Recently, on The Expressive Mom Show, I was thrilled to have Ellie Laks as my guest. Ellie is a passionate animal rescuer, healer, and caregiver known for her incredible work in saving and rehabilitating needy animals. She developed her “Gentle Healing” method, which blends animal communication, energy healing, and other holistic techniques to treat animals others may have given up on.
Ellie founded The Gentle Barn, a nonprofit dedicated to rescuing and caring for farm animals like horses, cows, pigs, and more. Throughout her journey, she’s faced the emotional toll of compassion fatigue—a more profound burnout that can make you feel like giving up on the work you love. To combat this, Ellie created a “toolbox” of strategies to help herself and others recover and continue their important work.
Her dedication has earned her recognition on major platforms like The Ellen Show, People Magazine, and The Huffington Post. Ellie’s mission is to be a voice for animals, share their stories, and ignite compassion in people everywhere.
She also authorizes a new book, Cow Hug Therapy. She’s become a prominent figure in the animal welfare community through her holistic healing methods and commitment to tackling compassion fatigue. Ellie’s work is about making the world a kinder place for all living creatures.
A Closer Look at Compassion Fatigue
Compassion fatigue is a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion caused by the constant demands of caring for others. It’s an occupational hazard for healthcare workers, social workers, counselors, and anyone whose job requires them to regularly empathize with and support people in distress. But it can also affect the rest of us who are simply trying to be good, caring human beings in an overwhelming world.
As someone who considers themselves sensitive, I’ve been there. In the podcast, I talked about my experience with it regarding special needs parenting. But this geo-political climate is contributing to it. When the news feels like an endless barrage of tragedy and injustice, or when I try to support friends and family members who are going through difficult times, I can start to feel my emotional reserves running dangerously low. Instead of my usual drive to help, I want to tune out and avoid anything that might require more of my dwindling compassion.
It Is Easy to Feel Guilty About It
At first, I felt guilty about this – shouldn’t I, as a caring person, be able to keep showing up for others no matter what? But then I realized that compassion fatigue is actually a very normal and valid response to chronic stress and trauma, both individual and collective. Just like physical fatigue, our emotional and psychological empathy capacity has limits. We run on empty when we keep pushing past those limits without adequate rest and replenishment.
The consequences of compassion fatigue can be serious, manifesting as everything from irritability and cynicism to physical ailments like headaches, insomnia, and weakened immunity. Left unchecked, it can even lead to a complete emotional shutdown and withdrawal from the people and causes we once cared so deeply about.
That’s why it’s so important to recognize the signs of compassion fatigue and take proactive steps to address it. For me, that’s meant being more intentional about self-care—setting boundaries, taking regular breaks from the news, and making sure I’m nurturing my own emotional, mental, and physical well-being. It also meant being more selective about where I direct my limited compassion, focusing on the people and issues most aligned with my values and energy levels.
It’s not always easy, and I still have days when I feel utterly drained. But I’ve learned that true compassion isn’t about endless self-sacrifice. It’s about striking a sustainable balance—cultivating empathy and care for others while extending that kindness to ourselves. Because, at the end of the day, we can’t pour from an empty cup. By honoring our own needs and limitations, we’re actually better equipped to show up for the people and causes that matter most to us.
You can connect with Ellie on her website: https://ellielaks.
You can follow Expressive Mom on Instagram at anexpressivemom and on Substack at https://expressivemom.substack.com. You can also find me at medium.com at msmir.medium.
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