Managing Compassion Fatigue During A Global Pandemic
Written by Gabrielle Gronewold, Culture Staff Writer, and illustrated by Katie Herrick, Culture Editor
I couldn’t help but notice the number of people claiming that they feel exhausted within the last few weeks, despite the amount of empty time we supposedly have during this period of self-isolation. I, myself, find that I long each day for a nap even though I attend classes in my bedroom and am able to sleep in.
It’s easy to suppress this exhaustion—we may feel that we’re not doing anything and others are experiencing far worse tribulations—but the tiredness you feel is your body’s natural response to a crisis.
Whether it is compassion fatigue, emotional exhaustion, grief or stress, it is completely normal and expected for your body and mind to go through some sort of processing during a major world event. The current events of the global pandemic of COVID-19 are a prime example.
In today’s world of 24-hour updated news, social media and heavy partisanship, it is easy for one to be affected by the constant updates. One therapist calls this “headline stress disorder,” or when individuals who read negative or intense news feel a physical and emotional blow in response (Stosny, 2017). Other experts refer to this bodily reaction as a form of compassion fatigue. These feelings are rooted in sympathy and morale (Gabbert, 2018).
Given the current circumstances, it is completely expected for these feelings to skyrocket and remain high within our new, daily routines. Yet, when I speak to my friends and look on social media, I can’t get over how many people are suppressing these emotions and putting pressure on themselves to both be hyper-productive and appear to be thriving.
Symptoms of stress and compassion fatigue include isolation, poor self-care, a sense of burden and exhaustion. All of these symptoms are your body telling you to take a step back and listen to yourself. And if that means you should go take a nap—or do any other form of self-care that helps you personally—then you should do that. No, you need to do that.
When looking online I’ve also found a lot of people with a large amount of denial and downward comparisons. Yes, some people have it worse than you. Some people are risking their lives and some people are sick—among many other situations. You can still think about and check in on these people and most importantly social distance, while also acknowledging your own current emotions.
Beyond listening to your body and honoring the emotions you’re feeling, it can also be really helpful to turn off the news right now. Taking a break from the news can be helpful to regulate emotions and make positive connections with the people and objects around you (Cohut, 2014).
So, it’s ok to feel tired right now. It’s ok if you don’t write your autobiography, an award-winning manuscript or paint a Picasso in the next month or so. The best way to help others is to first take care of yourself. And right now that means staying home, staying educated and turning off the news when needed.
Sources:
Sherrie Bourg Carter. “Are You Suffering from Compassion Fatigue?” Psychology Today. July 28, 2014.
Marie Cohut. “Anxious about the news? Our top tips on how to cope.” Medical News Today. Jan 16, 2020.
Elisa Gabbert. “Is compassion fatigue inevitable in an age of 24-hour news?” The Guardian. Aug 2, 2018.
Steven Stosny. “He once called it ‘election stress disorder.’ Now the therapist says we’re suffering from this.” The Washington Post. Feb 6, 2017.