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How to Mentally Prepare for a Crisis Like an ER Doctor
Reminding yourself of your true mission can help you let go of what you can’t control
At one o’clock in the morning, the emergency radio goes off — a team of paramedics is calling with a critical case. They’ve found a young child in cardiac arrest, blue, and not breathing. It’s going to be up to you and your team to try to get the child’s heart started again.
You have five minutes before the patient arrives. What do you do?
As an emergency doctor, I’ve responded to this type of situation hundreds of times. What I’ve learned is that while external groundwork is clearly important (we need to set up equipment and mobilize the necessary resources), it is the internal preparation — how we mentally ready ourselves in the moments before a crisis — that can make all the difference.
Everyone faces emergencies at some point in their lives. Maybe the one coming your way is a loved one needing surgery, or layoffs at work, or the familiar pull of addiction. Whatever your crisis, you can use the same tools that we use in the emergency department to respond as smoothly and effectively as possible.
