Coping With Compassion Fatigue in Nursing and Health Care

While health care workers care for us, they often face immense emotional strain and struggle to balance care for others with their own well-being, which can lead to compassion fatigue.

If you’re a health care worker, this article is for you. Let’s explore how you can recognize and recover from compassion fatigue and burnout while continuing to offer quality patient care.

What is compassion fatigue?

Compassion fatigue is a set of stress-related symptoms experienced by caregivers and health care professionals when working with traumatized people over an extended period of time.

Common compassion fatigue symptoms often look like:

• Emotional and mental exhaustion: You may feel emotionally depleted and/or mentally weary. This includes difficulties with memory or concentration.
• Physical symptoms: Chronic stress and emotional strain can manifest as headaches, insomnia or chronic tiredness, and gastrointestinal issues.
• Depersonalization: Common reactions include distancing yourself emotionally from patients, colleagues, or the health care profession as a whole. You may also begin to feel indifferent, cynical, or detached from your work and the people you serve.
• Feeling like you can’t make a difference: No matter how hard you work, you feel that there will always be more people to help and you won’t be able to keep up.
• Numbness or difficulty empathizing: You may not feel the same sense of satisfaction in your work that you’re used to. This can make it increasingly difficult to connect with patients or provide the same level of empathetic care as before. 

Compassion fatigue vs. burnout symptoms: Is there a difference? 

Compassion fatigue is often confused with burnout. While there are similarities, burnout is mainly characterized by physical exhaustion and low energy levels. While tiredness is also common in those experiencing compassion fatigue, compassion fatigue symptoms affect your emotional and mental health as well. 

6 tips to manage burnout and compassion fatigue in nursing

Providing care to patients is the number one priority for health care workers. But if you’re experiencing burnout or compassion fatigue symptoms, it can be tough to care for yourself, your health, and the relationships around you. Here are some ways to manage feelings of burnout and compassion fatigue:

1. Prioritize self-care. Taking care of yourself is essential when addressing compassion fatigue in nursing. Consider carving out time for hobbies that promote relaxation, joy, and emotional renewal. Engage in physical activities such as exercise or a walk around the block, or decompress through mindful meditation or journaling to replenish your well-being. 
2. Seek social support. Connect with colleagues, friends, and mentors who understand the challenges of working in health care settings. Peer support groups and professional networks may offer opportunities for sharing experiences, gaining perspective, and accessing resources about how to tackle compassion fatigue. 
3. Practice boundary setting. Establish clear expectations with others to protect yourself from compassion fatigue. Consider declining additional responsibilities, and delegate tasks when necessary so that you don’t feel overwhelmed. 
4. Use your time after work wisely. Set aside some time to create an end-of-day ritual for yourself after work. Make a to-do list for the following day, visualize putting work to rest, or listen to your favorite playlist during your commute home. When you help yourself disconnect from work, you can recharge more fully and enjoy your personal time. 
5. Talk to your employer. Taking some time to speak to your manager can be an effective way to get your needs met and improve your situation. Plan ahead by outlining your concerns and feelings, as well as some possible solutions that might help you. Let them know ahead of time that you would like to speak to them so you can both be supportive of each other. 
6. Engage in self-reflection practices. Regular self-reflection can help us process our experiences. Utilize guided self-assessment activities, such as the one offered below, to identify triggers, develop coping strategies, and gather insight about how you’re feeling. 

Not sure where to start? Remember, you aren’t alone and help is available. Download this free workbook to gain valuable insights into your self-care needs.