Tulane Traumatology Institute defines compassion fatigue as a form of chronic stress that develops when providing care to another. Pushing aside one’s own care, being isolated, and avoiding showing emotions all help create this chronic stress.
The stress takes a toll on emotional and physical health. It can make someone depressed and unhappy. People with compassion fatigue may feel hopeless and withdraw from friends. Thinking you could be dealing with compassion fatigue is usually the first step in making improvements.
How Can You Tell if You Have Compassion Fatigue?
People with compassion fatigue tend to hide emotions. They isolate themselves and can become negative. Others may notice the negativity and complain about it. Some people will turn to alcohol or drugs to feel better.
Compassion fatigue may cause a person to stop caring for themselves. They skip showers. Don’t bother doing their hair or maintaining their appearance. They may slip into debt. They may develop stomach issues or have anxiety attacks.
As the problem worsens, a person with compassion fatigue may start missing a lot of work. Missing deadlines or failing to keep promises.
How Do You Stop Compassion Fatigue?
-Realizing you need to make changes is the first step. While it’s natural to want to focus on your parents’ care, you need to put yourself first. That doesn’t mean you ignore your parents’ needs, but you need to step away from time to time and let another caregiver take over.
-Go out with your friends to see a movie and have dinner together. Hire home care services and take a weekend to lounge around your home and catch up on movies, TV shows, or books you’ve been dying to read. Plan a weekend getaway with your significant other.
-You also need to look at your current lifestyle. Has it become a habit to grab takeout on your way home from your mom or dad’s house? Have you stopped going to the gym in order to have an extra hour to get your parents’ laundry done? You need to focus on eating healthy and getting enough exercise.
-Try to be positive. Even if things seem impossible, stop and think about the positives. If your mom refused to eat the stew you made but raved over the apple crisp, focus on how much she liked that apple crisp.
-Join a support group. Others understand your stress and uncertainty. Talk to a therapist if it helps. Most importantly, arrange respite care. A home care agency will work with you to send a caregiver when needed. You take a break while your parents’ care remains the same. Call a home care agency to discuss respite care services.
For more information about hiring Elderly Care in Coronado CA, call the friendly caregivers at La Jolla Nurses Homecare who can help your aging parents remain in their own homes, at 858-454-9339. We are a home care agency providing quality and affordable senior care in La Jolla, CA, and the surrounding communities.
Sources:
http://www.compassionfatigue.org/
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