It's not always rushing that leads to burnout. The helping and mental health professions are filled with "workaholics" - people who have a compulsive need to care for, fix, and carry the burdens of others. These professionals can end up over-giving and over-caring to the point of developing "careaholism" and risking compassion burnout.
This could apply to anyone whose job involves direct care of others, such as frontline workers, nurses, doctors, therapists, teachers, advocates, or clergy. When caring becomes corrosive, it can do more harm than good.
The term "careaholic" refers to someone with a strong need to be needed. They use caring and helping as a way to self-medicate their own pain or stress, similar to how an alcoholic uses alcohol. Careaholics take pride in anticipating and meeting others' needs, even if the person doesn't want or need the help. This ends up feeding the careaholic's own needs rather than practicing selfless compassion.
Signs of careaholism include:
- Trying to give 100% to everyone
- Having difficulty asking for help
- Neglecting your own self-care and well-being
- Using caring as a way to cope with your own problems
The remedy for compassion burnout is radical self-care - going to extremes to prioritize your own mental and physical well-being, even if it means disappointing others. This includes:
1. Being realistic about your limits and not trying to save the world.
2. Examining your motivations for helping - are you trying to fulfill your own needs?
3. Respecting when others refuse your help.
4. Teaching people to be self-sufficient rather than dependent.
5. Setting emotional boundaries and not taking others' problems home.
6. Practicing self-care before trying to care for others.
True caring comes from an unselfish desire to help without making others dependent. Sometimes the best way to care is to let people learn from their own mistakes. Radical self-care is the antidote to careaholism and burnout.