Dr. Emily Silverman on Caring for Caregivers

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It turns out that caring for others carries occupational risk.

Anyone who has ever cared for aging parents, agitated teens, or sick friends has experienced symptoms of emotional and physical depletion. Caregiver burnout is not only common, it affects our health. Just as caregiving bleeds into everyday life, there’s no partition between our body and mind.

On this episode of Beyond the Prescription, Dr. Emily Silverman, physician and host of The Nocturnists podcast, shares her remarkable journey from burned-out physician to advocate for caregiver well-being.

Dr. Silverman approached her medical training with enthusiasm and eagerness, but everything changed when she worked two back-to-back 28-hour shifts and realized how burned out she was.

She began identifying more with her sick patients than her medical colleagues. The “work hard” culture of her residency program seemed to favor showing up at all costs and efficiency over the emotional and physical needs of residents.

Coping with her own health issues as she cared for patients, Dr. Silverman realized that if she was to treat others, she first needed to show herself the same level of care and respect. It was only when she acknowledged her suffering and asked for help that she knew she could authentically care for others.

Dr. Silverman went on to create a successful live show and podcast, The Nocturnists, for the medical community to speak openly about the struggles and triumphs of being a caregiver. There she has given space for others to tell their stories, learn from one another, and model compassion for others and for self.

It turns out that burnout applies not only to doctors but to anyone in a caregiving role.

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