What strategies can help prevent compassion fatigue?

• A. Reflective journaling, continuing education, meditation, and engaging in non-nursing activities.
• B. Avoiding support groups and colleagues.
• C. Working longer shifts without breaks.
• D. Ignoring personal emotions.

Answer: (A)

Preventing compassion fatigue relies on strategies that replenish emotional energy and maintain resilience for caregivers. Reflective journaling gives you a private space to process tough experiences, name your emotions, and notice patterns in what triggers stress, which in turn supports healthier responses over time. Continuing education helps you feel competent and up-to-date, reducing moral distress and the sense that you’re floundering in difficult situations. Meditation and other mindfulness practices calm the mind and nervous system, improving emotional regulation so you can stay present without becoming overwhelmed. Engaging in activities outside of nursing preserves your identity beyond your role, strengthens social connections, and provides meaningful balance that supports recovery between shifts.

These elements work together to build a sustainable approach to care work. By contrast, avoiding support groups and colleagues removes valuable social support; working longer shifts without breaks compounds fatigue and reduces recovery time; and ignoring personal emotions blocks awareness of stress and delaying necessary coping.