Tis the season for family

Morning all!


Well I have finally reached my countdown...Christmas leave! I finished my placement on Wednesday and had a plan to get my head down and write up my essay to then be able to switch off and enjoy Christmas.

Note to self: Plans do not always go to plan.


In the last week a close relative has been given a poor health diagnosis and went into hospital for four nights. Not only did this happen, but on the second night he was in hospital, his home was broken in to. As you can imagine, the day after this happened I was not in a very 'get my head down and write' mood so I wrote off the day.


I have learnt over my time at university so far that if my head is not in the right place, I cannot have a productive study session. In my first year I would make a plan to sit down and write, and get annoyed with myself (and everyone around me at the time) if nothing came out. Now I assess where my head is at first and then get on with it. The day after, I sat down for eight straight hours and came up with 2500words, completing my draft. I guess this makes me an 'all or nothing' person. As mentioned previously, some people can only write essays at night. Others can only work on adrenalin by completing things last minute. But my worry of that method is what happens if something...happens? What if a family emergency comes up, or you develop a heavy head cold over the days you were due to write? Any more insight on this would be appreciated-it has always mystified me!

Anyway, the draft has been done and been put aside until after Christmas, and the family are all rallying together and supporting one another. Now my relative is home we are no longer having to pay for hospital parking (many of you will be aware as to how expensive it can be!) and it is a lot easier to see him as he is fortunately only next door. It did feel a rather odd experience to visit him on the ward as I felt naturally drawn to checking he had been offered plenty of drinks, was he in any pain, had they been updating him and supporting him, etc. They do say nurses make the worse patients so maybe it is the same when visiting a loved one.

The other downside of being in healthcare is maybe knowing too much. From caring for a large number of patients with varying health conditions, I am aware of how bad it can get for some people. Even if certain symptoms are usually rare, I am aware of potentially how bad it could get for my relative.

On that note, all of this happening at this time of year makes me appreciate those I have around me, and how important Christmas is for bringing everyone together. So onwards with a day of cheesy Christmas music, baking and present wrapping!

Have a very Merry Christmas for those celebrating, and enjoy the time with your loved ones!

Em x