First responders are frequently exposed to stressful occurrences, such as potentially life-threatening circumstances and coworkers and bystanders' serious injuries and fatalities. Evidence suggests that the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among first responders is significantly higher than in the general population.
PTSD affects 18-24 percent of dispatchers and 35 percent of police officers. To cope with the stress and trauma they face daily, many first responders self-medicate with alcohol or other self-destructive and abusive habits.
Knowing that you are stressed and dealing with it as you respond can help you stay healthy, allowing you to continue to aid those in need.
Self-Care Tools
1. Create a life for yourself outside of law enforcement. Bucket-fillers make time for personal relationships and hobbies outside of work. Don't put your husband, children, or friends on the back burner for business. You may need to organize planned activities with family and friends at first because it might be difficult to let go of the work even while you're off duty. Otherwise, you might stew over the day's events as your children play games on their tablets in the other room. It's also important to remember that "alone time" is helpful. Make time for activities you enjoy, such as hiking, swimming, reading, bird watching, and listening to music. Other suggestions: Disconnect from technology as much as possible, or at set times during the day or week, and stay away from energy "vampires" (people who demand too much of your energy).
2. Practice awareness and meditation. Dr. Miller and I both think that visualization, meditation, and mindfulness have the potential to improve officers' mental health. Professional athletes utilize visualization to focus on performance. Visualization is a meditation that focuses on a certain activity or consequence. Police officers are similar to professional athletes, and this strategy should be included in any self-care regimen. Meditation focuses on emptying one's mind of all thoughts to re-charge or clear the memory of negative ones. I've talked about mindfulness; it entails paying attention to your thoughts and feelings and how they affect you, then changing your cognitive process to cope with them more effectively. Feelings are dealt with more effectively and efficiently.
3. Develop healthy physical habits. Dr. Miller also advises sticking to an exercise routine that you can stick to. Consider whether you need to make changes to your diet as well. It might be tough for law enforcement officers to eat properly while on duty, but prepping meals can help. Cooking with your husband and/or children can also be a terrific way to spend quality time together. Finally, make every effort to obtain enough sleep. The average person requires between 6 and 9 hours of sleep. Sleep deprivation has been related to various negative health outcomes, including cancer, and can exacerbate the consequences of PTSD. I understand that this isn't always possible, but if you can, schedule adequate sleep time to prevent starting the day depleted of vital vitality.
4. Unfortunately, due to hectic days, limited choices, and the peer pressure that comes with the job, we are limited in what we can consume as first responders. We must be aware of what we put into our bodies because it can have a negative impact on our performance.
Start your day off right with healthy choices that won't leave you feeling sluggish.
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