Nature of Warning Signs for Compassion Fatigue - Assignment Example

?Combating Compassion Fatigue Nature of warning signs for compassion fatigue and their causes Depression The onset of signs and symptoms of depression in a caregiver who is supposed to express compassion to care receivers is a typical sign that compassion fatigue is setting in the job of the caregiver and that immediate attention is needed. Depression always comes in the form of feeling of excessive lack of attention to one’s own self and an uncontrollable feeling of dejection and confusion. Once a caregiver is depressed, all his or her attention becomes focused on the need to do something drastic to burn away the depression. This eventually takes compassion and attention away from victims to the caregiver himself. Essentially, fatigue sets in for the provision of care; thereby jeopardizing the need to give compassion to victims. The cause of depression in caregivers that results in compassion fatigue could best be associated with excessive work that is deprived of rest (Ellard, Barlow and Mian, 2005). Anger Quick temperedness and erupted outburst of anger that is so sudden and uncharacteristic of a caregiver must be seen as a major sign that compassion fatigue is setting into the work and activity of the caregiver. As a care giver, come of the core duties that will generally be expected is the need to give compassion and solace to a heart that is deeply troubled and as such filled with so much inner anger (Day and Livingstone, 2003). When there is anger on the side of the caregiver then, this basic responsibility becomes jeopardized and compromised because it cannot be executed evenly. Once a caregiver begins to be angry at the least provocation, the tendency is that the victim who decides care would even be angered at and so the level of compassion will be derailed. Such acts of anger are mostly caused by emotional factors that have to do with issues faced in the personal lives of caregivers (Forsythe and Compas, 1987). Absent mindedness Victims who go to the caregiver go to them with a thought that the caregiver is going to be an expert and a professional who is going to bare all the troubles that the victim brings on board. For this reason, it is always going to be expected that the victim would demand for constant attention from the caregiver. For this reason, caregivers who begin to have signs of absent mindedness when attending to victims and other people who are close to them must be aware of the possibility of compassion fatigue setting in. clearly, the caregiver would be absent minded because he or she has had a reduced degree of importance to the issue or case of the victim and this is what compassion fatigue is all about (Albino et al., 2003). Taking too much work than a caregiver can genuinely deliver is a major cause of absent mindedness; especially when tiredness sets in. Sluggishness In the everyday delivery of their duties, caregivers are expected to be very sharp at what they do. Such acts of sharpness install a lot of confidence in victims. It also increases the trust that they have in caregivers. For this reason, any acts of laziness and sluggishness should be watched critically and be seen as a possible cause of the onset of compassion fatigue. Indeed, if there is no strength to carry out one’s duties and so the person begins to show signs of sluggishness at work, there is no way that person will be expected to deliver the same level or amount of compassion that he or she delivered to victims. Sluggishness is a direct reflection of tiredness and so tiredness and lack of rest could cause it. Stress Psychologists and other social commentators have attributed stress to be a very emotional and psychological problem that comes with a tired mind. The mind as an organ in the body has its own roles and functions that it plays. Though it is known that the mind controls most activities and functions of the body, the mind also has its own limitations (Cortoni and Marshall, 2001). The mind cannot for instance be expected to be omniscient, knowing all things and doing everything at every time. For this reason, caregivers who want to stretch the normal levels of or amount of work their mind can take are likely to record cases of tiredness of the mind and as such stress. When the caregiver is stressed, there is the tendency that he or she would do a lot of things that takes his attention away from his or her work and thus the victim. In effect, the level of compassion for victims will be fatigued (Orr et al., 2005). The physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of the caregiver The caregiver at all times ought to be an all-round person. This means that it is important that not just the physical needs of the caregiver must be catered for but then the emotional and spiritual needs as well (Gil, 2005). In this direction, some of the physical needs of the care giver are identified to include rest, good diet and good health. At any point in time if the need to have sufficient rest by the caregiver is compromised, chances are that the work of the caregiver will be affected in a lot of ways. This is because rest, and for that matter sleep has been identified as the singular remedy that replenishes the body worn out cells (Gil, 2005). After long sessions of attending to other people, the caregiver must also give him or herself attention by taking a break to have enough rest. Once such rest is lacking, the continual stay on the job will be compromised and both effectiveness and efficiency will be affected (Orr et al., 2005). With regards to diet, it is important for the caregiver to note that the replacement of lost energy that go out of the body as a result of work come back through the nutrients that are contained in the various forms of diet that we take. For this reason, it is important that the caregiver will be concerned about the need to have a balanced diet at every time that a meal is to be served. What is more, the practice of eating junk and fast food must be avoided. Chances are that some caregivers will get themselves so much involved that the need for them to eat will always come as a rush. This is a tendency that results in most of them going for junk and fast food but the risks involved in such food must be known. Finally on the diet, it is important that diets are taken as and when they are due. Late eating and long interval eating must be avoided. Emotionally, the caregiver needs a lot of compassion and hope in the future and in the immediate life. Compassion is a refreshing relief to the soul and puts the mind in a state of constant liberty to attend to work. When there are family and other forms of problems on the mind of the caregiver that takes out compassion from the caregiver, chances are that the work of the caregiver will be greatly affected and compromised. As a general expectation, the caregiver is supposed to give compassion to other people by providing the needed care that they deserve. But how can someone give something he or she does not have? It is for this reason that the caregiver must not at anytime be deprived of compassion that keeps the emotions and hopes of the caregiver alive. Finally, spiritual needs of caregivers must be attended to with upmost importance. By spiritual needs, reference is being made to the beliefs of the caregiver that revolves around a supernatural being. For this case of this research, spiritual needs will be generalized as religious needs without emphasizing on any particular religion or spiritual leader. But the most important point is that the spiritual needs of a person start at the point where his or her physical and emotional needs end. What this means is that when all our hopes of moving ahead is lost, the need to be spiritual comes in as a last resort. For this reason, the caregiver should be free to express his or her religious faith as long as that keeps him hopeful and takes away stress. Examples of coping strategies and resources Interestingly, compassion fatigue can be dealt with. This is done by practicing a very high level of coping strategies. Some of the most effective but easy to implement strategies include exercise, socialization, setting limits, personal times out and spiritual involvement. Exercises are identified as very effective way of gaining both mental and physical relaxation. Once caregivers use exercise resources, they are gaining multiple benefits by relieving their muscles and other components of their physical bodies of worn out enzymes and pumping in new and replenished enzymes that motivates them to work better (Ellard, Barlow and Mian, 2005). The same level of benefit is true for the mind and so in effect, exercising is very potent for dealing with stress. Socialization is another important coping strategy that helps in taking the greater part and level of the caregiver’s attention from his or her work. Specifically with stress and depression, it would be noted that these factors arise when there is too much attention on a person’s job that requires mental alertness like care giving. This means that all forms of social activities that takes part of the caregiver’s attention away from work for a while is an effective strategy for curtailing the occurrence of compassion fatigue. Finally, spirituality could be a very effective coping mechanism especially when all other interventions have failed. This s because spirituality is thought to be a strategic way of dealing with issues of which our physical and emotional limits have failed us against (Ellard, Barlow and Mian, 2005). REFERENCE LIST Cooper, M. L., Wood, P. K., Orcutt, H. K., & Albino, A. (2003). Personality and the predisposition to engage in risky or problem behaviors during adolescence. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(2), 390-410. Cortoni, F., & Marshall, W. L. (2001). Sex as a coping strategy and its relationship to juvenile sexual history and intimacy in sexual offenders. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 13, 27-43. Day, A. L., & Livingstone, H. A. (2003). 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