Recognizing Trauma and Distress in the Workplace: How to identify if you or your colleagues are struggling and ways to help
Living through periods of heightened stress, particularly when compounded by communal turbulence and crises, similar to what the state of Minnesota recently experienced, can take a toll on the individual wellbeing of members of our work communities. This stress can manifest in a host of different ways, including difficulties with executive functioning (memory, concentration, organization, etc), reduced efficiency, increased absences, and even trauma-related symptoms such as hypervigilance and isolation. Efforts to support employees who may be experiencing such struggles can be strengthened through gaining a deeper understanding of some of the different types of distress that people may be experiencing. Below are some of the most common types of distress that we are seeing people struggle with right now in our communities and in our workplaces:
- Compassion Fatigue - Emotional exhaustion resulting from caring for individuals who are suffering, and in the process, absorbing their suffering. This can have a quick onset.
- Moral Injury - Traumatization that results from a moral betrayal of what is right, by a superior or a person in a position of authority, during an important or high stakes situation. This often is associated with the person feeling as though they have somehow been made complicit in this betrayal of their morals.
- Racial & Discriminatory Traumatic Stress - Traumatization and mental/emotional injury resulting from experiences with bias, abuse, or discrimination that is based on one’s identity (racial, ethnic, gender, religious, ability/disability, etc), and/or hate crimes.
- Secondary Traumatic Stress - Development of symptoms of traumatic stress after witnessing, or experiencing the afteraffects of, another person’s traumatic experience (such as watching or coming on the scene soon after).
- Vicarious Traumatic Stress - Development of symptoms of traumatic stress after indirectly experiencing another person’s traumatic experience (often by listening to details of another person’s described experience).
Having the language to name what people are experiencing not only helps people to know that they are not alone, it also helps them to identify interventions and tools that might help them. For instance, an effective strategy for combatting compassion fatigue is a combination of mindful listening and emotional regulation tools. When combined, these techniques can help us learn how to listen to and be present with others who may be having difficult feelings without taking them on ourselves. Powerful connection and healing can occur simply by witnessing and being present with another person while they are struggling. That can be difficult to do, however, if we mirror their feelings (emotional contagion) and/or do not have tools to help us regulate our own emotions if we become upset or dysregulated ourselves. If we can teach ourselves how to be fully present with another person while respecting their autonomy, not absorbing their feelings, and regulating our own emotions, then our capacity to care without fatiguing can expand exponentially. Full presence listening and emotional intelligence, including emotional awareness and regulation, are also key competencies of effective leaders. To learn more, please consider our Self-Leadership Series, which is a community program open to the public, or we can offer a private section of the program for your organization onsite in the Twin Cities Metro or online via Zoom.
In a different yet related vein, the cure for moral injury often lies in connection with others, particularly those who share values and a sense of purpose. Moral injury does what most forms of trauma do - it tells us that we are alone in our suffering and it encourages us to hurt in isolation. There are several factors that tend to amplify the damaging effects of trauma and three of the most harmful are feeling trapped, feeling helpless, and feeling alone in our struggles. That is why creating space for people to connect, share their experiences, and offer support for one another can be a simple yet effective intervention for pushing back against moral injury. It can also be a valuable way of cultivating community and healthy relationships within the workplace, which are powerful protective factors against burnout.
As we move forward in the coming days and work to support each other and our workplace communities, it is important to remember that none of us are alone. For more tips and tools to help support you and your workforce, please refer to the Bakken Center’s You Do Matter Minnesota Website.