In this episode of "Bella In Your Business", Bella speaks with Holly Cook, author of My End of the Leash: Compassion Fatigue From a Pet Sitter's Perspective.

She started pet sitting in 1994, and won the Pet Sitters International,  Pet Sitter of the Year award in 2004;  She has been serving the pet sitting industry by becoming a state Ambassador for PSI in 2005. She has also authored several articles presented at many pet sitting conferences. She has developed donation drives for communities devastated by disaster (From Missouri floods in 1993, 9/11, Hurricane Katrina to Hurricane Sandy.).

Holly also became a certified Compassion Fatigue Educator through the University of Tennessee School Of  Veterinary Social Work in 2016. To say she is an advocate for the pets and the people who care for them is an understatement.

Bella and Holly discuss what compassion fatigue is and how it differs from “burn out”  Holly discloses traits common among those susceptible to compassion fatigue including:

Being a highly dedicated professional

Always expecting positive feedback about work

High demand for personal competence

A personal history of exhaustion

A large workload

Lack of trauma training

Identification with those in their care

Those is a non-supportive work environment or unsupportive friends and family

Holly then details some of the symptoms of compassion fatigue:

Bone-tired exhaustion

Insomnia

Persistent physical ailments

Apprehension

Over exaggerated startle reflex

Anxiety

Depression

Abnormal anger

Rumination or excessive thoughts about an incident

Clumsiness

Nightmares and flashbacks

Difficulty concentrating and forgetfulness

Tendency to isolate from other people

Inability to make a decision

Intrusive imagery

Reduced ability to feel sympathy or empathy toward other people or animals

Denial of any of the above symptoms

Grab her book here: My End of the Leash: Compassion Fatigue From a Pet Sitter's Perspective