Former Physicians & Long-Term Professionals - Identity After Leaving

I was a psychiatrist for 37 years. I knew how to be one. The language, the credential, the role, the income. The title that answered the question before anyone had to ask. And then I didn't. Leaving medicine has not been what I expected. I thought I was stepping away from a system I disagreed with. What I discovered is that I was also stepping away from an identity I had spent four decades building. Those two things are not as easy to separate as I imagined. I have been thinking about what veterans describe when they return. I don't equate the two. But the disorientation of leaving a powerful institution whose values, hierarchy, language, and mission have organized your entire adult life -- that part I recognize. I am writing about this now in Welcome to Humanity 2.0. And I am still working. The 46 years did not retire when I did. If you want to know what that looks like now: https://lnkd.in/gTUjcHrZ If you have ever left something that once told you who you were, I would especially like to hear from you. What helped you come home?