Anyone in a caregiver role can suffer from Compassion Fatigue for periods of time. Most individuals working in caring-type careers are drawn to these jobs to make a difference in the lives of others because they are compassionate and empathetic.
What may be surprising to learn is that the very act of compassion and empathy draws on our individual stores of emotion deep within. Sometimes, we feel overwhelmed by the immensity of others’ needs. We feel as if we are affecting change like an eyedropper full of water in an ocean of problems. In seasons of compassion fatigue, addressing or changing one’s mindset can relieve compassion fatigue.
Changing one’s mindset might sound difficult, but it does not need to be. Changing mindsets does take some intentionality. Mindset work, at its core, is catching yourself in an old pattern of thinking or responding and intentionally choosing to think in a different way.
One of the mindset changes you heard about in this week’s video is acknowledging what is bad about a situation and intentionally choosing to look for the good. Acknowledging that the good and the bad exist simultaneously liberates you from the notion that your focus must be exclusively on either one. This realization empowers you to recognize what is in your control vs. not, and therefore grants the space to navigate through your emotions more smoothly.
CHALLENGE:
Pick one of the three mindset shifts you will work on this week.
- I’ll see the good while accepting the bad.
- Self-care is essential to mental and physical health.
- It’s okay to set compassionate boundaries.
Comment below! Let us know which mindset shift you’re choosing to focus on this week + how you plan to remind yourself about the shift because…
This is a very powerful lessoning I see all 3 of these challenge in the workplace. I just acknowledge how it had affected me mental and physical and how self-care is essential.