Are You on the Verge of Compassion Fatigue?

Is it possible that you are on the verge of or experiencing compassion fatigue?

Do you hear a little voice in your head whispering "How would I know?"

If you've been feeling overwhelmed, overworked, mentally and physically exhausted, and you or others have noticed that you seem irritable and have become emotionally distant or pulled away.

I have some concerns that you may be on the verge or have developed it without knowing it.

Compassion Fatigue is a unique form of burnout that affects individuals in the caring professions and caregivers. It's a secondary traumatic stress reaction resulting from helping or desiring to help a person suffering from traumatic events. It results in a state of mental and physical exhaustion.

The symptoms are nearly identical to PTSD except it applies to caregivers who are affected by the trauma of others. Sound familiar?

I’m absolutely committed to help you retrain your brain to tap in and turn off those feelings of fear, worry, and overwhelm, rewire your brain to create an emotional resilience habit and autopilot program. The most important step you MUST do is to decide what you want your life to look and feel like instead of what it does now.

Remember how life felt used to feel when you were feeling happy and at peace and had the time, energy, and freedom to do anything you wanted?

Close your eyes for a moment, take a deep breath, and take yourself back to a day in that part of your life BEFORE your life spun out of control personally and professionally.

Ask yourself and answer these three questions: 

1. What were you thinking and feeling in that moment? 2. Do you remember feeling excited and passionate about your life?  3. What were you able to do then that you’re having difficulty or unable to experience now? 

Take a deep breath, focus on that earlier version of you, and give yourself permission to step into that person you were, re-experience that part of you again, and remember all the hopes and dreams you had in that earlier part of your life. Allow the passion and excitement to flood, fill, and refuel your body now!

2.  Make a list of the Top 3 Greatest Moments you’ve experienced in your life. Be sure to include the events and situations in which you felt the most powerful, relaxed, playful, loving, and passionate and excited. Carry that list around with you this week and add to the list as you remember all those great times.

Replay the scenes of your Top 3 greatest Moments in your mind as often as possible throughout the week. Notice the more you recall who you were and what you were feeling and thinking, the easier it is for you to tap into those old feelings of passion and purpose again. Notice what happens to your discomfort level as you replay those scenes in your mind. Does one scene make you feel better than another? Did your discomfort level diminish? Yes? Great.

Keep a journal for the next several weeks and keep a record of your replay experiences-how they felt and which ones made you feel best. You’ll need the information later so keep it handy.  

Don't forget to click here now and complete the Compassion Fatigue Survey if you haven't done so yet.. Let's get a benchmark and determine just where you are right this moment.  

I’ll be back soon with more tips and another challenge!

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