Compassion is hard work. I think many of us see compassion as being something emotional and largely divorced from physical action. I believe it isn’t so simple. Our emotions and our
bodies are not separate things. Think of the last time you felt relief, joy, fear, or anxiety. I bet
you can name where in your body you felt each of those things, and perhaps just remembering
them creates an echo of that experience in your body now. Compassion is not only a thing we
feel, it is a thing that we do.
It can feel increasingly difficult to be compassionate towards some humans in recent years.
Perhaps it’s a neighbor or a coworker who feel they need to broadcast hurtful and harmful
opinions as if they are facts. Perhaps it is a loved one, a friend or family member, who isn’t
supportive of the principles that we, as Unitarian Universalists, hold central in our lives.
Compassion can feel like a slog when it seems the recipients of your compassion have none for
anyone else. Even when those for whom you experience compassion are deserving, grateful,
and reflect that compassion back towards you it’s possible to experience what’s called
compassion fatigue.
Compassion fatigue is increasingly being studied by the medical and veterinary communities
around the world, especially in the wake of the recent pandemic. It may feel like
physical/mental/emotional exhaustion. Like irritability, or cynicism. It could manifest as feelings of guilt, anxiety, or even as a sort of emotional detachment. If this sounds familiar, you are far from alone. To care deeply is to be open to this sort of wounds and exhaustion. But it is possible to be gentle and kind to oneself without abandoning those who need us. So the next time you are thinking of those beings who need your acts of compassion, remember yourself. You are equally deserving.
~Hannah Thompson
