Photo credit: Pixabay/Kranich17
by Elizabeth Bishop, MA.Ed.
In social work, healthcare, and other human services, we hear a lot about compassion. Many of us feel called to these fields because we have a deep sense of care for others. We pick up on emotions easily—we feel what’s in the room. If you’re a social worker, nurse, counselor, or caregiver, you’ve probably been told to balance your compassion for others with self-compassion. But what does that really mean?
Take a moment to reflect.
When was the last time you truly felt compassionate? How did you recognize it?
Close your eyes for a second. Turn your attention inward and ask yourself, “What does compassion feel like?” Notice the sensations in your body. Do you feel warmth in your chest? A sense of ease in your belly? Maybe a gentle opening in your heart? What if, before offering compassion to others, you allowed yourself to fully receive that energy for yourself first? What if self-compassion wasn’t just a buzzword but an actual practice—a source of renewal rather than something to squeeze in when there’s time?
We often hear about “compassion fatigue,” as though compassion itself is the thing that drains us. But here’s the truth: compassion doesn’t exhaust us. A lack of self-compassion does.
The common metaphor of “putting your oxygen mask on first” suggests that self-care is only valuable because it helps us keep serving others. But what if caring for yourself wasn’t just a means to an end? What if it was essential in its own right?
As a faculty member in human and social services programs, I’ve met hundreds of deeply caring people drawn to service. For many, the need to care is so ingrained that not expressing it would feel unnatural. Being compassionate with yourself simply allows you to reap the benefits as well.
To serve from a place of authenticity and sustainability, you must be an equal part of the compassion equation. Imagine what it would be like if compassion wasn’t something you had to muster up for others, but rather, something that naturally overflowed from within you.
So, let’s pause and dream for a moment.
What would it feel like if compassion was fully integrated into your daily life—not just as a value, but as a living experience? How would it shape the way you talk to yourself, make decisions, and move through the world?
When compassion becomes a way of being rather than just an idea, it shifts everything. It replenishes instead of depleting. It enlivens instead of exhausting. And from that place of fullness, offering compassion to others becomes effortless—it simply flows.
What would it take for you to let that happen?
As we celebrate Social Work Month this March, what better way to honor the profession, the work, our colleagues, and ourselves than by embracing compassion—not just as a principle of our practice, but as a gift to ourselves? This month, let’s not just acknowledge the importance of our work—let’s embody the compassion that fuels it, for others and for ourselves.
Elizabeth Bishop
Elizabeth Bishop, MA.Ed., is a PhD candidate and the author of Conscious Service: Ten Ways to Reclaim Your Calling, Move Beyond Burnout, and Make a Difference Without Sacrificing Yourself (Hazelden Publishing, 2022). She has been a faculty member with Confederation College of Applied Arts and Technology for more than 35 years in the areas of human and social services.