Compassion fatigue

The Office for Victims of Crime describes compassion fatigue as physical, emotional and spiritual depletion. It is a common response to helping work, not a flaw in the helper.

Compassion fatigue can overlap with depression, anxiety or trauma symptoms. If you feel low, on edge or unlike yourself for weeks, talk with your clinical provider or a therapist.

Most studies of compassion fatigue have focused on nurses. Long shifts, short staffing and patients in pain all add up.

The National Child Traumatic Stress Network calls secondary traumatic stress a common job hazard for therapists, child welfare workers and case managers who work with children who have been through trauma.

The Office for Victims of Crime names victim services, law enforcement, emergency medical services and fire services as fields where this kind of strain is a real job challenge.

Family carers watch someone they love struggle, often every day. Compassion fatigue is common in family caregivers as well as paid helpers.

The Office for Victims of Crime notes that this strain affects people who volunteer in victim services, not just paid staff. Volunteers may get less training and support, which can raise the risk.

You don’t need a helping job to feel this. Being the person friends and family bring every crisis to can wear you down, especially if nobody checks on you.

Burnout grows from long-term stress that has not been well managed. It brings exhaustion, cynicism and feeling less effective. Researchers link it to unmet goals and a loss of control.

Changes to workload, schedule and support often help burnout most.

Secondary traumatic stress is the emotional strain that comes from hearing about someone else’s trauma first-hand. Researchers link it to the pain of not being able to rescue or protect someone.

Compassion fatigue brings burnout and secondary traumatic stress together. That is why rest alone may not be enough. Support around the hard stories matters too.

The Office for Victims of Crime describes vicarious trauma as a job challenge for people exposed again and again to victims of trauma and violence. Over time it can shift how safe or hopeful the world feels.

The Office for Victims of Crime lists constant, intense exposure to trauma, with little change in tasks, as a risk factor.

Being newer to the work and lacking training, orientation or supervision can raise the risk.

Social isolation raises the risk. Carers at home and volunteers can be especially cut off.

Having been through trauma yourself can make helping work hit harder. This does not mean you should not help. It means you deserve extra support.

In a CDC survey, health workers who faced harassment or did not have enough staff had higher odds of burnout. A helpful supervisor and enough time to do the job were linked to much lower odds.

Compassion satisfaction is the good feeling that comes from your work, including knowing your contribution matters. It can motivate you and help buffer the hard parts.

SAMHSA encourages response teams to find ways to grow compassion satisfaction, not just to reduce stress.

Vicarious resilience is learning about overcoming hard times from the people you support. Watching someone heal can change you for the better too.

Ideas

• Keep a note of thank-yous or moments that mattered
• Remind yourself why you started
• Share a good moment with a colleague or friend

Awareness of how indirect trauma affects you is a basic part of protecting your health.

Ideas

• Change clothes when you get home
• Name one thing you did well today
• Play music on the way home
• Take a few slow breaths before you walk inside

Supervisors can help by protecting downtime with flexible schedules.

Talking with colleagues, peer support, an employee assistance program or a chaplain are all ways the Office for Victims of Crime suggests to share the load.

Constant exposure with no change in tasks raises the risk. Where possible, ask to mix hard cases with other work, or space out the hardest parts of your week.

If your days are full of other people’s pain, it is okay to step back from upsetting news and videos in your free time.

• Do one thing just for fun each week
• Keep regular sleep and meals when you can
• Move your body, even a short walk
• Take real time off and protect it

What can help

• Accept help, and know your limits
• Ask about respite care, short breaks where someone else takes over
• Join a caregiver support group
• Keep your own health appointments
• Protect an hour or two for yourself

What can help

• Ask the organization what training and debriefing it offers
• Set a limit on hours, and keep it
• Take a break between hard assignments
• Tell a coordinator when it is getting heavy

Lack of training and supervision raises the risk, so it is fair to ask for both.

What can help

• Let others share the load, like other friends or a professional
• Notice who refills you, and spend time with them
• Say “I want to help, and I only have a little left today”

• Encourage basic self-care, like breaks and meals
• Point them to peer support, an employee assistance program or a chaplain
• Talk one-on-one, without judgment

• Allow flexible schedules that protect downtime
• Make room to reflect on hard cases
• Refer to professional help when needed
• Talk about vicarious trauma in supervision

In a CDC survey, health workers with supportive supervisors, enough time and trust in management had lower odds of burnout.

• Gently share what you have noticed
• Keep daily routines steady
• Stay connected with friends and family
• Suggest professional help if things don’t ease

Listening calmly and without judgment can help someone open up.

You don’t have to be thinking about suicide to reach out. The Lifeline is also for emotional distress, like feeling hopeless, trapped or unable to cope. Text and chat are also available in Spanish.

Crisis Text Line is free, private and open 24/7 by text. It can help if talking out loud feels too hard. For Spanish, text HOLA to 741741.

Go to findahelpline.com and pick your country. You can choose how you want to connect, such as phone, text or chat. If you are in danger, call your local emergency number.