Inspiration
Retu rn
26
Acu. | Issue #28 | Autumn 2020
a r c t ice p o t g n i
As many of us turn our minds to opening up our practices, some members share their thoughts and feelings of their journey.
Awais Mian Member: London
The current situation has been testing to say the least. It’s thrust us all out of our comfort zones; as practitioners, clinic owners, local businesses, but actually as humans. The sheer brutality of the world’s situation and our own personal and family circumstances have made it a challenging time. For some, lockdown has taught us to be grateful for many things in our lives which in the past we may have taken for granted. The lack of social interaction has been a tough; it’s great to see someone on a screen, but nothing can replace being able to meet in person and to give them a hug. As we slowly begin to return to practising, we have all had to find ways to minimise risk and ensure the current guidelines can be adhered to in our workspaces – easier for some than for others, depending on the nature of our work and clinical environments. The BAcC had the very difficult job of compiling a comprehensive safe practice guide. Whilst I understand that this was a very challenging task, it did often feel like an eternity between government announcements on a Tuesday and the BAcC emails on a Friday. For many of us, the sense of frustration and anxiety was only compounded when we could not get into Zoom calls to discuss the new guidelines. It has been hard to get the clinic ready to reopen – to source appropriate PPE and new cleaning equipment, which has gradually become more expensive, harder to find and takes longer to arrive. And the extra time for cleaning procedures and paperwork have added to the workload substantially. Most importantly though, patients’ needs have increased. Their physical and mental wellbeing has suffered greatly during lockdown and many people are desperate to find a sense of normality or some light at the end of a very dark tunnel. My own level of anxiety was high, as I wanted everything to be safe to ensure I was not putting our patients, my colleagues or myself at any unnecessary risk. I found talking to colleagues and sharing our experiences, both good and bad, was essential in getting ready both mentally and physically. At times we all felt well pumped up for that challenge; at other times it felt overwhelming. The first few days working in new conditions reminded me of being in a lab. I embraced my previous experience as a biochemist and cell biologist and tried to take everything step by step as I followed the new processes. I tried not to do too much at once, seeing only a few patients at first and constantly reviewing my procedures and protocols to ensure I felt comfortable that all risks have been minimised. It’s been great to be back working directly with patients, especially those happy to see us who appreciate the work that has gone into providing a safe environment. I’ve done my best to increase my own self-care routines before returning to work, in preparation for what will be a tough year ahead. Lots of tai chi and qigong is the backbone of my routine! We have an important role to play going forward. We must support our colleagues in primary/frontline care, as well as supporting people’s long-term recovery from Covid, something we are reading more about as time passes. The future is uncertain for sure but I have every confidence that as a profession we can adapt to the ‘new normal’ and find our balance in the weeks and months to come.
