Compassion Fatigue: Why We Numb Ourselves To Bad News

It goes without saying that we are living through incredibly hard times. We are facing innumerable environmental crises, there is an alarming rise in far-right ideologies and we’re still feeling the social hits of the Covid-19 pandemic.

So, how do we cope? Why can we get up, make a cup of coffee, go to work and tune into our everyday life while knowing that we are surrounded by The Horrors? Are we monsters?

Well, no. But we are feeling emotionally detached and this is something our brains do to protect us. Unfortunately, it can also make us numb to what’s happening around us and less likely to take action.

VeryWellMind explains: “Emotional detachment refers to being disconnected or disengaged from other people’s feelings. It can involve an inability or unwillingness to get involved in other people’s emotional lives.

“While this detachment may protect people from stress, hurt, and anxiety, it can also interfere with a person’s psychological, social, and emotional well-being.”

It is completely understandable that we don’t know how to cope and so instead mentally detach without even knowing that we’re doing it. In fact, sometimes it’s necessary. Think of dealing with death admin following the loss of a loved one. Sometimes you just have to keep going.

Psychology Today explains that while this phrase is most often applied to emergency and healthcare workers, “A secondary definition of compassion fatigue refers to the experience of any empathetic individual who is acutely conscious of societal needs but feels helpless to solve them.”

The psychology experts explain that it can be treated, though: “You can counteract such fatigue through regular exercise and healthy eating, a commitment to adequate rest and regular time off, and time in therapy. It also helps to set emotional boundaries without barricading yourself from the world.”

Reducing screen time is also incredibly beneficial.