Connecting the Disconnect

A year ago, my mother had got diagnosed with Covid. That phase of November- December in 2020 was a bit difficult emotionally even though she was quarantined at home and totally stable and healthy by God’s grace. We had access to every facility as well as the best treatment. Then why was it emotionally difficult? The answer to this is, because I am a Doctor, a physiotherapist by profession. It sounds strange, isn’t it? A medical professional who sees patients every day, has done duties for covid patients and such a statement from me! Recently, my father had got his kidney calculus removal surgery done. The surgery was minor and had gone really well but still those few days too were a little harsh.

At such times, I ask myself if I am becoming vulnerable and if my mental strength is weakening. I start doubting my abilities as a doctor. Being in this profession, it is a bit easier to draw an emotional disconnect between you and your patient. But when you or your close ones are on the other side, you don’t really see them as just another patient and thus it becomes difficult to have that disconnect! You literally cannot keep yourself emotionally cold and it starts making you feel vulnerable. That is where the heart under the white coat speaks up.

As a part of medical profession that involves a lot of communication with patients, it is important to be more of a listener in order to be an effective communicator. In this process of listening and understanding, you tend to feel more emotionally empathic towards the patient. At the same time, this field needs you to be empathic and from time to time step into the patients’ shoes, as to what do these humans go through. It is a tough phase for them and their families because during that moment they find it difficult to process even a minor health issue. There is a fine line between sympathy and empathy and you need to maintain that balance. The way you speak and the words you use in the process can create a huge impact, either positive or negative.

Hospital and clinics are the places where you need to put your emotions a bit aside. You need to perceive the other person as a simple human who needs help and is not in a good state of mind. Being too emotional imbibes a negative energy into them and being too cold or stone hearted gets you detached from perceiving what they feel. The moment you realise that human emotions are basic in nature and we all feel them as per the situations in our lives, you will learn to connect that disconnect. You will build heathy relations with people, whether they are your family, friends or even patients whom you have never met earlier or merely had any acquaintance.

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I am with You

Passing by through the paths of yours
Flooding my mind with memories of yours
Smile with a lump in my throat
A single place yet so much did it denote
Observing it pass in front of eyes
With hopes and promises under the blue skies
That place being a signal to live for self
And memories magnifying my love for self
Bound to some ties and knots
Yet they didn’t move out of my thoughts
Guarding myself with a boundary
Though i could sense that feel soundly
And when you find yourself stuck with no clue
Just whisper to self that “I’m with you”

~Natasha Tungare

No caption or introduction today. Just the feel of feeling a poetry and perceiving it with a noble heart 💗

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Suiting to the Phase

“Where are you from doctor?” She asked with a weak smile on her face.
She was feeling breathless even after that single sentence she spoke but I could notice hope in her eyes. The hope that she found someone to communicate with. “Aunty do not speak if you are feeling breathless at rest. I shall teach you a few breathing exercises.”
She was waiting for the ‘exercise doctor’ so that she could start walking with her help and go back home soon! She had been admitted in hospital for almost a month and was frustrated being there. No patient wished to stay in hospital for such long duration.

Those were the days of our Covid duties. Exact a year ago, I had my hospital covid duty in 2020. That was the peak period of Covid where everyone was fearful. The situation was completely different from what it is now. Roads were empty, we could hardly find a couple of people outside, none could socialize and there were more number of emotions felt in the hospitals. Everyone around had so much of anxiety and lives were filled with uncertainties. But that was also the phase where everyone learned more about themselves. Many realized what self-introspection is.

Even I was one of them who was anxious, yet was very excited for my first covid duty. Excited, to wear that PPE for the first time and work to serve as a Covid warrior and anxious, thinking what if I transmit any infection to any of my family members. I remember a day before going for duty, I had asked my seniors and colleagues about all the necessary precautions pre and post duty. And had finally gained strength to face it all. The next day I went to the hospital where I was posted for duty. I wore the surgical scrubs with utmost precautions and finally took the PPE. I smiled. It was one of the most wonderful and proud feeling for me in the world.

There I entered the ICU after wearing the entire PPE kit. Within 5 minutes I was full of sweat. Because the patients had Covid and were critical, there was no chance of switching on the air conditioner. The only sound I could hear in the entire ICU was of ventilator machine beeps and monitoring devices. The patients were lying there helpless. Some filled with positive mindset that things will fall into place, some had almost lost hopes and had given up and some just wanted to move out of that ICU and meet their family members. I had been working in hospital postings since my under graduation days, which was almost since last five years. But that one day had so much to teach. Rather the entire pandemic had a lot to teach.

Those days of duties taught us how uncertain and unpredictable lives are. You never know what might happen the very next moment. There are so many different phases we go through. All phases are not always good. Some are bitter too. Hence, live every moment right now without dwelling in the past which cannot be changed and without being anxious about future which is going to be a beautiful surprise. After all we eventually learn to suit to every phase that comes along our way.

