We all have times when we struggle to prioritise our emotional needs, and it can leave us physically, and emotionally exhausted, unable to sleep well and feeling irritable. It’s what trauma expert Dr Eric Gentry calls, ‘compassion fatigue’ – a sign that our internal emotional backpack is overflowing because we are struggling to prioritise our own emotional needs.
COVID, and lockdown has overloaded us in many different ways that we are only just starting to look at.
In my article for Woman and Home magazine, I write about the an exercise from my book called, ‘Unpacking your emotional backpack’ which is a helpful way to prevent compassion fatigue. It allows you to have difficult conversations without experiencing a strong emotional reaction of fear, shock, anger or worry because you remember something bad that has happened in your past. By not being ‘triggered’ in this way, you’ll find you enjoy happier, more connected relationships with yourself and your family, and friends.
The aim is to be happier, reflective rather than reactive, and able to nurture understanding, positivity and joy in your relationships. You will feel lighter in mind and heart, have more energy, be more accessible to your family, friends and colleagues, stay even-tempered, and make clearer decisions.
The four steps to preventing compassion fatigue are:
- Untangle your feelings through being creative instead of over-analysing.
- Communicate compassionately and give up being defensive for good.
- Get to know yourself so you can question any inherited scripts that don’t work.
- Evaluate your self-care and recognise your body talk.
- Seek help from a professional partner to be accountable for your progress.
Amanda Seyderhelm is a certified Play Therapist and author of Isaac and the Red Jumper, Helping Children Cope with Loss and Change, and Podcast creator of the same name.
