Comments on: Splashed Sadness – A look at negative emotions in EMS

By: Martin

Martin — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 19:07:00 +0000

Great post. I’m not a professional EMS provider, but I am a certified paramedic with a few years of experience in doing events and for sports teams and worked along side of a lot of EMS personnel. I may not have the same kind of response calls you do, but I do have the same way of coping with Splash Sadness or even a horrible situation like I was trained to. Again great post. Thank you

By: Shining through Suffering – Learning How to Cope with Sadness in EMS | Life Under the Lights

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 06:21:28 +0000

[...] “Splashed Sadness – A look at Negative Emotions in EMS” [...]

By: Internal Optimist

Internal Optimist — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 03:38:20 +0000

Great post, and I know exactly what you mean. Very eloquently expressed. Thank you.

By: Internal Optimist

Internal Optimist — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 23:38:20 +0000

Great post, and I know exactly what you mean. Very eloquently expressed. Thank you.

By: Ellie

Ellie — Mon, 31 May 2010 15:14:12 +0000

I know I'm a bit late responding to this one, but I felt it was all so true. I get worried sometimes at my lack of emotion in emotional situations, but it's just the fault of the job. I try very hard not to take the sadness home, and I love when lay people ask what my worst call was- they don't know that they don't want to know.
Blogging is the greatest therapy in the world. And ice cream.

By: Ellie

Ellie — Mon, 31 May 2010 11:14:12 +0000

By: hilinda

hilinda — Sun, 23 May 2010 06:31:06 +0000

I think Splashed Sadness is important. For one thing, the splasher can relieve stress some by sharing, but also the splashee hears a wide variety of stories of things they may never have experienced directly, and then, when they do, it isn't something completely unheard of, which makes it a little less stressful.

But it is also important to limit the splashing to those in EMS. Other people really don't seem to appreciate it. This can be particularly difficult if you have family members who are not in EMS, but are who you talk to about everything else.

As I've gained experience, I've managed to compartmentalize a lot. During the call, I stay focused on what I need to do. Immediately after, I feel the emotions, especially concern for the family who must be even more emotional. And then I manage to separate some from the grief, if need be.

There is also a difference between "that's really sad, but I'm not personally emotionally involved" and "that's really sad, and I'm emotionally in the middle of it." The first is in the "so I can keep it more distant" category, and the second in the "I don't know how to deal" category. So far, those categories seem to sort themselves out.

By: Dealing With Negative People Made Easy

Dealing With Negative People Made Easy — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 09:54:28 +0000

[...] [...]

By: How to Deal With Negative Emotions

How to Deal With Negative Emotions — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 00:23:42 +0000

[...] [...]

By: Ambulance Amateur

Ambulance Amateur — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 22:48:12 +0000

As a Community First Responder in the UK, I don't get trauma or kids under 12. I do, though, get older people who I can't defibrillate and have done lots of CPR on older people, until the paramedic calls it.

It's always sad, but then you go on to the next job. It's worse when you either get no more jobs that shift, or the next job you get is a total nonsense.

However, after a couple of years, I've managed to compartmentalise. I can accept that old people die. I can even accept that people younger than me die too.

Any death makes me sad, but I can now pick myself up and get on with helping the living. Does that make me sick? Possibly, but it's necessary.

Just don't ask me to do kids.