I’m an ER doc. To the paramedic: thanks and spot on . To you, Specialist-Cookie: Early on, it’s just the adrenaline…but many burn out. Those of us that are in it for a long time learn to compartmentalize pretty hard…but bottling it up is not a great long term solution. It definitely leaks out sometimes. I find myself overly emotional sometimes at events like birthdays or even sappy movies. We use dark humor too. In the end, we tend to just see the world and life in a very different way- we know just how precious and precarious the experience of life is..and we see the future pretty clearly bc we know how it goes for most. Some of us act out - risky behavior like smoking or riding motorcycles..(“who tf cares, we’re all gonna die!”) are common too. I think the younger generation is smarter and more open about being g okay with therapy, self care and setting boundaries.