Over the din of the negative pressure machine, I shouted goodbye to my patient. I zipped my way out of one of the little plastic enclosures in our emergency department (ED). With disgust and a bit of fear, I carefully shed my gloves, gown, and face shield. Only my precious mask remained on my face. I thought, This is a whole new world, and I hate it.
The problem is that I’m losing that deep feeling of connection with patients, which is such an important part of this work. A few weeks ago, the intricate fabric of what it is to be human tied me to patients through the basics: touch, facial expressions, a physical proximity, and open-hearted, honest dialogue. Much of that’s gone with the new measures we need to take to protect ourselves from the disease. I can carry on, but I will surely burn out if I can’t figure out how to get back at least some of the connection that feeds my work.
We connect best when our parasympathetic nervous system is predominant. That’s when our heart rate slows and our muscles relax. But, when gloves and face shields cut us off from other humans, we lose so much of the contact we need to activate that part of our nervous system. Having an amped-up sympathetic nervous system—the one that activates in dangerous or stressful situations—is understandable, but it’s not conducive to compassion.
People are yearning for deep connection, and we should attempt to deliver it with:
- Touch (as we can) to convey connection.
- Body language that adds emphasis to our message and our emotions that may go above and beyond what we are used to.
- Tone of voice that enhances our words.
- Talk that emphasizes the big stuff, such as love, fear, connection, and community.
To read more of Leif Hass's article, please click here.
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