How to Cope
How to Cope
As sonographers, we often find ourselves in unique, upsetting and demanding situations. We encounter people at some of their saddest and darkest moments. We have to inform people that their baby has died, or that their baby has an abnormality, or explain the findings of their scan which you suspect could be cancer. We encounter people at their most anxious, most vulnerable and most aggressive. We usually bare the brunt of frustrations that are no fault of our own. The phone doesn’t stop ringing, the door doesn’t stop knocking, the paperwork is endless and as soon as you become friendly with a non-radiology doctor, your heart sinks as you know you are now in for a lifetime of being pestered to “just squeeze this scan in”. Oh and whilst all that is happening you are trying to supervise a student. We find ourselves unable to engage in conversations about work around the dinner table, like normal people, because the content of our discussions would be too upsetting, or gross, for the ears of those other than our work colleagues. Add a bit of management into the mix of this and the stress doubles 10 fold. I play the same violin as all of you. I get it. So, why do I continue to lift my head off the pillow and drag myself into work, day after day, when it sounds so terrible? And how do I cope with all of these daily pressures?
I do all of the things that normal people do to unwind after a difficult day. I eat good food, watch rubbish TV and I socialise. There is no better medicine and no greater love felt than time spent with your girls or your family. I have joined a HITT class and being the weirdo competitor that I am, it brings me great joy to do one extra burpee than the person next to me (even if they are in their 70s – still a win). But most of all, I cope by finding joy in every working day. I am not afraid to ask for help or support where I need it. I am not too proud to ask questions – there is no such thing as a stupid one. And when things get really tough, I remember exactly why I fell in love with the job in the first place – making a difference, being a detective of the human body and all whilst meeting such an array of interesting individuals. Every day brings a unique happiness – be it laughing with a colleague, listening to the stories of a 101-year-old war veteran or the tales of a traveller. I get to witness the determination and resilience of patients having cancer treatment, their drive to keep going and keep fighting, and think “if you can cope, so can I”. The ups and the downs are humbling.
I cope because the stress of the job is out-weighed by how valued I feel, by my team and my patients. How grateful they are when you are able to help them on their continued care path. I take pride in spending time with that individual who is anxious, and showing them exactly why they shouldn’t be. That satisfaction of knowing you have made a difference, to either a clinician or a patient. For knowing that you have put a smile on your colleagues face. For finding the pancreas in a patient who is bedbound with a BMI of 60+. That is not to say that I do not have difficult days and that I don’t have a little moan from time to time, but love is equal to the pain and when you love what you do, coping won’t seem quite so difficult.
By Clinical Specialist Sonographer, Shaunna Smith