What is empathy burnout and its signs?
Empathy burnout is real and here are some things to know about this including the signs that tell a person actually has this.
We all know empathy helps in building and strengthening relationships and for effective communication. This is the ability to understand other people emotionally. Being empathetic is seeing things from their point of view, understanding what they feel, and putting yourself in their place to feel what they are feeling.
It sounds easy but in reality, it is hard to relate if you can’t understand someone’s feelings.
Signs that you are an empathetic person:
- You are good at listening.
- People go to you to tell their problems.
- You are good at picking up on how other people are feeling.
- Other people come to you for advice.
- You try to help others who are suffering.
- You know when a person is not being honest.
- You care deeply about other people.
- You are having difficulty in setting boundaries in your relationship.
However, there also comes a time when being empathetic reaches a certain point where listening and feeling other’s pain becomes exhausting.
This is called empathy fatigue or empathy burnout.
What is empathy burnout?
According to the Cleveland Clinic, this is a person’s inability to care. This is the result when someone becomes too exposed to stressful or traumatic events which can have emotional and physical manifestations.
The emotional signs:
- Isolation from others.
- Feeling numb or disconnected.
- Lack of energy to care about other things around you.
- Feeling overwhelmed, powerless, or hopeless.
- Not being able to relate to others.
- Feeling angry, sad,s or depressed.
- Obsessive thoughts about the suffering of others.
- Feeling tense or agitated.
- Unable to respond appropriately to what’s happening around you.
- Self-blame.
The physical signs:
- Inability to concentrate, be productive, or complete daily tasks.
- Headaches.
- Nausea or upset stomach.
- Difficulty sleeping.
- Self-medicating with drugs or alcohol.
- Conflicts in relationships.
- Changes in appetite.
- Feeling exhausted all the time.
- Avoiding work or other activities.
What can you say about this? Let us know in the comments!