Have you been through any of such memorable phases filled with uncertainties and surprises. Tell me what do you think about it, in the comment section. Connect with me on Instagram- Natasha Tungare/

Behind the White Coat

My eyes opened at around 5:55am after the third ring of my alarm. I got out of bed and casually looked at my phone. I opened whatsapp and the first thing I saw was a message from one of my oldest patient “Happy Doctor’s Day”. And that gave a smile on my face. I had not even realized that it was Doctor’s Day. Receiving a doctor’s day wishing message from your client is indeed a blessing! Only a patient can realize importance of his doctor in a better depth.

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The world considers doctors to be prime healers of the society. But if you realize, everyone possess ability to heal. Close people around you including your family and friends who play a major role being your support system, are not less than healers. They are the ones who are there along with you when you are counting the last few breaths of your journey on this planet. You visit your doctor for all your physical aches but your close ones are there to take care of you when you are suffering from your mental pains. And that moral support is what raises the will power of the one lying in hospital bed.

It is a blessing for a doctor to be with you from the moment you take birth and stay till you leave this body. Through the journey in between the doctor too feels the pain when you get injured and tears run down from their eyes too when they are unable to save the patient. Every doctor looks for that one smile on patient’s face when they get cured from the illness. Patient satisfaction is their accomplishment.

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The only thing that drives me through the entire day, is starting my day with treating patients. More than books, patients are our real teachers. Not just with respect to medicine per se but we get to learn a lot about living life from them. Practice before you preach and hence keeping yourself fit and healthy becomes the priority before you take care of your patient. Each each doctor’s day reminds me to be more empathic towards patients. This day makes me feel proud of my profession and challenges me to be better at my work!

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I feel proud and grateful for choosing this profession. And finally I wish a very Happy Doctor’s Day to all my mentors, colleagues and the future aspiring medicos!! You all are inspiration to me and many!

A Free Bond

They say people come in our lives and then go away for a reason. I believe that the situations we are in, are responsible for our closeness with certain people. Once we are over those circumstances whether good or bad, eventually the role of those close humans end. And thus, there comes a time when they start moving away. That does not mean they aren’t present. Their presence has a special place and is always cherished. When initially they play the lead character in the movie of our life. Later in the other movie, they play role of a background artist. That background artist too has its own beautiful role to play and is equally important.

There are multiple such movies filled in our life and we are the director. As we climb the ladder of different milestones, at each point we get connected with different people depending upon their role during that ongoing movie. These people make our movie worth watching!

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During all our ups and downs, people are there for you. There might be different people who be close to you during that time, but you are never left alone. Someone is always there to share your burden with you, to share your joys and sorrows with you. And that is something to be thankful for always. The appearing and fading of humans goes on …

But then comes those for whom you never have to beg for even a single effort because they are always there. The constant humans who never fade away despite of anything. You know you can always count on them. Their bond just gets nourished more each day. Those connections are present without any expectations and conditions. That is what you call that bond as ‘a free bond‘. The uncertainties never determine the strength of that bond, rather give you more courage and make you believe in yourself. Those connections are the one which boost your self esteem and self confidence. They get the best out of you. They make efforts for you and value you efforts as well.

If you have even a single such unconditional connection, you are fortunate!

I hope you liked this piece. Do not forget to share your feedback in the comment section. Connect with me on Instagram- Natasha Tungare

THE PAUSE BUTTON

I realized how wonderfully can the laws of physics be applied to our lives. Newton’s first law of motion says- “A body remains in the state of rest or in movement unless acted upon by an external force.” We humans are driven in the same way! Unless and until an external situation forces us for something, we rarely attempt to explore the possibilities.

The wait never goes vain 
For it’s what can help heal your pain 
A step back won’t get you down 
It will rather help reach that crown

Did you guess that what exactly am I talking about here? Well, I am speaking about the time during lockdown. For all those who blessed and cursed the pandemic, I believe that on some lines each one of us realized how necessary it was for the entire world to experience it. It was like a break from the routine and a kind of turning point for many. It felt like someone wants us to take a pause and reflect on our habits, lifestyle and surrounding. Without even realizing, we all went through that huge pause which changed all of us.

Going for work each day and returning home tired was difficult. On the other hand sitting at home 24×7 was difficult. Digesting the canteen food at every lunch hour was difficult. And putting in efforts to prepare your own food was difficult. Meeting the same people every day and socializing was difficult. And staying isolated at home without even being in touch with anyone was difficult. But the ‘pause’ made us realize the importance of our own ‘difficult’ which we choose to have.

Life gives you surprises. And you know what! These surprises can be in the form of blessings and challenges. If we dig in deep, we realize that those challenges too are blessings in disguise. Ultimately such challenges give you experiences and make you strong. What changes and challenges did you experience by this ‘Pause’?

Share your views in the comment section! Connect with me on:

Instagram- Natasha Tungare

2020- A Different Milestone

For a pretty long time, this draft was blank. I could not think of a decent topic or any remarkable incident worth writing about. But maybe there was a reason why it was blank for an entire year. It took me a complete year to get something to write about and I am so glad that I finally started writing. Not just a small incident but a number of such amazing moments that gave me reasons to be grateful for this year.

Many cribbed about how worse this year was compared to other years. Many were waiting desperately for 2020 to end. And for some people who faced financial crisis or lost their loved ones, this year was honestly a tough one. But despite of all of these, 2020 year taught us the rarest of lessons which maybe we all would have never learned. We valued the most ordinary things of our life and realized how we used to take those things for granted.

