As we approach the world reopening I can’t help but reflect on the past year and a half. It feels as though we’re all re-emerging after a very long and very weird hibernation; like waking up from a collective bad dream. As we adjust to this new world, slowly, tentatively shedding our masks, seeing people, returning to our offices and sharing space again there is room to celebrate and there is also room to grieve. You may also find yourself, like many others, struggling with compassion fatigue and burnout. In more extreme cases, you may encounter your own trauma or, if you are in a helping profession, vicarious trauma.
Let’s do some term definitions before we dive in.
Compassion fatigue: the psychic strain experienced when holding other people’s pain repeatedly or for an extended period of time. Symptoms can include exhaustion, disrupted sleep, irritability, emotional numbing or disconnect, and existential dread. When left unattended, compassion fatigue can develop into vicarious trauma with symptoms similar to PTSD.
Burnout: the feeling of mental, physical, and/or emotional exhaustion caused by overwork and stress. Symptoms can include increased distress, irritability, difficulty concentrating, procrastination, and lack of motivation.
Burnout can typically be address by reducing workload, taking a vacation, or taking a break to refresh and reflect. Compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma may require you to do some deeper work. Both have a major impact on our quality of life, happiness, and overall fulfillment. Long term caregivers, medical workers, social workers, and therapists are among those who are particularly prone to experiencing compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma.
Now you may ask, why I am bringing this up now that the world is reopening? This is because as the world reopens and we shift out of actively dealing with a crisis a lot of us may find that we begin to feel the strain of the past year and a half more acutely and in different ways without the immediate crisis to distract us. As we all emerge, it’s a good time to mindfully notice, reflect, and recalibrate our boundaries, expectations, and energies.
I encourage you to start with a simple daily practice:
Take 10 minutes each morning over the next couple of weeks to tune in to your body. Start with 5 deep breaths, filling up all the way to your belly and exhaling slowly. Then, slowly scan your body for any tension, aches, pains, and strains. Allow yourself to move or stretch in any way that feels good to you. You may take a moment to massage any areas that feel particularly tight. Then, allow yourself a moment to ask the question: “What do I need right now?” Don’t overthink it. Just go with whatever show up first. It might be a drink of water, a snack, a hug, a snuggle with your pet. Allow yourself to meet this need.
For bonus points: allow yourself to become curious about how often we identify and immediately begin talking ourselves out of our needs. “I’ll have a rest after I do the laundry/finish this paper/clean the whole kitchen/finish this project for my boss.” Allow yourself these 10 minutes each morning to meet your own needs first, before anyone else’s.
For even more bonus points: try journaling about your experience over the course of several weeks or even months.
You can also check out the books below for more reading and information on these topics:
Trauma Stewardship, by Laura Van Dernoot Lipsky
Burnout, by Emily Nagoski
My Grandmother’s Hands, by Resmaa Manakem
I recommend completing this scale as a check in about every 6 months for a quick self-assessment: Professional Quality of Life Scale (PROQUOL)
As always, if you are struggling and would like professional support, please don’t hesitate to reach out! I’d love to hear from you!