After what felt like an eternity of preparation and anticipation, our first Bridging to Resilience Conference has already come and gone. And today I am physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted. This is not uncommon for me after a large conference, and yet at the same time, today feels different. On Wednesday, I shared a session focused on the risk we carry for developing symptoms of secondary traumatic stress- also known as compassion fatigue. We've all been told that in order to take care of others, we first have to take care of ourselves... and yet most of us are terrible at this concept. Our hearts bleed for those who need us, and if we aren't careful it is possible that the cost of caring is your own health and happiness. As you continue to read, I want to you to consider what you credits and debits you are incurring in your self-care account. Risk FactorsCompassion fatigue can affect anyone who works directly with individuals experiencing trauma. Those of us in helping professions open our hearts and minds to support others, and in doing so, our brains may begin to experience distress. Some professionals even replay the stories over and over to the point their brain no longer separates the fact that it was not their own experience. And just like any other condition, some of us are more at risk for developing compassion fatigue than others. We need people coming in to helping careers bright-eyed and busy-tailed... and we also need to recognize that this inexperience and type of work can easily lead us to burnout and fatigue if we are not cognizant of offering and accepting support. Environments in which professionals will deal with a large number of people experiencing trauma, or even a few people experiencing significant trauma are at a higher risk. And those of us who, ourselves, have experienced trauma- whether processed or unprocessed- we are likely starting out our self-care account in the red. Signs & SymptomsAs you continue to become trauma-responsive it is important for you to know the warning signs and symptoms of compassion fatigue. If you notice that you are feeling anxious, plagued with intrusive thoughts, tired, and unfocused please seek out a trusted friend, colleague, or coach to talk to soon. These feelings can evolve into deeper signs of becoming withdrawn, detached, and hopeless. Early in my career I found myself consumed with immense feelings of inadequacy, cynicism, and developing a lack of empathy. For three years I had worked with students experiencing trauma, while also carrying around years of unprocessed trauma myself. After yet another student with an IEP, a rough family life, low academic skills, and a lot of misplaced anger was placed in my classroom I was pushed over the edge. On a daily basis this student and I went round and round. He bit me, locked me in a closet, fashioned scissors into a shank, threatened self-harm and harm to others. I had no idea how to help, lacked administrative support, and soon I simply began to shutdown. No matter how much I cared, no matter how hard I worked, no matter how many different strategies I tried, I began to believe that I was not capable of helping this child- and if I couldn't help him, then I was a failure. I found myself angry, suffering from chronic migraines, and avoiding anything that might cause extra stress. Over the course of that year, I used every sick and personal day I had accumulated. It took nearly the whole summer to regain my drive and confidence. Treatment & PreventionThe good news is, there are a wide variety of tools and strategies you can arm yourself with to help lessen your risk of compassion fatigue - or to help improve the symptoms you already have. The first step is to assess your current level of burnout, stress, or compassion fatigue. Next, continue to increase your understanding of trauma-responsive practices, secondary traumatic stress, and compassion fatigue. As you do this, you will become more experienced in your practice, developing your skills, and reducing your risks. Third, commit to a plan for self-care and resilience building. A plan for self-care should include components from the following six categories:
Reflect:
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AuthorHope guides me in all endeavors. In both my professional and personal life I see opportunities to share and spread hope with others so that they too may develop pathways to see great possibilities in their lives. I believe in the power of engaged educators to build significant relationships with young people to encourage, inspire, and build great lives. This blog is a collection of my thoughts on education, hope, connecting, and engaging. Archives
July 2018
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