How do I recover from compassion fatigue in my career?

You have given so much care for so long that the well has run dry. That is what compassion fatigue is. It is not that you stopped caring. It is that caring has a cost, and you paid it over and over without ever being refilled. A depleted person cannot pour from an empty cup, no matter how good their heart. You will not refill by trying harder. You refill by receiving instead of only giving. That means rest that is actually rest, not chores. It means one relationship where you are cared for, not the caregiver. It means letting some things be good enough instead of perfect. These are not luxuries. For someone in your line of work, they are maintenance. Start with one boundary this week. One evening that is yours. One task you hand off or let go. Guard it like it matters, because it does. You spent years keeping everything else alive. It is time to spend a little of that same fierce care on keeping yourself alive too.