More on compassion and compassion fatigue

Hi again,

Just today, a member opened our conversation by asking if being a listener felt "draining."

I told the member that I understood exactly what they meant and that the question is a valid one.  However, I said, one of the reasons that I am serving as a listener is because I actually don't find it draining.  I find it to be fulfilling.

But my exchange, this topic, is a relatable one.

I wrote an earlier post, reflecting on how we might protect and nurture the compassion in ourselves.  In the 7cups community, compassion serves as a driving force in supporting those who are in need of a safe space.  If we don't preserve and care for our compassion, the risk of compassion fatigue is a real one.

Compassion fatigue is a set of feelings and behaviors that occur when we serve in a capacity where we either experience repeated exposure to secondhand trauma or we feel overwhelmed. or burnt out by the combination of our heavy workload and the feeling that we're not provided the resources to be effective. (Barrera-Algaren, et al., 2024).  

We are potentially at risk of these within our community.  Though most of us are serving as volunteers, we do often hear and support others in this community through processing traumatic experiences.  More importantly, this role, like that of a social worker or other caring professions, relies on us having compassion in order to be effective.  (Barrera-Algaren, et al., 2024)

Serving here at 7cups as a listener is connected to an internship I am completing as a graduate social work student.  Though I do have a number of required listening hours, my service is also not mandatory.  So I asked myself whether I might relate more to feeling "drained" if my role here were more formal?I do recognize that this is role that requires compassion, I've never felt asked to give beyond what I'm able to offer.

I have not really taken advantage of the extensive support offered through the mentors and communities within the platform, but I'm aware that there are other resources if I need them.

One of the most powerful characteristics of serving here is the understanding of just how many other fellow listeners like us are available to provide additional encouragement and different perspectives. 

In the few months that I've been connected with 7cups, I've had other listeners post and reach out in appreciation of myself, or the greater community.

But what have I missed?  How do you find that the relationships within this community might actually build our capacity for compassion rather than "draining" it (as my chat this morning questioned)?

References

Barrera-Algarín, E., Castro-Ibáñez, R., Vallejo-Andrada, A., & Martínez-Fernández, R. (2024). Compassion Fatigue Syndrome in Social Workers and Its relationship with Emotional Intelligence. Social Work, 69(1), 24-36. https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/swad038