Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

COVID-19 is a time of coming to terms with meaning in our lives and tolerating uncertainty

Maire Daugharty, MD
Conditions
October 19, 2020
151 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

Initially, after completing my master’s degree, I felt a bit lost. Being very busy, juggling different roles, focusing on areas of interest to the exclusion of other areas of life has long been my comfort zone. The stillness of having completed an intensive project while working full time would have been challenging enough. But in the middle of a pandemic, I found myself wandering around my house, confined, without a compass. The stillness was alien, at first, but that brief time was enough to awaken a reverberating message. I am once again too busy, working in my primary profession and focusing on the craft of a whole new perspective. I now recognize the cost of this necessary, temporary effort, though. And I will make room for that stillness going forward, for the introspection and self-reflection allowed in the space. It wasn’t an easy place to be, but it was invaluable to reconnect with what is important in life and the meaning to be made.

As a physician in a pandemic, I am relatively very fortunate. We are not currently overwhelmed, and we learned a lot during the first wave. We know so much more now about personal protective equipment, donning and doffing, wearing a mask despite mixed messaging. We have learned about relying on each other and the imperative of working in a cooperative environment. Circumstances have enabled a unique need to communicate effectively, and our disparate units with competing interests to find common ground. On the other hand, this is a time of deep anxiety, unpredictability, and seen and unseen danger all around. It is a time of serious coming to terms with meaning in our lives and tolerating uncertainty.

At-risk frontline clinicians cover a wide swath of people: individuals making our way forward, presenting to contribute in the best ways we know-how. We must remember, though, to also attend to our own needs, to nurture the resilience it takes to move through such challenging times. It is a simple thing to reach under the protective cover of our daily way of being in the world and connect with the emotion we shield ourselves from. But it isn’t easy work. This crossed my mind in the form of a story relayed to me by someone close. It is about the depth of the difference we are each making in our work. It is a story about coping with overwhelm one small part at a time. It is a reminder to make room for stillness so that we can continue to do our critical work effectively, with thoughts about finding opportunities in challenge, and nurturing resilience.

Maire Daugharty is an anesthesiologist.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

All intensivists are not created equal

October 19, 2020 Kevin 4
…
Next

The burden of the badge: an MD student's response to the FIGS controversy

October 19, 2020 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: COVID, Infectious Disease

Post navigation

< Previous Post
All intensivists are not created equal
Next Post >
The burden of the badge: an MD student's response to the FIGS controversy

More by Maire Daugharty, MD

  • Physician struggle with feelings of betrayal

    Maire Daugharty, MD
  • The weight of the pager

    Maire Daugharty, MD
  • Trauma is ever-present in the practice of medicine

    Maire Daugharty, MD

Related Posts

  • Finding happiness in the time of COVID

    Anonymous
  • Tragic optimism in the time of COVID-19

    Alexa Mason
  • Is it time for a true federal COVID vaccine mandate?

    Shetal Shah, MD
  • TikTok in the time of COVID: an unexpected wellness tool for health care workers

    Manya J. Gupta, MD
  • Birthing in the era of COVID

    Jennifer Roelands, MD
  • Doctors: It’s time to unionize

    Thomas D. Guastavino, MD

More in Conditions

  • Debating the role of psychiatric assessments in medical decisions

    Christian Youssef & Francisco M. Torres, MD
  • 5 things to know about weight from a bariatric surgeon

    Maria Iliakova, MD
  • Physician autonomy and patient interactions in corporate health care

    Michele Luckenbaugh
  • Vague criteria can lead to misdiagnosis and prison

    L. Joseph Parker, MD
  • U.S. maternal mortality crisis: a deep dive

    Alan Lindemann, MD
  • Contemporary weight loss: Unveiling the quest for elusive elixir

    Osmund Agbo, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • Inside the grueling life of a surgery intern

      Randall S. Fong, MD | Physician
    • I’m tired of being a distracted doctor

      Shiv Rao, MD | Tech
    • Pediatricians grapple with guns in America, from Band-Aids to bullets

      Tasia Isbell, MD, MPH | Policy
    • Physicians have no autonomy. Here’s how to change that.

      Diane W. Shannon, MD, MPH | Physician
    • AI-driven diagnostics and beyond

      Michael Kirsch, MD | Tech
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape

      Tami Burdick | Conditions
    • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

      Nandini Erodula | Education
    • Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

      Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD | Physician
    • Mourning the silent epidemic: the physician suicide crisis and suggestions for change

      Amna Shabbir, MD | Physician
    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Physicians have no autonomy. Here’s how to change that.

      Diane W. Shannon, MD, MPH | Physician
    • Understanding intersex health care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • Debating the role of psychiatric assessments in medical decisions

      Christian Youssef & Francisco M. Torres, MD | Conditions
    • Navigating adulthood in the digital age

      Eleanor Menzin, MD | Physician
    • 5 things to know about weight from a bariatric surgeon

      Maria Iliakova, MD | Conditions

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 1 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • AI Not Ready to Replace Radiologists Interpreting Chest X-Rays
  • Study Confirms Better Survival for HPV-Positive Cervical Cancer
  • FTC Sues Anesthesia Group and Its Private Equity Backers
  • Inmates Escape From Hospitals in Recent Spree
  • 'The Last Straw' Driving Workers Out of Healthcare

Meeting Coverage

  • New Schizophrenia Treatments Are Coming: Don't Panic
  • Loneliness Needs to Be Treated Like Any Other Health Condition, Researcher Suggests
  • Stopping Medical Misinformation Requires Early Detection
  • AI Has an Image Problem in Healthcare, Expert Says
  • Want Better Health Outcomes? Check Out What Other Countries Do
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • Inside the grueling life of a surgery intern

      Randall S. Fong, MD | Physician
    • I’m tired of being a distracted doctor

      Shiv Rao, MD | Tech
    • Pediatricians grapple with guns in America, from Band-Aids to bullets

      Tasia Isbell, MD, MPH | Policy
    • Physicians have no autonomy. Here’s how to change that.

      Diane W. Shannon, MD, MPH | Physician
    • AI-driven diagnostics and beyond

      Michael Kirsch, MD | Tech
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape

      Tami Burdick | Conditions
    • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

      Nandini Erodula | Education
    • Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

      Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD | Physician
    • Mourning the silent epidemic: the physician suicide crisis and suggestions for change

      Amna Shabbir, MD | Physician
    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Physicians have no autonomy. Here’s how to change that.

      Diane W. Shannon, MD, MPH | Physician
    • Understanding intersex health care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • Debating the role of psychiatric assessments in medical decisions

      Christian Youssef & Francisco M. Torres, MD | Conditions
    • Navigating adulthood in the digital age

      Eleanor Menzin, MD | Physician
    • 5 things to know about weight from a bariatric surgeon

      Maria Iliakova, MD | Conditions

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

COVID-19 is a time of coming to terms with meaning in our lives and tolerating uncertainty
1 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...