Breathing is a Factory-Installed Setting. And Yet
New original essay; anthology contribution to White Coats Human Hearts, by Kim Downey, PT, Founder of Stand Up (for) Doctors!
True Stories of Healing, Belonging, and the Courage to Stay Human in Medicine
Forgetting how to breathe started when you were in medical school. A forced forgetting. An unlearning. Intentional deprivation...
I’m grateful and honored to have an essay in this anthology alongside other healthcare professionals and patients. Staying human in medicine is a core theme in my writing, so when Kim Downey contacted me asking me to contribute a piece for her new anthology, White Coats Human Hearts, I happily got to work.
The personal essay that emerged did so gradually, from bursts of ideas that came to me in the middle of a busy clinic or, more often, in the wee hours of the night; a mashup of unrelated ideas my subconscious wanted to put together.
The non-linear piece intertwines memories of the traumas and stresses of early medical training with later experiences of personal illness and loss, and, even later, my sessions with a life coach for burnout, and uses breath as the ribbon that holds the strands together, exploring themes of vulnerability and self-compassion.
I wanted to write about this to share universal experiences that are not often discussed out loud. I think sharing our stories is important to lessen the burden of burnout in the medical profession. If even one colleague reads this and feels less alone or is empowered to share their story, all of us benefit.
You can order your copy here.
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