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
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 who expanded her expertise by earning a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling, merging her long-standing interest in mental health with her medical background. As a licensed professional counselor, licensed addiction counselor, and licensed marriage and family therapist, she brings a well-rounded perspective to her private practice, where she works with adult individuals and couples on a wide range of concerns. In addition to her counseling practice, she continues to work part-time as an anesthesiologist and has a deep understanding of the unique challenges faced by clinicians in today’s medical landscape. To learn more about her practice, visit Physician Vitality Services.

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

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Maire Daugharty, MD

  • Why peer support can save lives in high-pressure medical careers

    Maire Daugharty, MD
  • Understanding depression beyond biology: the power of therapy and meaning

    Maire Daugharty, MD
  • Why coaching is not a substitute for psychotherapy

    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

  • How declining MMR vaccination rates put future generations at risk

    Ambika Sharma, Onyi Oligbo, and Katrina Green, MD
  • How one unforgettable ER patient taught a nurse about resilience

    Kristen Cline, BSN, RN
  • Why regular exercise is the best prescription for lifelong health

    George F. Smith, MD
  • When the weight won’t budge: the hidden physiology of grief, stress, and set point

    Sarah White, APRN
  • Why peer support can save lives in high-pressure medical careers

    Maire Daugharty, MD
  • Addressing menstrual health inequities in adolescents

    Callia Georgoulis
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why specialist pain clinics and addiction treatment services require strong primary care

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Conditions
    • Harassment and overreach are driving physicians to quit

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • Why peer support can save lives in high-pressure medical careers

      Maire Daugharty, MD | Conditions
    • When a medical office sublease turns into a legal nightmare

      Ralph Messo, DO | Physician
    • Addressing menstrual health inequities in adolescents

      Callia Georgoulis | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation for depression [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How declining MMR vaccination rates put future generations at risk

      Ambika Sharma, Onyi Oligbo, and Katrina Green, MD | Conditions
    • The physician who turned burnout into a mission for change

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
    • Time theft: the unseen harm of abusive oversight

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • How one unforgettable ER patient taught a nurse about resilience

      Kristen Cline, BSN, RN | Conditions
    • The future of clinical care: AI’s role in easing physician workload

      Michael Wakeman | Tech

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

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why specialist pain clinics and addiction treatment services require strong primary care

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Conditions
    • Harassment and overreach are driving physicians to quit

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • Why peer support can save lives in high-pressure medical careers

      Maire Daugharty, MD | Conditions
    • When a medical office sublease turns into a legal nightmare

      Ralph Messo, DO | Physician
    • Addressing menstrual health inequities in adolescents

      Callia Georgoulis | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation for depression [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How declining MMR vaccination rates put future generations at risk

      Ambika Sharma, Onyi Oligbo, and Katrina Green, MD | Conditions
    • The physician who turned burnout into a mission for change

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
    • Time theft: the unseen harm of abusive oversight

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • How one unforgettable ER patient taught a nurse about resilience

      Kristen Cline, BSN, RN | Conditions
    • The future of clinical care: AI’s role in easing physician workload

      Michael Wakeman | Tech

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...