Caregivers which span roles like, nurses, clinicians, educators, first responders, therapists and anyone in between, carry others’ pain daily. That commitment can lead to compassion fatigue. Compassion fatigue is the emotional/physical depletion from prolonged exposure to suffering. If left untreated, it erodes empathy, strains relationships, and fuels burnout. Although sometimes it feels like there is no remedy or space for this feeling to improve, it is recognizable and treatable. Below are a few signs to look out for to help you identify the signs.

Signs to watch out for

  • Emotional Signs: Irritability, numbness/cynicism, feeling “checked out,” sudden tears.
  • Cognitive Signs: Poor focus, decision fatigue, intrusive work images, “nothing I do helps.”
  • Behavioral Signs: Withdrawing, overworking, using substances to “wind down.”
  • Physical Signs: Headaches, GI issues, poor sleep, persistent fatigue.
  • Work cues: Reduced patience, skipped breaks, staying late, snark/detachment.

Compassion fatigue thrives where high stakes meet low recovery. Common drivers include persistent exposure to trauma or grief, heavy caseloads, moral distress (knowing the right thing but feeling unable to do it), role ambiguity and personal factors like perfectionism or a history of caregiving at home. Educators may face secondary trauma from students’ stories, clinicians absorb repeated crises, helping professionals juggle large systems with limited control. You may be experiencing some of these drivers but there are interventions that you can use to make this experience more manageable. Below are a few interventions to try when feelings of overwhelm surface.

1.    Micro-rests (2–3 min):

  • Box breathing (inhale ~ hold ~ exhale ~ hold for 4 counts each) to reset the nervous system.
  • Grounding (3 things that you see, 2 things that you can feel, 1 thing that you can hear).
  • Self-talk: “This is tough. Others face this too. I can meet this with care and self-compassion.”

2.    Real boundaries:

  • Pre-set stop times, take lunch off-screen.
  • Create a end-of-shift ritual: notes done, one thing learned, one thing to let go.

3.    Caseload rhythm:

  • Follow intense encounters with lighter tasks, rotate high-stress duties.

4.    Circles of Support:

  • Map inner (trusted peers), middle (team/affinity groups), outer (supervisor, EAP, therapist, community). Fill your gaps, schedule regular debriefs to process out emotions and intense encounters.

5.    Process the load:

  • Brief debrief or journal (What happened? What did I feel? What do I need in this moment or what do I need overall?).
  • If intrusive images or distress last more than two weeks, seek professional support.

If you are a leader, manager or supervisor consider normalizing language around compassion fatigue and secondary trauma. You can help your team and employees to spot early signs which can help boost morale and prevent high turnover. Supporting your team can also look like protecting breaks and coverage so staff can step away without penalty, offering structured debriefs after critical incidents & regular access to EAP/therapeutic support and modeling good workplace boundaries.

Compassion fatigue often narrows our view to what’s broken. We can counter this by reclaiming purpose! Doing something like keeping a brief “impact log” of small wins, thank-you notes, and moments of connection help you to revisit your “why”. Needing care doesn’t mean you’re failing at caring, it means you’re human. Notice the signs early, practice small resets throughout the day, lean into your circles of support, and enlist organizational solutions where you can. With consistent attention to recovery, you can restore empathy, protect your health, and keep doing this work in a way that is both effective and kind to you. If you or someone you know has been struggling with compassion fatigue, Capital EAP is here and able to help you on your journey of spotting it, stopping it and helping you sustain care. You can reach out to us at 518-465-3813 to connect with our intake team, who can help you set up an appointment.

By: Denelle Abel, LHMC, Clinical Supervisor