Stress and burnout can affect anyone, particularly those in helping professions like law enforcement. If not managed, these can lead to compassion fatigue (CF), a state where one feels depleted of empathy and care. Charles Figley, Ph.D., a pioneer in traumatology, defines CF as “the deep physical, emotional and spiritual exhaustion from daily caregiving in an intense environment.”

CF develops over time from continuous caregiving without replenishing one’s compassion reserves. Common signs include irritability, anger, sadness, numbness, detachment, feeling overwhelmed and disturbances in sleep or appetite. Ignoring CF can lead to serious mental health issues such as depression, anxiety and substance misuse. Recognizing the signs early helps in replenishing empathy and continuing to care for oneself and others.

To replenish compassion reserves, consider these strategies:

• Maintain a work-life balance: Reevaluate priorities and separate work from your personal life. Yes, work responsibilities, demands and expectations are important. However, so are you and the people in your life! Someone recently shared an example of how they separate work life from personal life. “I pick a landmark on my way home. I tell myself I’m allowed to think about work, until I hit that landmark. Once I pass that landmark, I can’t think about the job. It’s all about being with my family at that point.”

• Recognize what you can control and what you cannot: Our thoughts and behaviors are in our control. Self-care is in our control. It is a conscious decision to feel whole and healthy. It’s perfectly OK to vent; however, focusing on issues that are out of our control only increase anger, frustration and feelings of powerlessness. Practice letting go of negative thoughts and past events that get in the way of you living your best life!

• Develop and follow a consistent self-care routine: Get proper nutrition, sleep (when possible), regular exercise, nurture your relationships and maintain hygiene. Go easy on yourself. Practice positive self-affirmations and focus on your strengths. Self-criticism does not solve anything. Make a list of simple and realistic short-term personal goals you would like to accomplish and acknowledge those accomplishments!

• Pay attention to how difficult situations affect you physically and emotionally: Be still and practice listening to your body. Perform a multipoint inspection, like you do on your car. You can perform a quick assessment of heart rate, breathing and changes in body temperature/perception. Examine your thoughts and feelings. Do you recognize the differences inside between when you are at rest or stressed? Recognizing the warning signs means it’s possible to implement self-care skills sooner.

• Prayer and meditation: As mentioned earlier, CF can lead to feelings of loss of self and purpose. Set aside some prayer or quiet time to reflect on your spiritual self. Take some deep breaths and center yourself. This can be done anywhere, and two to three minutes can make the difference!

• Engage in activities that rejuvenate you: Oftentimes, we invest so much in our work and others that we forget what brings us joy. Take inventory of what you used to do. What are your hobbies? What replenishes you? What brings you peace? Try to build on that. And don’t forget that taking time to rejuvenate yourself is not selfish.

If you have questions or would like to learn more about how to manage stress, burnout or compassion fatigue, please contact Psychological Services Bureau. You can call (213) 738-3500 for a consultation or make a free, confidential appointment. To obtain additional information, you may also visit our intranet site (http://intranet/intranet/ESS/Index.htm) or the Department’s wellness app (see QR code below).