Shame and the medical profession

"We can't escape shame. But don't despair, dear reader, because shame resilience can be cultivated. There are mental-fitness skills that can be learned which are self-perpetuating. I taught myself these skills and, in doing so, healed my own wounds – you can, too. Once you have the skills to recognize and manage shame in a healthy way, you'll no longer be held hostage by the perceived need to betray yourself by pretending to be someone other than who you are. An enormous weight is lifted, and the world feels safer when viewed through a lens of self-trust.

There's no better investment you can make in yourself."

Tracey O'Connell is a radiologist and physician coach. She can be reached at her self-titled site, Tracey O'Connell, M.D.

She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "Why we deny our imperfections in medicine." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2021/04/no-one-taught-us-the-skills-to-cope-with-feeling-bad-about-ourselves.html)