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Must a new year begin with a plan to reinvent yourself? Liz Crowe reflects on resolutions, motivation and wellbeing, exploring small achievable changes, self-compassion and gratitude. Her account challenges all-or-nothing thinking and asks whether our goals reflect what we actually value.

The St Emlyn’s team looks back on 2018 through changes in clinical practice, memorable research, books, blogs and podcasts. Alongside personal highlights and experiences, contributors share what they learned and the people and ideas they were watching as 2019 began.

Natalie May concludes her reflections on the 2018 FemInEM Ideas Exchange with talks about burnout, parenthood and the systems surrounding clinical work. The report also explores research in Tanzania, health advocacy, equity and the challenge of misinformation about women’s health.

When does belonging to a specialty become a barrier to working together? Based on an EMTA 2018 presentation, this post explores tribalism, stereotypes and how we interpret colleagues’ actions. It suggests practical ways to build relationships across teams and return difficult conversations to a shared concern for patients.

Stevan Bruijns offers a personal perspective on codependency in emergency care, exploring overcommitment, conflict and the roles of victim, rescuer and persecutor. This deliberately challenging reflection asks how clinicians might recognise unhelpful relationship patterns and make space for their own wellbeing.

Chris Gray reports from the 2018 Northern Emergency Medicine conference in Durham. The programme connects end-of-life care, frailty and prehospital developments with workforce roles, burnout and major-incident preparation. Reflections on the Manchester attack underline the importance of understanding both the response plan and support for colleagues.

The St Emlyn’s team looks back on 2017 through favourite blogs, podcasts, books and conferences. Alongside clinical and educational discoveries, contributors reflect on friendship, workload, wellbeing and the experiences that shaped their year, before sharing hopes and plans for 2018.

The Virchester ‘ED Spa’ offers staff a non-clinical space to pause, recover and connect. This account explains how the room developed and how the five ways to wellbeing shaped its activities, from a gratitude tree and shared library to supporting colleagues through difficult shifts.

Katherine Gridley reports from the inaugural Don’t Forget the Bubbles conference in Brisbane in 2017. Her review brings together paediatric evidence, simulation and difficult conversations, with reflections on compassion, clinician wellbeing and the perspectives of children and families.

Starting ST3 brings new clinical responsibilities as well as portfolio demands. Drawing on a year in paediatric emergency medicine, this post discusses listening to parents and nurses, working with uncertainty, building relationships and making space for life outside the department.