Compassion fatigue is stress caused in an individual. It entangles us When we are emotionally drained because of being too compassionate towards someone else who has encountered too many traumatizing events in their life
Do you have compassion fatigue?
It’s human nature to want to help others when they are going through a tough time or when they are struggling in life.
Having compassion is part of our DNA. If you’re uncertain of what compassion entails: it’s an emotional investment we make in someone else by showing empathy and sympathy.
Sympathy is ‘to feel sorry for someone’ and Empathy is ‘to feel pain and hurt with someone.
Having too much compassion for someone in your life can cause compassion fatigue.
If you’ve drained your emotional well-being so much because you have been entangled in someone else’s life and drama. You will eventually start experiencing a numbness towards emotions.
Here is a list of signs which show that emotional drain and compassion fatigue is slowly getting over you.
You Feel Angry
You have been consoling and advising this person who has been going through abuse for a very long time. But it’s like you can’t listen to their stories anymore.
Even though it’s not the victim’s fault, you feel angry towards them because they are in a situation like this. You want them to get a grip and get over it.
You Feel Numb
Emotional stories that would usually stir sad and sympathetic emotions within, just don’t anymore.
You feel apathic towards the victim and towards anyone else who wants your advice. What is apathy? Apathy is to feel nothing anymore.
Isolating Yourself
Another sign of compassion fatigue is that you start avoiding any human interaction. You don’t want to talk to anyone, because having to listen to everyone else’s drama is just too draining for you.
You’d rather stay home and sit in the quiet. You will also notice that you feel extremely irritated whenever someone laughs or talks too loud.
You have to really bite your tongue when you are amongst others because you aren’t enjoying their company at all. And you use to really enjoy being with them.
You Feel Negative
Being entangled in someone else’s traumatic experiences have caused you to become a pessimist. You don’t see the good in anything or anyone. The silver lining around the thunder clouds has disappeared.
There is nothing wrong to get involved in a friend’s traumatic and abusive life in order to help and guide them. But if you are too involved you may end up with compassion fatigue.
Remember that your own sanity is also very important and that you need to nurture yourself in order to help others.
Go through GoMarry.com’s abundance of articles to learn more about being an emotional empath. https://articles.gomarry.com/why-emotional-empath-stay-alone/
