A day in the life of an animal care worker includes many emotions, including joy and satisfaction that results from helping save or rescue an animal in need, or sadness and burden the of witnessing animal suffering, neglect, and sometimes euthanasia. If the distressing emotions are not effectively managed, animal care workers are at risk for burnout and compassion fatigue.
The inability to effectively manage distressing emotions is a real issue among the extraordinary humans who dedicate their lives to saving animals. If you are an animal care worker (shelter or rescue employee or volunteer, a veterinarian, veterinary technician, or assistant), you may feel “called” to do what you do. That can make taking a break or stepping away from your work difficult.
Compassion fatigue is a form of post-traumatic stress that results from feeling deep empathy toward one who is suffering and being unable to alleviate their suffering. It is typically accompanied by an emotional bond between a caregiver and a patient. Animal care workers deal with this regularly. They continually care for suffering animals, consistently work to alleviate their pain and save them, and are often heartbroken when they are unable to do so.
Here are a few indications that you may be on the path of developing compassion fatigue:
- Physical, emotional, or spiritual exhaustion from working with animals.
- Regular exposure to situations that involve the suffering of animals in your care.
- The inability to alleviate the animals’ suffering through direct care or other indirect actions.
- Development of a bond with the animal(s) in your care.
These are signs that you have compassion fatigue:
- Sleep disturbances, including dreams of the trauma associated with the animals in your care.
- Intrusive thoughts about the suffering experienced by the animals in your care.
- Feelings of agitation or irritability.
- Active efforts to avoid situations that contain or remind you of the trauma and suffering of the animals in your care.
- Feelings of anger and sadness.
Please remember that the work you do is critical and that the animals need you. Caring for animals means caring for yourself. The only way you can best care for the animals is to first take care of yourself.
Practicing self-care can be a critical method of protecting yourself against compassion fatigue. It is not uncommon for those who are constantly concerned with the needs of others to wind up neglecting their own.
Those who practice good self-care are significantly less vulnerable to stress and compassion fatigue than those who fail to do so. A good self-care regimen will look different for each person, but it should generally include:
- Balanced, nutritious diet
- Regular exercise
- Routine schedule of restful sleep
- Balance between work and leisure
- Honoring emotional needs
If you find yourself feeling emotionally vulnerable, significantly stressed, or overwhelmed, consider seeing a therapist who can help you process your feelings and implement strategies to help you combat compassion fatigue and maintain a healthy work-life balance.
