Compassion Satisfaction Compassion Fatigue/Burnout/Taking Care of Yourself Professional Quality of Life Compassion Satisfaction Compassion Fatigue Burnout Secondary Trauma

What is Compassion Fatigue? Compassion Fatigue is a state experienced by those helping people in distress. It is an extreme state of tension and preoccupation with the suffering of those being helped to the degree that it can create a secondary traumatic stress for the helper. It is the negative aspect of helping those who experience traumatic stress and suffering.

What is Compassion Satisfaction? Compassion satisfaction is the positive feelings that helpers feel as a result of what they do. It is a feeling of satisfaction of seeing the impact of care and interventions on their patient’s life. Is about the pleasure you derive from being able to do your work. For example, you may feel like it is a pleasure to help others through what you do at work. You may feel positively about your colleagues or your ability to contribute to the work setting or even the greater good of society through your work with people who need care.

Compassion fatigue can lead to: Burnout Burnout is a psychological term that refers to long-term exhaustion and diminished interest in work It concerns things such as exhaustion, frustration, anger, and depression Associated with feelings of hopelessness and difficulties in dealing with work or in doing your job effectively. These negative feelings usually have a gradual onset. They can reflect the feeling that your efforts make no difference, or they can be associated with a very high workload or a non- supportive work environment

Compassion Fatigue can lead to: Secondary Trauma It is a negative feeling driven by fear and work-related trauma Is about your work-related, secondary exposure to extremely stressful events. For example, you may repeatedly hear stories about the traumatic things that happen to other people. Symptoms are usually rapid in onset and associated with a particular event. They may include being afraid, having difficulty sleeping, having images of the upsetting event pop into your mind, or avoiding things that remind you of the event

Signs/Examples of Compassion Fatigue: Isolation Bottled up emotions Preoccupation Difficulty concentrating Voices active complaints Mentally & physically tired No longer finds activities pleasurable Chronic physical ailments Poor self care In denial Compulsive behaviors and other addictions

Workplace Consequences of Compassion Fatigue: High turnover High absenteeism Increased injury – workers' comp Breaking company rules Negativity towards management and outbreaks of aggressive behaviors/friction among staff Constant changes in co-workers relationships Inability for teams to work well together Inability of staff to complete assignments and tasks and to respect and meet deadlines Strong reluctance toward change

Ways to avoid those consequences: Work as a team – use others Be assertive with your feelings and concerns Laugh, joke, unwind Take a “mental health” day Switch “on/off” Learn from mistakes Focus on what you did well Take ProQOL every 3-6 months (Professional Quality of Life Scale)

What Supervisors can do: Make sure it is a safe environment Have a SAFE area Encouragement Smile Connect and attune Give ProQOL every 3-6 months (Professional Quality of Life Scale)

Wellness Begins with Awareness With support, insightful information, and authentic self-care, you can begin to understand the complexity of the emotions you've been juggling and, most likely, suppressing. Most people never take the time to understand how their jobs affect them emotionally. Give yourself credit for moving forward and affecting change. Your hard work will pay off. In order to move forward on your path to wellness, you must continually commit to authentic self-care.

Authentic self-care includes: Health-building activities such as exercise, massage, yoga, meditation Eating healthy foods Drinking plenty of water Use natural healing products to care for and heal your body Practicing the art of self-management. Just say no Developing a healthy support system: people who contribute to your self esteem, people who listen well, people who care Organizing your life so you become proactive as opposed to reactive Reserving your life energy for worthy causes. Choose your battles Living a balanced life: Sing, dance, sit with silence

Authentic and Sustainable Self Care Begins With You Be kind to yourself Enhance your awareness with education Accept where you are on your path at all times Understand that those close to you may not be there when you need them most Exchange information and feelings with people who can validate you Listen to others who are suffering Clarify your personal boundaries. What works for you; what doesn't Express your needs verbally Take positive action to change your environment