Preventing and Reducing Compassion Fatigue

• Have you ever tried to explain the nature of the work you do to loved ones and others not in the field, and felt that they just don't get it?
• Do you feel that people don't really understand how hard your job can be?
• Do you feel undervalued and unappreciated for the contributions you make to other people's lives?
• During the course of a difficult workday, have you thought of looking for another job, in a completely different field of work?
• Are you questioning if all you do to help others really makes a difference in their lives?
• Are you losing sleep thinking about things that happened at work?
• Do you schedule appointments during times when you should be eating meals?
• Do you think about exercising on a regular basis but just never seem to have the time?

If you answered "yes" to these questions, you may want to read on.

Compassion fatigue is the price that caregivers and those in the helping professions sometimes pay for caring so much and working so hard to improve the lives of others who are suffering. And while its effects vary from person to person, those suffering from it know they're just not themselves. Maybe they've lost sense of humor. Maybe they've become critical of others.

Maybe they're questioning whether what they do really matters. The good news is, compassion fatigue is both reversible and preventable. And during this presentation we'll talk about ways to emotionally replenish those in the throes of its effects. We'll also talk what some schools, community organizations, families and other caregivers are doing to prevent compassion fatigue from taking hold in the first place.