I am convinced that our reliance on compartmentalization has reached its limit for the roughest days. I fear pushing off the sadness and grief we experience in our important work can cost us mentally and physically in the long run. This begs the question: What can we do differently on some of our roughest and saddest days?

In my role of helping staff within the University of Iowa Emergency Department’s psychiatry team and providing 45 well-being first aid workshops to more than 2,000 clinicians across Iowa, I have a unique perspective into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on society.