I trained to be a first-aid medic. I worried that I would lack the temperament to do the job well, as I tend to feel the emotions of others intensely. I feared this would overwhelm my ability to respond effectively in a real crisis. My experience has been that it doesn’t. My training kicks in and I switch into what I can only describe as a responding mode: operating at an intellectual, not an emotional, level to calmly and methodically identify and prioritise issues, determine the best approaches, and to make them happen. It turns out I’m quite good at it. The full emotional payload hits afterwards. Talking through events with a trusted person helps.