Big announcement: new book on compassion fatigue

I’ve got a new book coming out on November 13th, about compassion fatigue, from my publishing imprint, Gray Bear Publications. (This is that big announcement I mentioned on Tuesday.)

Compassion fatigue is one of the most pervasive and least discussed traumas that nearly every caregiver feels at one time or another. Millions of people choose a helper profession (everything from nurse to lawyer to therapist to veterinarian) because they care deeply and feel called to service. Millions more are thrust into unpaid caregiving roles due to illness, injury, or the natural course of aging.

Nearly everyone in a heart-based role has experienced some sort of compassion fatigue or burnout. And nearly everyone feels guilt and shame for their fatigue. They are caregivers; shouldn’t they be unstoppable and invincible?

This book brings together experts from across a wide variety of professions, backgrounds, and cultures to tell their stories of experiencing compassion fatigue and to give practical, useful, actionable advice and solutions on how to build personal resilience, how to avoid compassion fatigue, and how to rekindle your own spirit when compassion fatigue and burnout drag you down into the darkness.

Who needs this book

You do.

What we found in the process of identifying and gathering authors for this book, was that compassion fatigue is a universal part of the human experience. Not just for family caregivers (we have heard countless stories of self-sacrifice and dedication over the past year), and not just for professionals in care roles (nurses, therapists, coaches, teachers, etc.)… but for virtually anyone who cares about or for someone or something. Managers and CEOs, fundraisers, friends of people who are struggling, new parents, empty nesters…

No matter how you enter this book—because you know one of the authors, or you are a caregiver for an aging parent, or you are a in a helper profession, or some other reason—you will find something deeply human and relatable, as well as an interesting and engaging story, in every single chapter.

As editor, I’ve read every chapter at least four times. I haven’t gotten tired of any of them yet. I learn something useful, or I am reminded of a powerful lesson, every time I read one. I know you will, too.

How to review RELIT

If you’re interested in writing a review of the book, simply send me a message at peter at graybearpublications dot com and let me know a little about your interest in the book and the topic. We of course want to amplify the book’s existence to as broad an audience as possible, so if you have a big platform or a big megaphone, tell me that, too! I can send out a PDF of the advance reader version.

How to interview the authors

Although not all our authors are interested in being interviewed or appearing on stage or in your podcast, many of us would be thrilled to. Simply contact me at peter at graybearpublications dot com with your request. We want to find the right fit for your audience and timing. You can also just reach out directly to the author you want to interview.

Join the launch party

We’ll be having a virtual launch party on November 13th! Details TBD. The ebook will be significantly discounted on launch day, so you don’t want to miss this. Sign up for the email list at graybearpublications.com to make sure you get notified!

A final thought about burnout this election year

In this incredibly contentious election year, it’s hard to feel empathy for the “other side.” In fact, one of the two parties has said that attack and division will be their primary tactic for the months leading up to election day.

The profoundly negative feelings many people feel for voters on the “other side” are a kind of compassion fatigue. There’s a numbing of our ability to see them with any kind of empathy or kindness. The trigger of a slogan or the sight of a bumper sticker might instantly turn our hearts cold to that other human being.

Scrolling social media and watching or reading the news can amp up these feelings. There are forces at work actively trying to divide us even more, spreading hate and misinformation with heavily loaded “othering” language.

No matter what happens on Tuesday, November 5th, a large part of the US will be angry, and a large part of the US will be jubilant. The division will not go away just because the election occurred.

The timing of this book’s release shortly after the election is mostly coincidence—that’s when it will be ready, and November is National Family Caregivers Month. But the timing is also serendipitous because nearly everyone in this country will be in a profound state of exhaustion from the election cycle. There may be a feeling of “what now?” and a loss of purpose, or even a loss of a sense of self.

It will be not unlike the profound exhaustion many people feel in the days and months after their loved one, whom they’ve sacrificed for and dedicated themselves to caring for, has passed away.

Even though the situations are very different, the feelings—and, more importantly, the strategies and techniques you use to deal with those feelings—can be very similar.

I honestly believe that this book can help with those feelings as well and help each of us find our path back to living according to our own core values, after so many forces have worked so hard to turn us all into partisan operatives for the time being.

And that return to human compassion—which is at the root of empathy, which is at the root of peaceful coexistence—will be critical for the future of this country and its people. No matter how it goes on November 5th.