BROADCASTS.com

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.\n\nShe started pet sitting in 1994, and won the Pet Sitters International, \xa0Pet Sitter of the Year award in 2004; \xa0She 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.).\n\nHolly also became a certified Compassion Fatigue Educator through the University of Tennessee School Of \xa0Veterinary Social Work in 2016.\xa0To say she is an advocate for the pets and the people who care for them is an understatement.\n\nBella and Holly discuss what compassion fatigue is and how it differs from \u201cburn out\u201d \xa0Holly discloses traits common among those susceptible to compassion fatigue including:\n\n \tBeing a highly dedicated professional\n \tAlways expecting positive feedback about work\n \tHigh demand for personal competence\n \tA personal history of exhaustion\n \tA large workload\n \tLack of trauma training\n \tIdentification with those in their care\n \tThose is a non-supportive work environment or unsupportive friends and family\n\nHolly then details some of the symptoms of compassion fatigue:\n\n \tBone-tired exhaustion\n \tInsomnia\n \tPersistent physical ailments\n \tApprehension\n \tOver exaggerated startle reflex\n \tAnxiety\n \tDepression\n \tAbnormal anger\n \tRumination or excessive thoughts about an incident\n \tClumsiness\n \tNightmares and flashbacks\n \tDifficulty concentrating and forgetfulness\n \tTendency to isolate from other people\n \tInability to make a decision\n \tIntrusive imagery\n \tReduced ability to feel sympathy or empathy toward other people or animals\n \tDenial of any of the above symptoms\n\nGrab her book here:\xa0My End of the Leash: Compassion Fatigue From a Pet Sitter's Perspective