A healthcare professional of 19 years shares how she avoid burnout and compassion fatigue

• Compassion fatigue is the limit where you're no longer able to feel empathy or sympathy for others.
• Below, a licensed clinical counselor outlines key ways that caregivers can avoid compassion fatigue.

When Andrea Sorber, a licensed clinical counselor, was embedded with US troops overseas during the pandemic, she was exposed to a lot of grief and trauma.

"There was a season of my life where within three months I lost seven people, went through a breakup, and had some health challenges," Sorber says. "And all while that was going on, I'm providing services to other people who are walking through their own stuff."

People in healthcare, like Sorber, are especially at risk for a mental health condition called compassion fatigue where you get so overexposed and overwhelmed from others' suffering that you essentially shut down emotionally and lose, or see a reduction, in your capacity to sympathize and empathize. The condition is also linked to symptoms like headaches and depression.

But Sorber, in her 19 years of clinical practice, has managed to avoid compassion fatigue, which is a notable feat given that this condition increased among healthcare providers during the pandemic. Below are the tips that have helped Sorber through it all and that she recommends for others, too.

1. Know your why

When Sorber is called to a specific job — like that overseas deployment during the pandemic — she says she focuses on why she's there.

Having a clear idea of why you're doing the work can help you through the pain or trauma as well as provide a feeling of fulfillment that may offer some protection against compassion fatigue.

In fact, research shows that people with a strong sense of purpose are better able to navigate tough times.

"When we are helping people, people are messy, so it's gonna be messy and it's gonna be a lot and it's gonna be overwhelming," Sorber says.

2. Be intentional about caring for yourself

To avoid compassion fatigue, you must take care of yourself. That includes the basics: like eating healthy, getting enough sleep, exercising, and finding ways to relax.

Each of those steps can build resilience, a quality that helps you better cope with stressors.

While stress relief is unique to each person, Sorber says she turns to acupuncture. Before leaving for a stressful work assignment, Sorber books a session for when she returns.

"It's a good way for me to prioritize myself and be really intentional about taking care of me," she says.

3. Set boundaries

"If we over give, we're not doing anybody any favors," she says.

It's hard to provide care when you're being pulled in a million directions. So, sometimes it's necessary to say no to extra shifts, volunteer opportunities, or social engagements in order to avoid overexposing and overworking yourself that may lead to compassion fatigue.

"There is a lot of research on boundaries and just how important that is not just in compassion fatigue, but in every area of life," Sorber says.

4. Ask for help

Sometimes, caregivers need someone to care for them.

"Even though we're the strong ones, we're still human," Sorber says. "So before you are a therapist, before you are in law enforcement, a doctor, EMT, firefighter — whatever it is — you are human."

Talking with a mental health professional,or other people in your field, can help you process your experiences and feelings of compassion fatigue.

Reaching out early on can help you get your symptoms under control before they begin to interfere with your health or your profession.

During her own tough time during deployment, Sorber was able to draw strength from the people around her. "Everyone there knew that I was walking through my own grief," she says.

5. Give to yourself

Sorber says the old saying about applying your own oxygen mask first is overused — but for good reason. And though giving to yourself is similar to the tips above, it's too often overlooked by caregivers, who often feel guilty about taking time for themselves.

"It's so true because if you're just giving and giving and giving, and not allowing people to pour back into you, and not pouring back into yourself, you're just going to be giving from a place of depletion," she says. "Then that can quickly turn into a place of resentment, which we do not want."

Fostering relationships with friends and family, making time for relaxation, and pursuing hobbies that fill your cup can all help keep compassion fatigue at bay.

Insider's takeaway

Compassion fatigue is a combination of burnout and secondary trauma that affects healthcare workers, first responders and others in high-stress jobs.

In order to avoid this loss of empathy and sympathy, it's important to take care of yourself, Sorber says.

While the fundamentals above apply to anyone, it will take some experimentation to find the specific strategies that work best for you.

"What works for you may not work for everybody else," Sorber says. But no matter who you are, giving yourself a bit of extra grace can help you care for yourself even when you're having difficulty caring for others, she says.