Preventing Empathy Fatigue
Why is self-compassion such a critical skill for educator wellbeing?
One reason is that a self-compassion practice may help prevent empathy fatigue.
Empathy fatigue is often talked about in caregiving professions, such as teaching. It occurs when you start to feel overburdened, checked out, or burned out when exposed to the suffering of others.
Here are just a few ways in which a self-compassion practice can help you reduce or prevent empathy fatigue:
Compassion is More Sustainable than Empathy
Compassion has some key differences from empathy. Empathy encourages us to put ourselves in the sufferer’s shoes whereas compassion encourages us to be a loving observer. Empathy says, “I feel your pain”, whereas compassion says, “I hold your pain, and I will do something to help if I can.” Empathy is associated with negative feelings like stress, whereas compassion is associated with more positive feelings like love.
With a strong compassion practice, it’s easier to give assistance to struggling members of your school community without getting emotionally overwhelmed.
Balancing Compassion for Them with Compassion for Yourself
Simply approaching the other person with compassion is not enough without the balance of compassion for yourself. Self-compassion is the balance that says “I have compassion for you, the one who is suffering, and I ALSO have compassion for myself, because it is difficult for me to witness your suffering.”
Self-compassion also helps you stay realistic when offering help. Self-compassion says “I will help this person if I can.” However, it also helps us stay grounded in the fact that we can’t always help every person.
Self-compassion encourages you to accept your limitations and to balance your own needs when helping others. This involves being honest about how much of another’s burdens you can healthfully take on. You want a good life for them, but you also want a good life for yourself, which means you avoid helping to the point of overextending yourself.
Forgiving Yourself to Recover from Empathy Fatigue Faster
Finally, sometimes empathy fatigue will happen, especially if you’re exposed multiple times a day to students and others in your community going through very difficult times.
Self-compassion can help you forgive yourself for any feelings of apathy or lack motivation that can come with empathy fatigue, and give yourself the space you need to feel better when empathy fatigue sets in.
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Preventing empathy fatigue is just one way self-compassion could benefit your teaching experience this school year.
Learn actionable ways to bring self-compassion to your classroom in our upcoming live webinar. Learn about our upcoming online workshops here.
Learn how to approach your health goals with self-compassion this spring in private health coaching. Your first coaching call is free. Learn More Here.
“If you are continually judging and criticizing yourself while trying to be kind to others, you are drawing artificial boundaries and distinctions that only lead to feelings of separation and isolation.”
- Dr. Kristin Neff
If you found this teacher wellness post helpful, share it with an educator you care about :)
Until next week,
Emily Hemmingson
Health Coach for Teachers
Founder of The Teacher Wellness Center
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