Episode 77: THE COVID-19 CRISIS: MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS' CLOSE ENCOUNTERS WITH DEATH AND DYING

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we all live in an extraordinary reality of life and death on the line. Medical professionals and first responders, particularly, experience intense encounters with death and dying on a daily, sometimes hourly basis. The self-reliant, warrior approach these professionals often take can lead to high burdens of unrelieved stress, PTS, burnout, and even suicide. Pausing to express grief or relieve stress through self-care will not incapacitate or weaken our doctors, nurses, and other first responders, as they often fear. Instead, it can restore their health and resilience. In facing their own mortality, they also have an opportunity to connect more deeply with their life's purpose and what matters most. This opportunity is available for us all, as the pandemic reminds each of us of our own mortality.