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Is it a bad idea to take a breather for a couple days after a bad trauma call?
Or is it better to put on your big girl panties..
Or is it better to put on your big girl panties..
Time off?
- Thread starter Household6
- Start date
mycrofft
Still crazy but elsewhere
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Depends.
No pun intended.
Pass the Geritol.
We all process stuff differently and we all help other people differently. Do what seems right, and recognize if it isn't working. One rule of thumb: if you associate your friends or family with the patient, or if you personally identify, then you're more likely to need help. Inability to distance your self will be a huge stumbling block to handling tough case in the field, but a huge asset if you continue on to patient advocacy etc.
I didn't stand down after some nasty stuff, and I don't think it affected me*, but everyone has a different take. Seeking peer and professional support is always a good idea, and your employer ought to have access for you to an employee mental health option (usually called "employee assistance program" or EAP) as part of health insurance.
* Twenty years later I had some reactions to stuff I'd seen, but I think that was just part of my aging process.
No pun intended.
Pass the Geritol.
We all process stuff differently and we all help other people differently. Do what seems right, and recognize if it isn't working. One rule of thumb: if you associate your friends or family with the patient, or if you personally identify, then you're more likely to need help. Inability to distance your self will be a huge stumbling block to handling tough case in the field, but a huge asset if you continue on to patient advocacy etc.
I didn't stand down after some nasty stuff, and I don't think it affected me*, but everyone has a different take. Seeking peer and professional support is always a good idea, and your employer ought to have access for you to an employee mental health option (usually called "employee assistance program" or EAP) as part of health insurance.
* Twenty years later I had some reactions to stuff I'd seen, but I think that was just part of my aging process.
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nwhitney
Forum Captain
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Agree with Mycrofft.
Don't let pride stand in your way of taking care of yourself even if that means seeking out a mental health professional and a couple of days off. Of course those days off shouldn't mean you isolate yourself from others.
Take care.
Don't let pride stand in your way of taking care of yourself even if that means seeking out a mental health professional and a couple of days off. Of course those days off shouldn't mean you isolate yourself from others.
Take care.
adamjh3
Forum Culinary Powerhouse
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Everyone has that call that gets to them.
If you throw your "big girl panties" on and push yourself to work through something that is causing you mental anguish, you may feel better for a little bit. You'll squash that call down to a little corner in the back of your head and forget about it for a while, but for how long? What happens when you run into something that triggers those emotions that have gone unconfronted? They'll hit you hard. Maybe you'll be able to repress it again, maybe you'll break down even worse.
These kinds of things are very personal, and no one can tell you what will work for you. I had a call a couple months ago that absolutely wrecked me. I got lucky, I had a partner that was very understanding and had been in the same boat I was in. We talked about it. A lot. Just running through it again with someone else helped me immensely. For a good couple weeks I'd talk about it with anyone who would listen and you know what? I feel better. I can think about it without tearing up.
You feel like you need to take a couple days off? Take them off. Talk to someone. Talk to your husband, even if he doesn't "get" it, just venting it out might help you. It did for me.
If you throw your "big girl panties" on and push yourself to work through something that is causing you mental anguish, you may feel better for a little bit. You'll squash that call down to a little corner in the back of your head and forget about it for a while, but for how long? What happens when you run into something that triggers those emotions that have gone unconfronted? They'll hit you hard. Maybe you'll be able to repress it again, maybe you'll break down even worse.
These kinds of things are very personal, and no one can tell you what will work for you. I had a call a couple months ago that absolutely wrecked me. I got lucky, I had a partner that was very understanding and had been in the same boat I was in. We talked about it. A lot. Just running through it again with someone else helped me immensely. For a good couple weeks I'd talk about it with anyone who would listen and you know what? I feel better. I can think about it without tearing up.
You feel like you need to take a couple days off? Take them off. Talk to someone. Talk to your husband, even if he doesn't "get" it, just venting it out might help you. It did for me.
epipusher
Forum Asst. Chief
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Instead of a sick day its a 'mental health day.' Absolutely nothing wrong with taking advantage of a couple of those.