Vetlife was selected as BVNA’s Charity of the Year for 2022-2023 by our current President, Charlotte Pace. We recognise the invaluable work that Vetlife do to ensure there is support in place for anyone in the veterinary community in difficulty. Knowing that there is someone available to talk to, at whatever time of day, is a lifeline for veterinary professionals.

We are inviting all BVNA members and the wider veterinary nursing community to raise funds to support Vetlife’s important work. Between Monday 13th and Friday 17th February 2023, we are celebrating the BVNA ‘Have a Heart Week’ – and we’d love for you to join us by donating or creating a fundraising event of your own!

We have a fantastic schedule of events taking place, plus we’ll be releasing blogs and resources throughout the week too. These are all free to access; we just ask that you consider making a small contribution to Vetlife via BVNA’s JustGiving page.

Today, Kim Rathbone shares her experiences of mental health during COVID-19, and how Vetlife helped her through a difficult and challenging time. We hope this resource helps others, who may be in a similar situation, to recognise they are not alone.

Kim says:

“Overnight everything changed as we went into lockdown. Suddenly a massive change as we all had to adapt to a different and new way of living and working, social events cancelled, working from home, being furloughed and more importantly staying home and staying safe as the world united to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Day to day for me suddenly became stressful; things that weren’t stressful before suddenly became so and give me anxiety. Going food shopping made me increasingly aware of the people around me not giving me space, every cough they made and everything they touched. What if they have COVID, I don’t want COVID! Not to mention the lack of loo roll, pasta and tinned foods! I decided this was the new normal, part of what we just had to cope with, so I got on with it, filled my trolley with what was left, became creative with meals and went to work.

“Going to work was easy to start with, nothing changed for me really, I wasn’t furloughed, my hours didn’t change, we didn’t work in teams, we just continued. We did however have to cancel routine appointments such as neuters, vaccinations and 6 monthly checks in an attempt to keep staff safe from seeing multiple clients. We also had to close the doors to clients, no longer allowing them in to the consult room, instead greeting them outside, whilst maintaining a social distance and taking the pet from the owner into the clinic whilst they waited outside. Not only was this a huge change for us as veterinary professionals, but a huge change to clients who found it difficult to part with beloved pets. I was questioned about our new Covid protocols on a day-to-day basis, or sometimes being accused of a “lack of care”. You can only hear that so much before you start to take it personally.

“So as the days of COVID become months, and then years, I became more and more lonely, stressed and anxious. Battling with daily complaints, working long hours, not seeing my family, coping at home and generally just feeling fed up. With all this I soon become irritable at work, snappy and defensive with colleagues. I didn’t know how to cope anymore. I thought keeping my mind busy would help me cope and forget, so I knuckled down into my ECC course, I watched webinars every evening in the hope they would help me, but it just made thoughts worse and I was being judged at work for not being able to switch off.

“It wasn’t long before I thought my colleagues didn’t like me, and being someone who hates conflict and wants everyone to like them, this was extremely hard for me to cope with. With all these feelings and emotions building up, I had a panic attack! I was about to leave for work and I felt myself suddenly scared and I just wanted to quit then and there. My husband rang work and explained to my boss what was happening, I called the doctor and they signed me off work with stress and then I called Vetlife, which was the best decision I have ever made.

“Vetlife is a charity that supports the veterinary profession, helping us when we can longer cope and giving us the support we need 24/7. I called them on the day of my panic attack, feeling scared and anxious about what they would think; I nervously waited for them to answer. I was greeted by a lovely lady, whose name I sadly can’t remember. I was crying my eyes out, she listened and waited for me to explain my feelings, but most importantly, she calmed me down. I was put through to a department that was able to give me advice and support. This was followed up with phone calls and emails until I was ready to go back to work. I cannot thank them enough for this support. Using the tools they gave me, I was able to go back to work and begin to become myself again. It also gave me the confidence to ask work for help, and make changes that took the pressure off me.

“If you’re going through a difficult time and need help, advice or support, I highly recommend contacting Vetlife. They truly are amazing and I cannot thank them enough for the help they gave me. Knowing this service is available 24/7 is of great comfort to me. I know I can ring them any time day or night if I ever find myself struggling again. Don’t hide behind the smile for too long like I did, talk to someone and get help. It really is good to talk.”

For more information and to register for the webinars/events taking place during BVNA Have a Heart Week, visit www.bvna.org.uk or look out for more information on our social media.

If you are a member of the veterinary profession in need of support, Vetlife are available 24/7, 365 days a year. Visit https://www.vetlife.org.uk/ or call 0303 040 2551.