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What Is Compassion Fatigue, and How Can You Avoid It?
Truly caring for or about someone can be exhausting — hence the term compassion fatigue. The phrase was first coined in 1992 by a nurse, Carla Joinson, to describe the physical, emotional, and psychological experience of professional healthcare workers, per the Online Journal of Issues in Nursing. Headaches, mood swings, irritability, dread of going to work, and lack of joy in life are all listed side effects and behaviors of compassion fatigue.
In more recent times, though, the term has been used to describe the feeling of when we empathetically pour so much energy into the needs of others, we no longer have any space for ourselves. With a 24-hour news cycle, the demands of one’s career, and the desire to be a compassionate member of society, that level of empathy and desire to help can leave you feeling depleted at times. If you can relate, you’ve probably experienced compassion fatigue.