Support systems and defense mechanisms in the medical profession 2

 

I got quite a lot of awesome responses yesterday following the write-up on this topic. Apparently, housejob was a tough time that, according to a dear friend, requires having more than one different coping mechanism per department so that if one fails, you are not left hanging. And I totally agree. What happens the day you cannot get food or you do not even have the appetite?

 

Sleep

The general sleep most of you would have in mind is the one we fall into when we are exhausted physically and we just go into this dreamless sleep. Well, there is more.

“Someone dies? I sleep and wake up so I can deal with it and move on. Someone abuses me? I sleep. I am pained? I sleep. I fail at something? I sleep. I use it to reset after a bad occurrence.“

I remember the different times I would just text Ibilola and be like, “Let’s go get ice-cream”. That ice-cream is not what I actually needed. What I needed was a change of environment. To be able to sit a a table and not wonder when a nurse would call me about one patient or the other. To watch healthy people, come in, have fun, talk with their family and friends and not go into some kind of anaphylactic shock. While for some people, it was just another avenue to eat, for some, it was an opportunity to step out of their triangular lives.

 

Shopping

I think this one got me. Whether it was mere window shopping or the actual shopping that involved your bank account crying… I did them. I am not a shopaholic, my bank account will not allow but there is some satisfaction in knowing that I can unwrap a package and find something in it that is very pleasing to me. Thankfully, I have issues with my shoe size, so, I got many shoes.

JUMIA, IG sellers, AliExpress, Amazon, NewChic (even though I never got round to buying anything from you), thank you for all the love.

 

Solitude

Just being alone is a serious way to reset. That is not the time someone should come and be telling me, “Ehn, you have not been checking on me. You have forgotten me. You are not even a true friend.” In those moments, we just want our space. We just want to be ALONE. We may just meditate. We may just pray. For someone like me, that may be the time I write some soul searching stuff. We may just stare. And this is a coping mechanism because these are the time we can, “recharge and refuel in peace” because every other thing, even eating, seems like work.

 

Marriage

Yesso!!! Some people got married unto say this housejob will not kill me. Let me have someone to go home to everyday… someone that can rub my head and take me for vanishing. Lol, I know that is not a true reason for getting married but in this housejob period, MANY people got married, so, I had to wonder if I was missing out on some important coping mechanism.

 

Boyfriends and Girlfriends

This is a special shout out to those dating medical doctors, especially those in their housejob year. You guys are the real MVPs. Like a friend said,

“I don’t think this can even be explained. He picks up the slack by being in a relationship with himself half the time and dragging me back into it with him.“

The Knight had to be left hanging many times when I would sleep off while chatting with him, he would read and listen to all my rant, he would keep tabs on what unit I was in at any particular time and the uniqueness of each, he would encourage me to keep doing my best and keeping my cool… I don’t know mehn… The days of ,”Your body is so hot, that’s why you’re a hot Girlfriend“, and I’d have to laugh through the high grade fever dealing with me.

 

God

For me, without God, all the other support systems were bound to fail. Woefully. The bathroom time of praise, the half-awake, half-asleep times of talking with the Father, the targeted messages from the man of God, (God bless you Rev. Amosun of Rock Foundation Church). There is no quantifying how knowing God was one reason why I was able to go through housejob sane.

 

This list is endless abeg.

What is to be said about just rearranging things so as to get some sense of being in control of at least something in your life?

“I used to leave work to arrange my room if I left it not prim and proper just so I can feel welcome when I get back eventually, no matter the mood i am coming back with. at least, a part of my life is in control.“

What is to be said of Duolingo?

I think being able to tell someone,”Se you know what you just did does not make sense sir?” in another language can be pure bliss. Let me Mandarin your life, Ma.

 

Shoutout

Thank you, Dr. Opeyemi Amusa, Dr. Akinlesi Praise, Dr. Oguntoye Timi, for being major contributors to this write-up. “House: The One Year We Lived at Work” will be resumed in the new year, by His grace. Stay tuned.

To whoever it may concern, please endeavor to wash your hands after using the restroom, even if not for your personal hygiene, but for the olfactory organ of the next person. And please use a sweet smelling soap so that the fragrance can overshadow the pungent odor from your hopefully finished business. Blessings.