I constantly hear comments from health workers who say “ I love my job ”,“ I love my profession ”,“ I studied for years and worked hard to get my degree ”, showing their sincere intention to help others.
When they talk to me about their feelings, I am always the first to express my joy at their feelings, because it seems wonderful to me to work and develop in what we love (we know that it is not still the case). However, I have to admit that this joy is short-lived, when the story lasts …
It happens to me that “I don’t want to go back to work« . “Whenever I have to go back to work, the night seems endless and negative thoughts keep me awake. “I wake up scared and stay immobilized in my bed. « As I approach the hospital, an intense panic sweeps over me and I can no longer breathe ”.
When I listen to these other testimonials, I understand more deeply what we all already know.
And here we are: Dehumanized interpersonal relationships, work overload, unworthy wages, work teams that do not work as a team. Groups that compete with each other. Managers who are only interested in managing teams, without thinking about the real needs of their staff. The phrase “today I realize that I am just one more number and it makes me very sad” is repeated over and over again.
All of the above ends up creating a perfect storm, where mental health deteriorates and suffering is observed daily.
Many specialists refer to these conditions as “mood disorders” or “anxiety disorders” (depression, anxiety, panic, anxiety, sleep disturbances, emotional lability, etc.) and there are many symptoms that could refer to these troubles. However, experience tells me that if we focused on improving our personal and interpersonal relationships, where the human being would be the central value, it would all be different.
On the other hand, I am sometimes surprised to find that we are not able to raise our voices and take care of ourselves. It seems that the interests of public bodies (which seem to be more personal than public) or the company where we work are more important than our own health, interests and necessities.
Maybe we need to reconsider our priorities.
I observe that people are starting to lose hope. The good people, those who try to make the human being a central value, get bored and start to leave workplaces where humanization is so needed. A sad reality, it is true, however it is happening and can be seen, in this particular case, in the field of health professionals.
However, despite everything, we must continue to try to find hope. In doing so, we will build a new world, more compassionate, more loving, more empathetic, where we will be able to put ourselves in the shoes of the other.
Translation from Spanish: Ginette Baudelet.
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