Coping -

 "Ronda, how are you? I know you've been so involved in your mother's care these past years, how are you?" 

Tough question to answer. Right now my answer is, "Coping." One day at a time; being intentional, and being at work, which is safe, known, and busy. 

I see dying and death on a daily basis; Mom's preparing to die and dying really didn't phase me. Or so I think! 

And yet I'm not sleeping, not focusing, and just numb. Which also happens when I'm faced with a crazy day at work. 

Today this came, and I'll be perusing it while mulling over my own thoughts and connecting some dots. 

Coping is Essential to Manage Palliative Care Professionals’ Challenges 

Healthcare professionals learn to take care of themselves while taking care of others. Coping mechanisms in palliative care extend beyond the management of emotions and problems, and beyond the disengagement of personal aspects from the environment. It is a learning process over time, in which influencing factors, coping strategies and personal and professional development are interrelated. This development is probably the most central pillar in training on providing healthcare to others.

The degree of self-awareness can be trained with practices oriented to the development of attention, allowing better management of emotions and greater emotional balance. This is a factor that makes a difference between ‘suffering’ and ‘enjoying work.’ Health professionals are the most powerful medicine for patients, emphasizing the importance of personal and professional aspects. The effectiveness of the healthcare process for end-of-life patients and their families will depend on providing healthcare ‘without getting burned,’ and, to that end, harmony and personal balance is necessary. If these health professionals manage to establish a deep relationship, in which the bond is healing for both the patients and themselves, they will achieve deep personal satisfaction, an expanded perception of reality and participation in the transmutation of others’ suffering. This practice is not only non-exhausting, but a source of satisfaction and personal growth, which promotes self-care activities performed by the health professionals during the therapeutic processes. 

  Adaptation and continuous learning: integrative review of coping strategies of palliative care professionals. [2] Sapeta, et al.

Palliative Medicine. 2021. September.