A study states that 30% of Indian doctors go through depression, and almost 80% face the risk of burnouts and compassion fatigue in general. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has a whole new level of stress charted out for the doctors.
Being a doctor, you know that you’ve taken up this profession with a thought of helping others. You are part of a team or have a team and need to manage personnel problems as well along with an increasing number of COVID patients to look after. Ask yourself a question; if this was your choice and you like doing these things, why as a doctor are you feeling dissatisfied and exhausted with overwhelming emotions? Understand that you are a victim of compassion fatigue.
Compassion Fatigue is not something that will get a hold over you overnight. It is a gradual process. During the COVID times, the demands of your job has spiked up and you are experiencing the sense of responsibility for the lives of others more than ever before. While doing so, experiencing a shortage of personal protection equipment (PPE) and N95 masks with a constant exposure to pain and suffering in an adverse healthcare environment can be a few reasons leading to compassion fatigue.
If you are a doctor suffering from Compassion Fatigue - it is better to act on it immediately before you end up harming yourself emotionally or even physically.
1. Start off with admitting the fact that you might be suffering from compassion fatigue. Acceptance doesn’t mean that you cannot be a caring doctor but it will only serve as validation that you are a deeply caring individual and while walking on the path of a healer you have taken so many responsibilities that it has started to affect you.
2.There is another strong possibility that you end up carrying the stress at work with you even outside the hospital. You need to define the boundary between stress at work/work problems and being at home because the inability to release the stress of work after hours is a symptom of your compassion fatigue. Though it might get difficult because as a team leader and a doctor you’d get work calls even at home - during these times, try to limit your emotions till the call disconnects - once the call is over, try and get back to the activity that you were doing.
3. Work on Self-care. Sometimes while being the healer and solution provider looking after your needs and health becomes least important for you. But while taking up this responsibility practising self-care is not an option. Try out healthy ongoing self-care regimens like following a healthy diet - getting good sleep even if it is for limited hours while continuing to care for your patients and others.
4. Start engaging in spiritual and mindfulness practices. This is a better way to avoid compassion fatigue as these habits have the power to calm you down and focus on things better. Start with something simple like entering the hospital with some kind of a mantra or a prayer that you believe in. If things start making you feel overwhelmed try to focus on your breathing. If possible, start making a schedule for a day and tick off the task that you’ve completed in order to make your activities seem emotionally less consuming and more towards the task completion side.