Laura Basili, PhD, gave the second part of her talk "Compassion Fatigue: Caring For
Ourselves While Caring For Others" at a Chaplaincy-hosted presentation on November 29th. For a
summary of Part 1 please see Compassion Fatigue Part 1. Part 1
focused on recognizing stress and utilizing psychological coping strategies to manage compassion fatigue.
Part 2 focused on spiritual, professional and workplace coping strategies to manage compassion fatigue.
Slides of inspirational quotes and art, particularly children's art contributed by children with whom Dr.
Basili has worked, and exercises were integral parts of this presentation and impossible to reproduce here.
Dr. Basili opened with a quote from Saki Santorelli - Heal Thy Self:
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I believe that much of what we call burnout is associated with our intention to be of help and our desire
for specific, knowable, well-controlled results. This is an impossibility, sure to generate addictive momentum
or sinking depression. There is no way that we can know or make things happen in some preordained manner. Life
is too compassionate, too wild, too free for that. Our work is to be, and from that stillness, to do.
To develop an internal stance, an inner posture that allows us to sustain our work in the world over the long haul.
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SPIRITIUAL COPING STRATEGIES
Exercise-
- Write down three rituals in your daily life
- List three places you consider sacred and the last time you were there.
Antendees shared rituals such as morning prayer, taking a bath in the evening after work, reading to their
children at bed time. Sacred spaces included places outside in nature, someone's chair they sit in daily,
and someone's bedroom.
CREATING RITUALS
We all have certain rituals in our lives whether or not we realize it. A ritual may be as simple as that
first cup of coffee in the day, walking the dog or taking a bath. How do we acknowledge the sacred in our
lives? The trick is to recognize, acknowledge, and be intentional about our rituals. We may want to create
new ones, or refresh or shake them up a bit if they are stale. We may want to ask ourselves "do I need to
add rituals around family, exercise, or spirituality to my life?".
We should pay attention to how long it has been since we've been to our sacred places. One attendee shared
that one of her sacred places is "around the table with friends". We can also carry sacred places in our
memories and imaginations, such as those we may create in guided meditations.
EXPLORE MEANING-MAKING AND YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON LIFE
Our work is a calling. For many of us it is a way to contribute something, give something back, be part of
something larger than ourselves. Gaining and keeping a perspective on this is crucial. Some tools to explore
how we make meaning in our lives include the use of narrative, both spoken and written, artistic expression, our
actions in living our lives, our legacy, our perspective on hope, our spiritual philosophy, and our dreams.
Some quotes that were shared to illustrate the search for meaning:
"There are only two ways to live your life. One as though nothing is a miracle. The
other as though everything is."
-Albert Einstein
"One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the
darkness conscious."
-Carl Jung
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CULTIVATING INNER PEACE
The importance of cultivating inner peace was discussed. The following quote was shared:
"Inner peace is certainly the ultimate resource for those dealing with suffering on a
daily basis. But this isn't achieved by distancing yourself from the suffering around you. Inner peace is more
a question of cultivating perspective, meaning, and wisdom even as life touches you with its pain. It is more
a spiritual quality than a mental quality."
-Rachel Remen, MD, Kitchen Table Wisdom
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The symptoms of inner peace were shared on a handout.
Symptoms of Inner Peace: Be on the lookout for symptoms of inner peace. The hearts of a great many have already
been exposed to inner peace and it is possible that people everywhere could come down with it in epidemic proportions.
This could pose a serious threat to what has, up to now, been a fairly stable condition of conflict in the world. Some
signs and symptoms of inner peace:
- A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than on fears based on past experiences.
- An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment.
- A loss of interest in judging other people.
- A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others.
- A loss of interest in conflict.
- A loss of the ability to worry (this is a very serious symptom).
- Frequent, overwhelming episodes of appreciation.
- Contented feelings of connectedness with others and nature.
- Frequent attacks of smiling.
- An increasing tendency to let things happen rather than make them happen.
- An increased susceptibility to the love extended by others as well as the uncontrollable urge to extend it.
PROFESSIONAL COPING STRATEGIES
Exercise-
- List two things that have helped your professional growth in the past year.
- List two things that you wish you could do professionally.
- Make a plan for how to do those things.
Some suggestions to think about:
- Professional realism- set realistic goals, evaluate what we can and can't do professionally.
- Balance in caseload- is it a "doable" job or are you trying to do more than can be done in the hours alloted?
- Boundaries- always strive to maintain healthy and professional boundaries.
- Getting support and help when needed
- Ongoing learning opportunities
- Job diversification- do you need to shake up your responsibilities, maybe take on some new roles or cut back on direct patient care?
- Supervision, consultation and therapy
Be planful. Think about where you need to nourish your professional growth and development. In choosing conferences
we tend to pick things that we think are most directly related to our work. After a while these conferences may no
longer nourish us as it all is familiar. Sometimes exploring a different area may have crossover effects that may be
more helpful than what you already do or know.
"We don't see things as they are. We see them as they were."
-The Talmud
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Dr. Basili shared this quote to illustrate the point that how we make meaning and how we understand things changes over
time as we change and as our perspective changes. By using the various strategies that were discussed we can all be more
aware of what are own perspective on our work is and how it is influenced by our life experiences. To illustrate this point,
she shared a drawing of a butterfly that an 11 year-old girl with cancer had drawn for her at the beginning of her illness.
Initially Dr. Basili only saw the beauty of the butterfly when looking at the picture. After the child's death, she was able
to see that the child was also sharing a message of transformation as she was now "ready" to see the more symbolic aspects
of the drawing and what they represented. Participants shared what they saw in the drawing as well, arrows pointing to the
center of the butterfly which was where the child's cancer was, and a cross in the middle of the butterfly, all initially
"unseen" by Dr. Basili until she was "ready" to see them.
WORKPLACE COPING STRATEGIES
Exercise-
- List two things you've done to improve your workplace in the past year.
- List two things you'd like to do in the upcoming year.
Attendees shared activities that have helped their growth including attending a week-long conference, attending conferences
in relaxing or fun places, making their office space more pleasant and comfortable.
Suggestions of things to look for and make happen:
- Paying attention to physical space and surroundings
- Create an atmosphere of respect
- Collegiality and Peer Support
- Opportunities for professional growth and recognition
- Clarity of job responsibilities
- Responsive Leadership
As with the professional and spiritual coping strategies, set workplace coping goals. Strive to find opportunities to share
accomplishments and successes.
By intentionally exploring the psychological, spiritual, professional and workplace strategies that we are currently using to
manage our stress we can learn how to support ourselves better and reduce our experience of compassion fatigue. Laura closed
with a poem written by her friend, Julie Goldman:
We huddle together:
a bunch of daffodils,
each O-shaped mouth a wide-open ear.
I tell you about dark days, frozen soil,
the burdens you know well,
your leaves singed by frost.
But you speak of bright yellow victories,
stems so easily broken,
nodding upright in the wind.
Inhaling warmth, a few days of sunshine,
we bloom, eyes swollen with rain.
Sometimes we relive winter
Sometimes we reach for spring.
-Julie Goldman
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-Thanks to Laura Basili, PhD for graciously editing this article.
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