High levels of empathy are difficult to maintain, particularly for those of us working in caring or service-focussed professions. If we do not pay attention to our own needs for rest and refuelling, we are likely to experience compassion fatigue, so we need to ensure we are refilling our reserves of mental, emotional, and physical energy.

Compassion fatigue describes the emotional exhaustion of someone who is relied on to constantly show empathy without the opportunity or resources to refuel their own emotional reserves. Employees who work in high stress situations or are dealing with difficult people, or people with high needs, are at greater risk of compassion fatigue, also referred to as empathy burnout.

The suffering of others leaves its mark on those who care for them, such as firefighters, ambulance workers, police, nurses, victim support workers and others, who regularly deal with trauma and tragedy. It is understandable that people might become desensitised to it, which in turn impacts on those they care for, another reason why we need to refuel.

We can conclude that too much focus on our own needs reduces our ability to empathise for others, even when our circumstances demand it of us. Additionally, the sheer amount of demand on our empathic reserves due to the high needs of others can cause empathy burnout, especially when sustained over lengthy periods. While compassion fatigue might be considered the “cost of caring”, it should not be assumed that it is an acceptable part of the job”.

Dr Lesley Gill is an Associate Professor in the School of Business at Otago Polytechnic.

Register by: Friday 18 June 2021

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