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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 28, 2018)
Wednesday, February 28, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Your Story MATTERS Audry Van Houweling, PMHNP Columnist Compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma PHOTO BY JODI SCHNEIDER MCNAMEE Emily Bourdage took first-place honors for her art. Local girl wins contest By Jodi Schneider McNamee Correspondent Central Oregon Eagle Watch declared 12-year-old Emily Bourdage, a sixth- grade student at Black Butte School in Camp Sherman, first-place winner in her age group for an original water- color of a peregrine falcon. Bourdage lives in Sisters and has been enthusias- tic about art since she was 4 years old. She’s also interested in music and is in the guitar class at Black Butte School. This year was the fourth annual Eagle Watch Celebration Art Contest open to all Deschutes, Jefferson and Crook county students (fourth through 12th grade). All participants created origi- nal artwork of bald or golden eagles, hawks, falcons, vul- tures, or owls. Eagle Watch, a Culver tra- dition since 1996, celebrated a love for birds of prey last weekend at Round Butte Overlook Park and The Cove Palisades State Park. The free celebration honors eagles and other raptors that live in the Lake Billy Chinook area. The event is hosted by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD), Portland General Electric (PGE), and Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. Event coordinator and OPRD Park Ranger, Erin Bennett, hatched the idea of an art contest four years ear- lier to involve younger folks. “We had 65 art entries this year,” Bennett said. “And a couple of new categories including a technical cat- egory. We added Microsoft PowerPoint for students who felt they weren’t artistic enough to paint or draw.” The art contest is Bennett’s favorite part of the Eagle Watch Celebration. Eagle Watch is a perfect event for the entire family to learn about birds of prey. Camp Sherman residents Kathy and Rod Bourdage, Emily Bourdage’s grandpar- ents, have volunteered for the event for two years. “Families tell us they look forward to the event each year,” Kathy Bourdage told The Nugget. “It’s fun, educa- tional and free.” It seems empathy is in high demand these days. Helping professionals, heal- ers, or simply those with caring personalities may feel overwhelmed and even exhausted trying to meet this demand. Having a car- ing heart and a tendency to put others ahead of ourselves makes us especially vulner- able to “compassion fatigue.” Compassion fatigue, a term coined by Dr. Charles Figley, is a “state of ten- sion and preoccupation with the suffering of those being helped to the degree that it can create a secondary trau- matic stress for the helper.” Compassion fatigue occurs hand in hand with vicari- ous trauma, which is when “the helper” is exposed to the traumatic experience of another and experiences a personal transformation resulting in a multitude of possible symptoms including anxiety, panic, sleep changes, depression, hypervigilance, and social isolation among others. Vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue may lead to feelings of being unsup- ported and underappreciated. We may also have a tendency to roll up our sleeves and become workaholics, in a search to find control and dis- tractibility when we may feel powerless in other aspects of our lives. We may also find ourselves justifying mal- adaptive coping mechanisms because of the good and hard work we do. It may also be easy to blame our struggles on circumstance and others, but ultimately we need to look within ourselves to find answers and solutions. Vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue are wide- spread these days. Among those impacted are educa- tors, at a loss for how to comfort students fearful of tragedy, or healthcare profes- sionals struggling to provide adequate care to desper- ate patients, or parents try- ing to nurture their children in a world that can seem so chaotic, or parents trying to nurture their parents, or lead- ers of faith trying to restore hope in the hopeless, or first-responders repeatedly encountering the aftermath of trauma, or the countless unpaid volunteers and nur- turers in our communities working hard to uplift others with often little recognition. I have learned to be aware of my own vulnerabilities to vicarious trauma and com- passion fatigue — and it has not always been easy. I have learned it is critical to have what I call “non-negotiables” or ways of coping that help keep me grounded, present, and emotionally resilient. I have learned it is best not to sacrifice these non-negotia- bles and if I do, it is not only a disservice to myself, but takes away from my loved ones, clients, and yes, ulti- mately the communities that I serve. I am not overstating my importance, but have simply grown an apprecia- tion and awareness how my energy and actions reverber- ate to everyone I come in contact with — and it is the same for you. It is easy to feel hyper- vigilant about all the woes and fears that may seem so imminent, which makes being vigilant about our own well-being so much more important. Many of us believe that prioritizing our own well- being aligns with selfish- ness. In my humble opinion, self-care is a matter of self- responsibility and has noth- ing to do with being selfish. Importantly, self-care and self-responsibility may also mean asking for help when we feel at a loss. We can only give what we have. It is ulti- mately not sustainable to be so focused on giving and not restoring. So, in the midst of widespread fear, taking inventory of what we need to keep ourselves grounded and creating dialogue are necessities. It is easy to feel lost, on edge, and powerless. Our reality is our perception and perception can change. So let’s help ourselves and one another see the light in the darkness. Take care everyone. ’17 Ford F-350 4x4 XLT Custom Design & Repairs 549-9388 Crew cab, long box, diesel, new wheels and AT tires, 23k. $48,500 Buy or sell your car with locally owned ... Aquamarine & Diamond (Low miles • newer than 2005) DA3919 Best Price! No Hassles! CARFAX FAX A X C AX Certifi ertified! ed! Sisters Car Connection 541-815-7397 102 W. 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