I write this about 2 weeks into a time that in some ways is like no other time I have ever experienced in my life. It is one of those ‘difficult times’. I have experienced a number of difficult times in the past, for a variety of reasons but somehow the experience this time is different.
For a starter it has affected me to the degree that I need to be off work both for my own good and for the good of my patients. It has brought home the importance of the wellbeing of healthcare workers.
The thing that is really strange is that it doesn’t always feel painful. At times there can be unrelenting overwhelming pain but it can also just feel numb. My mind seems to generally work ok but then when I try to articulate my thoughts they come out slow and monotone. It would be so good if I could be like those IT problems where I could be turned off and on again and somehow I would be rebooted back to my factory settings.
What I am so grateful for is that underneath it all I still believe that I am valuable. My value is not defined by my ability to work or to speak normally. My value is defined by much more significant things.
Everyone is valuable 