This time last year I fell off a cliff & had to take 2 months off work - described as burnout. It was a wake up call that I didn’t want to face or admit that it could happen to me. Working in Paediatric Critical Care is tough, we see the most unimaginable pain that families go through but also share the joy of children’s recovery from critical illness & for that I’ve always felt privileged. Burnout crept up on me, 25+ years of working in a highly stressful & fast paced area of the NHS where you hit the ground running every day is inevitably going to take its toll eventually. I felt exhausted, unrested on my days off, difficulty staying asleep, intolerable of others & unable to think clearly or concentrate. The final straw came at the end of a busy 13 hour shift with the migraine from hell & I remember thinking ‘I’m done!’ Recovery was slow, I slept alot, felt sad every day & disbelief that I had ‘given in’. Thank god I had the help from our amazing critical care psychologist’s who were able to unravel & analyse how I was feeling - a few home truths later & understanding the impact of working in such a difficult area can have on your own life, was a hard pill to swallow! Time out & cutting myself off from work was the only way to start to get better, spending time with my family, going on long walks with the dogs & daily gym sessions without feeling guilty got easier. Surprisingly over time many of my work friends & colleagues reached out & confirmed how they had felt close to burnout or who had burnt out but kept it to themselves. So here I am 12 months later with a different outlook on life, different goals, less stress & feeling better both mentally & physically 😊 If any of this is recognisable - stop, take time out for yourself & your family, life is too short as many of us in the NHS know all too well ❤️ #burnout #burnoutprevention #burnoutrecovery #PICU #PCCS #NHS

Liverpool & @AlderHey Hosting the Paediatric Critical Care Society 24 conference, fantastic day 1 of 3 #PCCSworkshops @PICU_AHCH

Bookings now open for the PCCS 24 Liverpool Pre- Conference Workshops! Scan the QR code or click on the links below: eventbrite.co.uk/e/pccs-pre-… eventbrite.co.uk/e/pccs-pre-… eventbrite.co.uk/e/pccs-pre-… eventbrite.co.uk/e/pccs-pre-…

Proud mum moment! Eva (on the right 🥰)

❤️#organdonationweek

25 years working in #teamNHS many highs & lows but wouldn’t change it for the world! @PICU_AHCH ❤️