel positive or negative emotions
Muting your feelings by using substances like drugs or alcohol
Isolation and Withdrawal
Withdrawing from social interactions with colleagues or friends
Feeling isolated and disconnected from support networks
How to Deal with Compassion Fatigue
There are two main strategies for dealing with compassion fatigue:
Address the symptoms
Target the root causes
The Symptoms
Much advice on burnout focuses on addressing the symptoms. Many of those strategies fall under the “self care” umbrella. I am certainly a big fan of self care (more than half my Christmas list this year consisted of skin care items…) but most of us know that self care is simply not enough (more on that below). However, if there was one thing I could tell you to do to address the symptoms of burnout, it would be to do something that raises your heart rate for 30 minutes a day. Raising your heart rate allows you to process the stress in your body and signal to your mind and body that you’re safe, kicking you out of that flight/flight/freeze response that comes from built up stress. (You can learn more about completing the stress cycle from Emily and Amelia Nagoski’s wonderful book Burnout.)
The Root Causes
Probably the more important (and more difficult) strategy to combat compassion fatigue and burnout is addressing unsustainable systems. It’s understandable that we usually focus on only addressing the symptoms because impacting systems takes more time and effort and typically requires collaboration. The first thing to do is identify what parts of the system are negatively impacting you and those around you. Is it expectations to work after hours? Insufficient time off? Too large of caseloads? Each systemic issue requires different strategies but here a few approaches to try:
Understand how the system works - Many of us don’t fully read our organizational policies and procedures after we are hired (or ever!). Familiarize yourself with significant policies and procedures so that you’re prepared with correct information about what benefits you're entitled to, what appropriate work limits are, and what options you have for medical leave, filing grievances, etc.
Consider what you have control over - What is your sphere of influence? Do you make the schedule? Can you block off a lunch hour on your calendar? Do you have a good relationship with someone in a leadership position? Can you silence email notifications during non work hours? Are you someone else’s supervisor? Setting small boundaries and having critical conversations with those who will listen can often have a meaningful ripple effect.
Identify your allies - First things first, if you haven’t already expressed concerns to your supervisor - do so. This can feel intimidating (especially if your supervisor is a part of the problem) but it’s ideal to start with the most direct person you have access to. Additionally, document that you had the conversation by either taking your own notes or, if it feels safe, sending a follow up email to your supervisor outlining what you discussed. Unfortunately, supervisors sometimes don’t take action on feedback. In that case, you can look for other allies in your organization be that HR, peers, or another person in a leadership position. Consider who you have a good working relationship with and set up time to talk with them. Test the waters and trust your instincts when it comes to how much to disclose and when. Avoid blaming individual people and focus more on naming how unsustainable systems are negatively affecting you and the work as a whole.
Ultimately, combating compassion fatigue, especially for youth-serving professionals, is a critical practice to ensure our personal well-being and the effectiveness of our work. The unique challenges we face make it vital that we address and combat compassion fatigue proactively. Recognizing and addressing the symptoms, such as emotional and physical exhaustion, diminished creativity, and isolation, is the first step. However, the more profound and challenging approach involves collaborating to change the systems negatively impacting ourselves and our peers. I’m reminded of one of my favorite quotes from the author of the book Trauma Stewardship:
“By developing the deep sense of awareness needed to care for ourselves while caring for others and the world around us, we can greatly enhance our potential to work for change, ethically and with integrity for generations to come.”
For me, this is the goal - that those of us who love this work can find sustainable practices that keep us thriving in our field for years to come.
Recognize any of these warning signs of burnout and compassion fatigue in yourself or your colleagues? I offer training and consulting specifically for schools, nonprofits, health care providers, and other youth-serving professionals on preventing and confronting burnout. Contact me about ongoing consulting or organization-wide training. Together, we can address both the symptoms and root causes of compassion fatigue.
