Well, my topic tomorrow is about the story of A Good Samaritan where it presents the value of compassion. I bet we all knew the story of this as this is known and taught while we were still in school. Anyway, as I was browsing Google for examples, I came across this Compassion Fatigue. And I was like? Seriously? There is such a thing like that? Coz, it was my first time to see it and I wonder what it meant. *Curiosity alerts*
So what I did was searched for it, read a few and told myself, "Ooops, I know this." Haha! I was actually pertaining to myself. I don't know but I guess, I came to this point when I am overly tired of almost everything. Work, family, friends and life as a whole. I don't know.
However, according to one definition of compassion fatigue, it is a state of tension and preoccupation with the individual and cumulative trauma of clients in one or more ways including re-experiencing the traumatic event, avoidance/numbing of reminders of the event and persistent arousal. While work burnout is associated with work overload and other environmental factors like assignment levels and scheduling.
I think work burnout and compassion fatigue somehow go together. I mean they are somewhat related to each other. Others might just mistaken it as burnout when you could be feeling the other. Oh, well, let's just look deeper as we try see its signs and symptoms. :)
The warning signs of Compassion Fatigue are: (those that are applicable to me)
- blaming others
- complaining too much and too often
- not expressing emotions in a healthy manner
- isolating from friends and family
- tired all the time
- loss of purpose
- emotional rollercoaster
- anger
- self-doubt
- lack of self-satisfaction
- irritable
- impatient
And what I can do as self-care for CF:
- be aware of the symptoms (recognize and monitor the changes)
- make personal life a priority
- make a connection with family and friends
- revitalize sense of life's purpose and meaning
Professionally, this is how you can beat CF according to NurseBuff:
1. Set boundaries at work
- accept that you're not superhuman
- you can't fix everything
- determine until when or where you shall intervene
2. Talk about your emotions
- don't keep negative emotions all to yourself
- vent out your feelings
- seek help professionally
3. Don't go beyond the limits you set
- learn to say "no"
4. Practice positive self-talk
- makes you aware of your feelings and issues
- identify when you need to take care of yourself first before others
5. Smile
- easiest way to brighten up your day a little
- take a deep breath and smile
- having positive outlook improves positivity at work
6. Forgive and move on
- don't keep the hate all to yourself
- forgiveness is not something you give to others but to yourself
7. Socialize
- spend time with friends and participate in social events
- attention is diverted into meaningful activities rather than sinking deeper into depression
8. Be creative
- do creative activities like writing, dancing, etc to release stress and negative emotions
- focuses you more to your inner self
9. Go on a retreat
- change your surroundings
- will have a refreshing break from your life
10. Develop a career plan
- to have a good reminder of your dreams and aspirations
- serves as a driving motivation in getting yourself together
11. Relate with other nurses
- talk to fellow nurses and take note of their advices
- older nurses have time-tested strategies in overcoming CF
12. Keep in mind that you have a purpose
- remind yourself that nursing is a noble career and everything happens for a reason
- take sad experiences as opportunities to learn and grow
13. Whenever you feel yourself going down the slide, reach out for your victories
- celebrate moments of triumphs
That's a lot of information, right? But I thank my leader for giving us this task. At least I've learned something today. :)
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