07/10/2017
If YOU ARE OR LOVE A RESCUER, PLEASE READ!
There is actually a condition for rescuers called "compassion fatigue syndrome" and every year it takes its toll on people who work in rescue. It is a secondary stress syndrome that occurs from the relentless state of feeling the pain and suffering of others and being responsible for helping them. People who suffer from it are often misjudged, especially when they are fighting through a challenging time and tend to react with less thought and care to those around them needing their support and attention.
Every year by June I can feel it creeping in, but never toward the animals. I understand the syndrome and I know that my emotions are overwhelmed from taking on the needs of hundreds of innocent babies in such a short time, and physical exhaustion compounds the battle to emotionally survive it. I tend to lose patience with people and withdraw emotionally from relationships because I cannot withdraw from the animals. They will die without my complete care. The people in my life will either be there when I have had time to rest and recover, or not. It is something that I have learned to live with because it is hard to expect those you love to understand that for a few months each year, the person that cared about everything and everyone may suddenly appear blunt and heartless, and we cant help it. The best thing that anyone can do for the rescuer in their life is to understand what they are going through and back off with emotional needs and give lots of support and help in any way you can. If we cannot have the room and time to recover, it can actually change who we are forever, and that leads to emotional burn out and potentially giving up the mission we were once so passionate about. It is because we care so much that we break down, and like everyone else who is broken, we just need time to put ourselves back together.
I hope this helps someone out there who might be on either end of this struggle. We need our loved ones after the battlefield clears. Always.
Thanks for reading!
Annette
