Page 43 - March 2021 Voices

maintaining a compassionate quality of care a typical day, our functional-reserve becomes
for those in need. Whereas, in general, the rest lowered and then replenished through the

of us are expected to always be compassionate activities mentioned above.
towards others, particularly family, community In an average work environment, performance
members, and public servants. wanes after several hours. Who has not felt their
While many people may never experience the concentration, accuracy, speed, and quality

extreme nature of the stressful circumstances diminish after hours of working? Additionally,
such as Glenn’s, it is not uncommon for reactions people are more prone to accidents after working
to repeated stressful events to possibly lead to several hours.
compassion-fatigue or its close relative burnout. Here is a helpful tip: taking a break from

Professional and volunteer caregivers that serve tasks for 10-15 minutes will lead to restoration
distressed people are particularly vulnerable to of your efficiency. If you were needing more
these conditions. proof, human performance studies reveal that
Let’s consider the term ‘functional-reserve.’ after a break, efficiency can peak higher than

This refers to the reservoir the top performance
of energy your mind and levels for that individual
body draw from during before the break! There is
the hours you are awake. more, without proper self-

This reserve is replenished care, stress can also affect
through sleep, nutrition, interpersonal behavior.
and general body care. It Accordingly, negative
becomes depleted through attitudes, intolerance,

normal activities as work, impatience, irritability,
body activity, and mental lack of cooperation, etc.
tasks. Regular nutrition can result. By practicing
and rest usually keep up self-observation and

with the daily demands awareness, one can
on this reserve. Stress, determine when it is time
defined as the rate of wear for self-adjustment.
and tear on a living system, In life, in environments

can rapidly deplete our that are commonly
functional-reserve. Stress agents are varied, associated with extreme stress, your self-
including hard work, multiple responsibilities, care support needs to be a priority. There are
time pressures, concern for loved ones, etc. In many high stress work environments. For

VOICES! | MARCH 2021 43