A few months ago before lockdown when everything around was pretty normal, I used to travel by public transport and crib about the huge crowd and long hours of travel to reach my destination. But it is interesting to know that how destiny has its own way to make is realize the importance of smallest things around us. The lockdown made me miss those hours of travelling and it did make me feel like I really want to go out and meet people. It made us realize the importance of spending time with family, colleagues, a cup of coffee with friend and celebrating birthdays with our inner circle. Indeed this year changed our entire perspective of looking at life.

The year of introspection, perception, self-realization, falling off and still managing to get back. The entire 2020 was a complete game changer with unexpected outcomes and it feels really exciting to know how 2021 would look like with all surprises.

If you like my writeups, connect with me on Instagram Natasha Tungare

The River…

Coming up with the next guest post and apologies because I’ve really really delayed it a lot!! This poetry is by amazing writer Pamela Jessen…

Photography by- LifeCapturedinLens

I stand on the edge of a river

The water runs clear and quite deep

I take a step in, and it’s so cold

And my balance is hard to keep

I fight to stay upright and standing

Falling is not in my plan

I step further into the river

Away from the safe shore and sand

This river is my Chronic Pain

And I’m tackling it, one step at a time

It flows hard and tries hard to claim me

It moves with no rhythm or rhyme

But I’m stronger than I first appear

And I fight hard to stay on my feet

I wade deeper in to it, the battle is on

And my victory is going to be sweet

The river will always be flowing

but I simply won’t turn away

I’ll battle this enemy daily

And emerge as the winner each day

Up to my waist, or my neck

I refuse to give in to the rage

I dunk my head under and come up for air

I feel like I’ve turned a new page

No river around can defeat me

I’ve proven it time after time

So when I stand on the edge of a river

I know that my life will be fine.

-Pamela Jessen

About Author: “My name is Pamela Jessen and I am a blogger who lives in Langford, BC on beautiful Vancouver Island. I am a blogger who writes about Chronic Pain, Chronic Fatigue and Invisible Illness at http://pamelajessen.com I also write for TheMighty, PainResource, TheZebraPit and various independent publications.

I am a Patient Advocate with the Patient Voices Network in BC. I sit on 4 committees and one Provincial Survey working group and I’ve also been involved in advocacy work at the Canadian National level. I’m married to my amazing husband Ray and we are owned by one cat named Dorie”

For more reads connect with me on Instagram-Natasha Tungare

The End is Near…

Coming up with the next guest post. Here’s an amazing piece by talented poet Mudita.

The End Is Near

Image credits: pexels.com

As the time to depart nears by,
Heavy drops of memories roll off my eye.
As this chapter of my life is closing
The time wheel is rolling
Flashback of the times i had
The good ones and the bad
And in the blink of an eye,
Its time my shoulders be clad
With a pinch of luggage wrapped
In the heaviest of emotions haphazard.
The reality check has struck
And I feel stuck
with a numb mind and a heavy heart,
It is finally time to part.
My joys and sorrows, the world knows not
Just a handful who always gave a thought.
My gratitude offered-
For all the selfless love poured,
Every bit of help extended,
Each time i was cared for,
And bringing a smile when tears filled my core!

– Mudita

Guys! ANudge Nudge!

Tomorrow that is 20th Aug is last day for guest post submission (story/poem). Email on exploreyourself22@gmail.com

Or DM on instagram for feature Natasha

Guest Post 1: You’re not the only one

So finally started with publishing our guest bloggers!! Here presenting a beautiful poem by Miss Uma Marda.

Title: You’re not the only one

People always say,
‘Why always me? ‘
Ask yourself, ‘ Why not you? ‘
Many are suffering through the same,
you just know your side.
So, remember you’re not the only one.

I used to think,
people share their stuff only with me,
never knew, I’m the last one in the queue.
So, remember, you’re not the only one.

Many go through heartbreaks, rejections
and I feel, I’m the only one going through the tough phase,
You just see your tears,
So remember, you’re not the only one.

Everyone has to face ups and downs,
Everyone have their own challenges,
I feel I’m the only one, who is hopless,
But, remember, you’re not the only one.

Things will change, time will change,
There’s no point in thinking I’m the only one,
Cause, people will change and their priorities too.
So, remember you’re not the only one.

Many shares their experience,
while many avoid to speak about it,
That doesn’t mean, you’re the only sufferer,
You never know about others, and
you feel alone and helpless,
So, remember you’re not the only one.

Poetry By: Uma Laxmikant Marda.

Painting by: Jayashree Baheti

Hello, myself Uma Laxmikant Marda
Wide-eyed, I see this world 🌻 A Medico, an Abstract, Explorer, Dancer and ofcourse an Artist. I love to write about things life has taught me.
Check my website out! – http://Umamarda.blogspot.in/

Hey guys, guest post submissions are still open. Deadline- 20th Aug 2019. For guidelines read my previous post

You can submit via mail- exploreyourself22@gmail.com

Or DM on Instagram- her_poetic_soul