It is important to recognize the compassion fatigue that is a natural part of your ministry. I’ve found an interesting web site that speaks of that and related articles that may help you in your ministry.
The symptoms of compassion fatigue are similar to those of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, only instead of the symptoms being based upon a trauma that you directly experienced, they are due to the trauma that your client(s) have experienced. Additionally, there is a cynical, discouraged or hopeless attitude about your work or your career that begins to set in. Paradoxically, you may find it difficult to leave your work at the end of the day. You may have thoughts that preoccupy you about a particular case. Being aware of what these symptoms mean and how they are affecting you is important. You can evaluate yourself with an excellent self-assessment tool that can be found at: http://www.proqol.org/ProQOl_Test_Manuals.html. While this checklist is more comprehensive a few of the predominant symptoms of compassion fatigue are listed below:
* Feeling estranged from others (Having difficulty sharing or describing feelings with others)
* Difficulty falling or staying asleep.
* Outbursts of anger or irritability with little provocation.
* Startling easily
* While working with a victim thinking about violence or retribution against the person or persons who victimized.
* Flashbacks connected to my clients and families.
* Needing more close friends.-feeling there is no one to talk with about highly stressful experiences.
* Working too hard for your own good.
* Frightened of things traumatized people and their family have said or done to me.
* Experience troubling dreams similar to a client of mine and their family.
* Experienced intrusive thoughts of sessions with especially difficult clients and their families.
* Suddenly and involuntarily recalled a frightening experience while working with a client or their family.
* Preoccupied with a client or their family.
* Losing sleep over a client and their family’s traumatic experiences.
* Felt trapped by my work as a helper.
* Felt a sense of hopelessness associated with working with clients and their families.
* Have felt weak, tired, rundown as a result of my work as a helper.
* Have felt depressed as a result of my work as a helper.
* Am unsuccessful at separating work from personal life.
* Feel little compassion toward most of my co-workers
* Thoughts that I am not succeeding at achieving my life goals.
* Feel I am working more for the money than for personal fulfillment.
* Find it difficult separating my personal life from my work life.
* A sense of worthlessness/disillusionment/resentment associated with my work.
Go to www.giftfromwithin.org for more valuable information.
