An excerpt from Self-compassion: cultivating physician resilience during the pandemic by Paul Mohapel, PhD, as published in The Canadian Society of Physician Leaders COVID-19 Crisis Bulletin #7 (page 2)
“Common humanity refers to the sense of interconnectedness we feel with others. All humans are flawed works-in-progress, everyone fails, makes mistakes, and experiences hardship in life. Connecting to our common humanity honours the unavoidable fact that life entails suffering for everyone, without exception. When things go wrong or not the way we expected them to go, we often think we are at fault. We forget that this is perfectly normal and natural. In addition, physicians often isolate themselves when they are struggling. Instead of reaching out for support, they will often blame themselves for not being able to cope better with stress. Remembering that pain and failure are part of the shared human experience and normalizing that allows us to feel more connected with others. Tapping into our common humanity is a reminder that there are forces beyond our control. It requires accepting what you can change and having the wisdom to let go of what you cannot change or directly impact. Self-compassion expert Dr. Neff suggests that, when we find ourselves suffering or feeling disconnected from others, we repeat the following phrases to ourselves: ‘We all make mistakes. We all fail. This is part of the human experience. May I be safe, may I be peaceful, may I be kind to myself. May I accept myself as I am.’”
With gratitude, we share two poems by Ted Jablonski, MD CCFP FCFP
tinnitus
there are days
when the mosquito buzz saw
vibrating through my head
sounds better
than the perpetual drone
of the worried well
that fumble and fidget
in front of me
caught
lean in
eye contact
mute
furrowed brow
head nod
reassurance
deception
a safe
monotonous
consistent
isolated
place
tinnitus
a wall of
unrelenting
noise
I can no longer
climb over
the parasite as hero
I work hard
keep the balance of want and need
to remain alive
comfortable
safe
clinging to the back of a chronic malady that has stripped the body
and mind of its host
my host
who painfully withers away
death means moving on
change that I would rather not have
at this moment
gluttonous
my being has
danced, sung, chased fantasies
visions of grandeur
built a kingdom for my progeny
who flourish
bear fruit
heroic or
opportunistic altruism
symbiotic
or parasitic
the seduction of concession
satiated
I sleep well
dream
often
The Physician and Family Support Program (PFSP) invites original physician poetry submissions
PFSP recognizes the importance of the emotional and social aspects of physicians’ lives in their overall wellness. We invite Alberta physicians in any career stage to send in their original poems/prose to be considered for publication in the PFSP Perspectives column in future issues of Alberta Doctors’ Digest.
- Submissions of under 500 words can be emailed to pfsp@albertadoctors.org. Please write “poetry submission” in the subject field.
- We will acknowledge receipt of your submission. If it is selected for publication, we will work with the ADD editor to determine when it can be published.
- For further information or questions, please email pfsp@albertadoctors.org, and one of our team members will get back to you.
Banner image credit: Helena Lopes on Unsplash