10 years ago today, a friend lost his life in what could only be described as tragic circumstances.

Experiencing loss ourselves is markedly different to the compassion we feel for the loved ones of our patients, when we meet them on what is inevitably one of the worst days of their lives.

The practical side and distractions of  ‘making arrangements’ only lasts for a short time – the weeks, months and years ahead present the real challenge after experiencing profound loss.

In this presentation from SMACC Chicago, Rob Rogers talks about what he did (and what he wishes he did) to cope;

http://www.smacc.net.au/2015/10/bouncing-back-after-tragedy-perspective-is-key-by-rogers

I think one of his points which I best relate to is that everything else can wait – you need to take time to process the change a tragedy brings, and regain your perspective after feeling overwhelmed.

The other thing I’d like you to consider is the nexus that presents when you experience tremendous pressure at work – it can easily overwhelm and isolate some of the people it touches, and although I’ve linked to this amazing talk by Tim Leeuwenburg before, perhaps you might like to take another look;

The take away from this is that we are great at giving others advice with dealing with grief, loss and stress – it’d be fantastic if we took some of our own advice – please don’t be too proud to ask for help if you are feeling burnt out.