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Permission to Pause


January is usually a time when we talk about wellness. Fresh starts. New routines. Hopeful resets.


This year feels different.


Across the transplant community and the broader medical world, many of us are carrying a level of heaviness that cannot be fixed with a gratitude list or a deep breath. Families are navigating chronic stress, uncertainty, and fear. Clinicians and researchers are facing defunded programs, stalled progress, and growing public distrust of medicine. Measles outbreaks are resurging. Transplant misinformation is spreading. Violence and instability feel constant in the background. Even organ donation, something built on generosity and hope, is being questioned in ways that feel deeply discouraging.


If you are feeling overwhelmed, discouraged, angry, numb, or simply tired, you are not crazy. You are responding normally to an abnormal amount of pressure. This is the same fight-or-flight response you would experience in the face of a visible catastrophe, like watching a hurricane approach or receiving an emergency alert that tells you to grab everything you can before a forest fire destroys your home. The difference is that today’s challenges are ongoing and layered, making them harder to process and easier for others to minimize.


Making Space for What This Season Is Asking of You

There is no prize for pushing through in silence. For medically complex families, the weight comes from appointments, lab results, medication management, insurance battles, and the fear that accompanies every fever or unknown symptom. Many families carry grief without a clear endpoint, and it is okay to pause, to be sad, and to mourn the reality you hoped for.

Mental health support is not a luxury for transplant families or healthcare professionals. It is a necessity.


Ways to Support Your Mental Health Right Now

Talk with trusted people. Honest conversations with friends, family members, or fellow caregivers can reduce isolation and remind you that you are not alone. If peer support feels helpful, Transplant Families hosts monthly, moderated Caregiver Connect opportunities. Learn more at https://bit.ly/TFCares. These gatherings take place every second Tuesday of the month.



Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Related Tools

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and other evidence-based approaches can be helpful for anxiety, intrusive thoughts, burnout, and the feeling of being constantly on edge. These tools are skills that you can use anytime you need them, even at 2 am. Many people use a mix of self-guided tools and professional support, depending on access and capacity.


Mindfulness and Mental Health Apps


These apps are not replacements for therapy, but they can support grounding, sleep, and day-to-day emotional regulation.


Finding a Therapist or Online Support


Availability and coverage vary. Readers may want to check their insurance provider, employee assistance program, or HR benefits to understand what options are available.

If you are in crisis or feel unsafe, please seek immediate help. In the United States, call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. If you are outside the U.S., local emergency services can help connect you to crisis support. Your life matters.


To Our Clinicians and Researchers

We see you too.


The current climate in medicine is demoralizing. Watching years of work threatened by funding cuts, public skepticism, and political pressure takes a real toll. Burnout is not a personal failure. It is a predictable outcome of sustained moral injury.


It is okay to grieve the work you cannot do right now. It is okay to feel angry about setbacks that were never about lack of effort or care. Please know that families notice your dedication, even when systems fail to support it.


Finding Agency Through Advocacy

While none of us can fix everything, action can sometimes help restore a sense of agency.

Advocacy that supports science-based medicine, organ donation education, vaccine access, and transplant research allows families and professionals to push back against helplessness. Even small actions matter. Sharing accurate information. Supporting patient advocacy organizations like ours. Showing up when possible and resting when needed.


At Transplant Families, we will continue to highlight advocacy opportunities that empower families without adding guilt or pressure. Check our website for ongoing opportunities.


A Gentle Reminder

You are allowed to take breaks from the news. You are allowed to say, “This is too much today. "You are allowed to ask for help. You are allowed to survive this season imperfectly.

This year, permit yourself to pause. Stepping back when needed is not failure; it is self-preservation, and that is an extraordinary New Year’s resolution.

 
 
 

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