When Work Becomes Therapy

I'm thirty-five and married, a nurse working long shifts at the hospital. It's been hard on my marriage lately, the demands of the job pulling me away from home more than I'd like. Last night, after a rough shift, something happened that left an impression on me. A patient, a woman in her twenties, was going through some tough times with her husband too. She opened up to me about it during a quiet moment when she needed someone to listen. It felt good helping her, but then I started thinking: why couldn't I confide in my own wife like that? We've been drifting apart lately, and I miss the closeness we once shared. Does anyone else ever find themselves turning to their patients for emotional support instead of family?