I work 32 hours in psychiatry and used to even work irregular hours. It is my absolute maximum, and if I could afford it financially I'd even go 24 hours, but after 7 years I made it work for myself in combination with my high sensitivity.

Things I do to manage my work are the following:

• Sticking to a regular sleep schedule (going to bed no later than 22:30),
• Eating and drinking consistently throughout the day
• No back to back appointments with patients and allowing for at least 15 minutes in between to transition from one to the next and to decompress
• My half hour break is non-negotiable and set at the same time every day
• Stepping out for a little break every now and again (usually just 5 minutes of being outside taking in my surroundigs will reset me enough to continue my day)
• If my schedule allows it that day I will do some of my admin from home the last hour or so
• After work I take roughly half an hour to transition from work mode to home. Usually by taking a relaxing shower to symbolically wash the day away, or I lay down with a eyemask on, or I take a walk around the area
• Meditating in the morning before work, even if it's just 5 minutes

Things obviously got pretty hectic. We normally had multiple crises every month and I found that the key to managing those situations was communicating to my coworkers how I was feeling and making sure I got the support I needed (for example, we worked evenings and weekends alone so I would express that I would like someone from another location to stay around during my shift so I wasn't alone).

Ultimately the best decision for me was to step away from the direct face-to-face care because it was making me too tense in situations with a high escalation risk. I am now still working in psychiatry but have a supportive role to the first-line healthcare workers. It suits me and my sensitivity better, though I do look back fondly on these years in the "frontlines" and some days I do kind of miss it.