Background: Youth, privilege and inexperience can foster the false belief that we live in a just world. Such a belief becomes harder to maintain with the passage of time and the inevitable adversities that characterise what it is to be a human being living and connected with other humans in a society. This talk will consider my reflections on the impact of bereavement and the subsequent role transitions (e.g. single parenthood, social designation as a ‘widower’) on my professional identity and functioning as a psychiatrist. These reflections include increasing awareness of the limits of my capacity to care, paranoia and egocentricity and the importance of professional boundaries and proactive steps to maintain my welfare.Objectives: To create opportunities for myself and others to learn through narrative knowledge sharing of my lived experience. Methods: Autobiography and personal reflection.Findings: Personal experiences of adversity shape our professional identity. These experiences can both enhance and undermine our capacity to function effectively in our professional roles.Conclusion: Maintaining safety and professional standards following significant life events can be supported by re-evaluation of one’s professional role, identity and supports.