Feeling compassion tired due to the pandemic?
In the early days of the pandemic, recovery rates seemed high and reports of deaths were few, as citizens thought we faced a lockdown. We made banana bread, dalgona coffee at home and spent time with family. This was soon replaced with no limits on the workplace, more and more deaths due to the virus, cases increased rapidly, the virus mutated and India was hit by a second wave. It has been horrifying in more ways than one.
In early 2020, around February, I vividly remember sitting in a cafe enjoying my coffee while reading a lot of news about COVID-19 coming from across international borders. The virus, which was initially thought to be localized in China, now appears to have begun to affect a handful of other countries with a handful of cases. Sporadicly, as of March 2020, most countries saw an increase in the number of cases, causing panic across the globe, with people hoarding rations and essentials in anticipation of the lockdown.
In a matter of weeks, most countries, including India, were placed under strict lockdown. Amidst the initial chaos and warnings, doctor friends suggested I take some precautions and not worry. However, fast forward to 2021, life has changed so significantly for all and most of us have also adapted to the major challenges brought by this pandemic.
Many youngsters, actors, comedians, NGOs and even doctors took to social media to offer help. The individuals were philanthropists and went out of their way to find remdesivir medicine, assisted in arranging hospital beds, oxygen cylinders, doctors, food for those stuck in home quarantine, and also arranging burial places at crematoriums. expanded to. We were overwhelmed with sadness and sorrow, yet we tried to support each other. Things were so overwhelming for most of us that we wanted to help but we couldn’t. The sympathy which prompted us to arrange for oxygen cylinders, started to fade with the news of the death, we got angry at ourselves and those around us, we must have started projecting it on our family members as well. This lost empathy and compassion due to the overwhelming environment is often referred to as a phenomenon known as ‘compassion fatigue’.
In simple words, compassion fatigue is the loss of empathy due to mental and physical exhaustion. This may or may not accompany burnout and may even sound similar to burnout, but it is different because the person suffering from compassion fatigue has a sudden loss of empathy and emotional issues. Such as outbursts of anger, anxiety, irritation, fear of people’s thoughts. Increased tension headache, weight loss, etc., along with physical changes. During this time, the person usually assumes that people are responsible for his sufferings.
Jia, a 21-year-old college student, met me in June 2021. She is a bright young girl who volunteered at a COVID helpline center since April 2021, where she was doing her best to meet the needs of those who needed ICU beds and oxygen support. . The job initially made her feel satisfied, but she soon became saddened by the news of a record number of people dying, triggering her to read or listen to the news, even social media. He was overwhelmed by everyone asking for help. Whenever she got a call of distress, she would get scared. She tried her best to help as efficiently as possible, but in some cases by the time hospital beds were arranged, she found that the distressed caller’s family member had passed away. This happened several times during May 2021. He cursed himself for not being fast enough. When she learned that her father had COVID in early June 2021, she passed away without emotion and began to feel exhausted, unable to cry, angry easily, and felt her mental health deteriorate. and came to me to understand her mind. . She thought it was because of her father’s illness and the inability of the helpline center’s colleagues that she was suffering so much. With a few sessions, Gia improved and is doing well now. Compassion fatigue can look like this. This can happen to teachers, nurses, doctors, psychologists and often as a result of excessive trauma exposure.
Some ways to address compassionate fatigue include:
Start by taking care of yourself. In airplanes, initial instructions always say that in case of a change in air pressure, oxygen masks will be put on, helping yourself first then those around you. Similarly, in life, whether you are volunteering or doing these difficult tasks, make sure you take care of your own mental and physical health before serving the needs of others. If you’re doing well, you’ll be able to think clearly and help better. It will make you feel inspired and satisfied.
Spend time to improve your mental health: Stress can affect our mental health. Being stressed is often a starting point, it can soon turn into anxiety, depression or other mental illnesses. Learning effective stress management has a bearing on our mental health. This can be done by spending time with nature, writing a journal or gratitude journal, spending time with loved ones, exercising, meditating, etc. Find your most effective method of stress management. This will help you improve your mental and emotional health.
Focus on what you can control: The pandemic has been a humbling time for most of us. We may have the impression of limited control in our lives. We may not be able to control the circumstances around us, but reminding ourselves that our actions are within our control can help us focus and redirect our energy in constructive ways. For example, students may not know when the pandemic will end and when they will return to school, but they can focus on aspects such as their studies, their sleep cycle, exercise regimen, etc. that are under their control. Huh.
Limit Bad News: Compassion fatigue is the result of indulging in bad news for a while without caring about yourself. If you are being hit by bad news, one of the best ways to start limiting engagement with the sources of bad news is to focus on your mental well-being.
The pandemic is a collective trauma we are all living in, it can leave anyone feeling the fatigue of compassion. Thus, it would be best to take care of yourself or seek professional help if you are unable to cope as expected.
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