Compassion Fatigue
There is an aspect to ministry of which people seldom speak. Compassion fatigue. These two words make sense to many of those in caring professions, though we don't hear too much about it. One of the more succinct definitions is that compassion fatigue is a growing indifference to appeals for aid or assistance on behalf of those who are suffering due to the high frequency of those appeals. In other words, there comes a point when you are so aware and saturated with requests for help that you find yourself beginning to be less and less compassionate. This is sometimes called "secondary traumatic stress" or STS where people who have to deal with trauma victims or persons who have experienced some kind of overwhelming issue eventually find their patience and compassion decreasing. Not only this, but people who suffer from compassion fatigue begin to exhibit symptoms that mirror deep depression: a feeling of hopelessness, a decrease in the ability to be happy, the f