I've been thinking a lot about essential workers, especially health care providers who

have been on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis for a year.

I can't help but marvel at just the amount of chronic stress and even trauma that they

must be going through.

It's no wonder that many are experiencing burnout and compassion fatigue.

Welcome back to Savvy Psychologist.

I'm your host Dr. Jade Wu.

Every week I'll help you meet life's challenges with evidence-based research, a sympathetic

ear and zero judgment.

Today, we'll talk about compassion fatigue, a type of burnout that can happen to caregivers,

public servants, health care providers, anybody who spends a lot of time caring for others.

So how can you recognize compassion fatigue and how do you cope?

We'll dig into actionable strategies today.

During COVID, the frontline health care workers that have been saving our lives have not only

been fighting for their patients' lives, but also fighting against equipment shortage,

staffing shortage, conspiracy theories, new COVID strains, and of course they're doing

all of this while risking their own lives and putting their families at risk too.

So it's no wonder that according to recent research, many in record numbers are experiencing

burnout.

And as a mental health care provider, I'm especially concerned about one specific type of burnout

that happens to health care providers.

That's compassion fatigue.

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