The cost of caring

Being a caring person can have its downsides. One cost of caring is compassion fatigue, and it can hit anyone—even those trained to avoid it.

I and two of my co-authors of RELIT: How to Rekindle Yourself in the Darkness of Compassion Fatigue appeared on the In Sickness podcast recently.

Joining me in the interview were Antoinette LeCouteur and Tammy Hurst. Antoinette is co-editor and co-publisher of RELIT, and she contributed a chapter about her experience as a caregiver for her aging mother. Nurse Coach Tammy Hurst wrote about her experience with compassion fatigue in more than 20 years as a labor and delivery nurse.

In this interview, we discuss not only our personal stories but also the origins of compassion fatigue, how it shows up, and some of the ways people can counter its effects. We also talk about how the book came to be, and why Antoinette and I intentionally brought together a diversity of voices from a variety of professions, cultural backgrounds, and personal stories.

Listen below or at the podcast’s episode page.

What is compassion fatigue?

Rather than write it again, I’ll quote from the introduction of RELIT (which I also wrote):

Compassion fatigue—the physical and mental exhaustion and detachment experienced by those who care—is a growing yet largely unrecognized and undiscussed concern. It can be caused by many different factors, such as systemic inequities, a feeling of powerlessness, the ingratitude of those being helped, and just plain old overwhelm. It can also take many forms, from profound exhaustion to detachment to a loss of the ability to feel joy.

Where to get RELIT

You can order RELIT anywhere you like to buy books (such as your local independent bookstore), or directly from my publisher website. You can also find the paperback at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and bookshop.org. We are working on the audio book, which is not yet out.

You may also download my chapter for free from this website.

RELIT was a #1 Amazon New Release, earned a #1 rank in IngramSpark’s sales rankings, and was awarded a bronze medal in nonfiction and a five-star review from Reader Views.

Share your own experience

If you’d like to contribute your personal story and expert advice, we are actively soliciting pitches for volume two of RELIT. Please visit the submissions page on the Gray Bear Publications website for details.