How to power through compassion fatigue with self-care

Haunting images of war zones can stir a sense of empathy, pushing us to question systems or support survivors. Yet an undeniable, darker impulse—a voyeuristic curiosity, or even “schadenfreude"—often accompanies this. “Some argue that witnessing others’ suffering provides a kind of comparative solace. Seeing someone’s home destroyed may subconsciously provoke relief that it wasn’t our own but with repeated exposure, empathy may be gradually replaced by numbness," says Dr. T.R. John, senior psychiatry consultant at Aster Medcity in Kochi. This emotional numbness that John alludes to is symptomatic of vicarious trauma, where witnessing tragedy from afar burdens our psyches in ways we are only beginning to understand. 

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Nishtha Khurana, a counseling psychologist at Lissun, a mental health care platform in Gurugram, sheds light on the phenomenon. “Known as secondary or public trauma, these events can evoke emotional reactions: fear, anxiety, numbness and even depression. Beyond the emotional impact, they can lead to behavioral shifts like irritability, social withdrawal, or strained relationships. At its most intense, these symptoms resemble PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder)," Khurana explains. 

As with most things, the way each of us experiences vicarious trauma may differ. Mudassir Nazar, a 29-year-old Jamia Millia Islamia graduate, felt so overwhelmed with the deluge of news that he chose to step back from it all. “It felt like I was carrying an invisible weight and so I had to create some distance for the sake of my mental health," he says. For Delhi-based cultural revivalist Abu Sufiyan the response was different. “I’m active on social media and absorb all the grim realities of war. Over time, the constant exposure has dulled my response. I feel everything—and nothing." 

What Sufiyan experiences is a natural human reaction. According to sociologists, human beings have the capacity to emotionally connect with only around 150 people, typically within our immediate circles. When we see suffering from distant places, we may try to empathize, but often only intellectually, not emotionally.

If watching tragedy from the sidelines can affect us this deeply, imagine being in a line of work that requires you to be in the forefront of a crisis. Whether it’s being a photojournalist capturing events on the go or an activist fighting for the rights of the underprivileged, the job eventually takes a toll. According to a 2021 report from Cambridge University Press, vicarious trauma now affects a broader range of professionals due to digital exposure, making journalists, content moderators, therapists and qualitative researchers exposed to traumatized populations vulnerable to psychological distress. 

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Fahad Khan* (name changed), an international journalist with over eight years of experience in covering conflicts and civil unrest, talks about the constant demands of his profession. “I remember a story I covered back in 2015...I couldn’t sleep that night. In 2021, I covered the Afghanistan conflict when the Taliban took over (in 2021) and saw it all up close," he says. Khan may choose to casually describe it all as “part of the job" now but he concurs that while it “has become easier to come to terms with each story, one has to stay tough. This is not an easy job." 

Neenu Rathin, founder of Kochi-based non-profit The Social Town works with NGOs and social entrepreneurs for community welfare. Her daily work often involves profiling grassroots changemakers, sharing their stories, and connecting them with volunteers, donors, and partners, which can be emotionally exhausting.

Taking care of the caretakers 

Rathin’s and Khan’s instances show that those who are actively engaged in social activism or are secondary responders to crises need to take care of themselves too. 

“Whether you are a caregiver or a changemaker, your work has you taking in a lot of trauma but no one really ponders much about the question: ‘who is taking care of the caretaker?’" rues Manisha Vinod, co-founder of Bangalore Creative Circus (BCC), a space that describes itself as ‘an urban living lab that aims to build communities in art, wellbeing, climate-action and sustainability. In early November, BCC played host to The Hearth Summit. An initiative of the US-based global collective called The Wellbeing Project, the two-day programme sought to explore the idea of how ‘the inner wellbeing of change makers would enable them to be more impactful at addressing global challenges’, to quote the website. The summit saw about 150 people working in sectors like health, education and climate change take part in workshops that included collective breathwork practice, dance and movement and conflict alchemy.

“The idea now is to build a community for changemakers where they can vent or discuss the challenges of their job with no judgment," says Vinod. 

“Journaling, family time, and open conversations help me," says Rathin. Ask Khan how he copes and he talks about taking periodical breaks to rest and reflect. He also talks about organizations like the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma and Reporters Without Borders, which provide counselling, peer support networks, and workshops on resilience building. “They provide counselling and other necessary help, which makes it easier to talk things out. Meeting victims or witnessing certain scenes affects me even now, but I’ve learned to manage it better," he says. 

Mind your content  

Psychologist Nishtha Khurana shares some ways to protect your mental health from constant bad news. 

1. Curate your media diet: Be selective about news sources and content; avoid doom scrolling. Set time limits on news consumption to reduce the emotional overload.  
2. Recognize personal limits:  Acknowledge that it’s okay not to absorb every detail. You can be informed without immersing yourself in every tragic story.  
3. Practice digital boundaries: Consider “media detox" days or restrict social media usage, especially before bed. Limiting exposure helps prevent continuous, unconscious intake of distressing content. 
4. Ground yourself with mindfulness: Techniques like deep breathing or meditation can help ground you if you’re feeling overwhelmed by what you’ve seen online. It restores emotional balance. 
5. Connect authentically: Talking to friends, family, or a therapist can help process what you’ve witnessed. Human connection counteracts the isolating effects of passive consumption.

Tanisha Saxena is a Delhi-based independent journalist. She writes stories that are on the intersection of art, culture and lifestyle.

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