I had been hearing so much about burnout in medicine, and then one day, I realised it had crept up on me.

It began at my mother’s funeral, when a family acquaintance approached me and asked if I could examine her painful toe. I tried to avoid her, yet I could not say no. Through my grief and exhaustion, conditioned by years of striving to live a life of purpose, I examined her and offered advice.

But that moment left me traumatised, the final straw in a lifetime of failing to set clear boundaries.

A few days later, another visitor came to offer condolences and, without hesitation, handed me their medical reports for review.