For Violaine, the loss of her career is like a bereavement.
Transcript
C’est très difficile faire le deuil du travail, le deuil d’un travail que j’adore! Un milieu de travail que j’adore, des collègues… Je deviens vraiment émotive (elle pleure). Voilà! Émotivement oui, il y a des moments tellement difficiles (elle pleure toujours). Là ici j’ai trouvé beau les bibliothèques avec tous les livres! J’adore! C’est ma vie! Puis dans l’imaginaire des autres… C’est une fascination la littérature, ça a toujours été un morceau très important de ma vie! Je ne peux plus lire, je ne peux plus enseigner. Donc c’est très difficile, émotivement très difficile à accepter. Donc il faut vraiment… C’est un deuil! Un deuil immense! C’est une mort d’une partie de moi-même (elle pleure). Donc accepter d’être une autre personne. Si j’avais développé des habiletés manuelles en dehors de faire à manger, il n’y a pas grand-chose que je sais faire de mes dix doigts. Dans le fond, c’est sûr qu’il va falloir que je développe des nouvelles habiletés.
[It’s very difficult to mourn the loss of work, the loss of a job I love! A workplace I love, colleagues… I get really emotional [she cries]. Voilà! Emotionally yes, there are moments that are so difficult [crying]. Here I found the libraries with all the books beautiful! I just love it! It’s my life! And in other people’s imaginations… Literature is a fascination. It’s always been a very important part of my life! I can’t read anymore, I can’t teach. So it’s very difficult, emotionally very difficult to accept. So you really have to … It’s a mourning process! An immense mourning! It’s a death of a part of myself [crying]. So I have to accept being another person. If I’d developed manual skills other than making food, there’s not much I can do with my ten fingers. Basically, I’m going to have to develop new skills.] Translation from original French.
More from: Violaine
More content
- Tests and Investigations – ViolaineViolaine feels "disoriented" because she has no idea what's causing her symptoms despite undergoing a battery of tests.
- Symptoms of Long COVID – ViolaineViolaine went from reading philosophy to being unable to place a grocery order.
- Complementary and Alternative Care – ViolaineViolaine got relief from some of her symptoms by stimulating her vagus nerve. She wished the health system would incorporate such treatments more routinely.
- Recovery and Thoughts About the Future – ViolaineViolaine finds it challenging to cope with both the present and an unknown future.
- Advice to Others Living With Long COVID – ViolaineViolaine encourages people to challenge healthcare providers giving inappropriate advice.
- Advice to Policy Makers – ViolaineViolaine feels that public health buried its head in the sand and that the lack of female decision makers is partly the reason.
- People with Long COVID Advocating for Themselves – ViolaineViolaine is involved in many forms of advocacy work despite having very little energy to spare.
- Impacts on Work and Career – ViolaineFor Violaine, the loss of her career is like a bereavement.
- Impacts on Work and Career – ViolaineViolaine badly wants to carry on teaching.
- Coping Strategies and Self Care – ViolaineViolaine finds that mediation allows her to switch off her brain.