Struggling With Empathy Fatigue? 6 Mindfulness Tips That May Help by Julie Potiker

Empathy is when you connect with and feel someone else’s pain. It’s a beautiful way to connect with others, but it gets exhausting because you are in a constant state of giving while not receiving anything back in to fill your own coffers. Compassion is trying to alleviate someone else’s pain. Compassion is love in action.

When you start to feel tired or drained from giving, that’s empathy fatigue. Empathy fatigue is very real. Fortunately, mindful self-compassion can help you overcome it and avoid it in the future.

1. Don’t ignore fatigue. Otherwise, it can take over.
2. When you add compassion to your empathy something beautiful happens: You help another person, and in return you experience self-compassion and self-care.
3. Caring best for others starts with taking the best care of YOU.
4. Make time for mindful self-care: exercise, a hot bath, a walk and meditation.
5. Balancing empathy with compassion (for self and others) is crucial for avoiding empathy fatigue.
6. When empathy fatigue happens, remember that you are missing the compassion component.

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