For the last four years, Shayla Joseph, 49, of Thiruvalla in Kerala has been taking care of her mother, who was diagnosed with dementia. When the older woman’s symptoms gradually worsened, it became difficult for Joseph, a homemaker, to carry out her daily tasks.
“I have been close to my mother and love taking care of her, but over time, I became irritable, anxious, and sometimes even resentful towards her,” Joseph confesses. She started feeling emotionally drained and exhausted most of the time, even though she tried her best to take care of her mother’s needs.
“Frustrated and guilty of the way I was feeling towards my mother, I talked about it with my therapist,” says Joseph. Her therapist told her that she was dealing with compassion fatigue.
This state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion can occur when caregivers are repeatedly exposed to traumatic events or chronic stressors.
Read more about the signs of compassion fatigue here.
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