ANGER AND IRRITABILITY IN THE EMERGENCY FIELD

Anger and Irritability in the Emergency Field


When I was in my twenties, I worked as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) for a very prestigious private ambulance company. This company was very hard to get into, compared to the other companies. It was so hard to get into that no one else in my graduating class of EMT's made it in, I was the only one, and I was very lucky.

The only unfortunate thing about this company was that I was the only female. Back in those days, many men did not like females in the Emergency Field. Needless to say, there were many very cranky individuals. Looking back, and knowing what I know about stress now, I realize that many of those cranky individuals were not cranky because of me. Those individuals were cranky because they were miserable people.

Now that I am in my forties, as I look back through my years in the Emergency Field, as an EMT and as a Counselor, I realize that misery is a habit, a very stressful habit.

As I look back there were EMT's, Paramedics, Emergency Room Nurses, Emergency Room Doctors, Police Officers, and Fire fighters that were very angry and irritable. Matter of fact, I remember thinking to myself, when I first started in the field, that there were more angry and irritable people in the Emergency Field than in the general population.

I use to ask myself, "why are there so many angry emergency personnel?"

That is an excellent question, don't you think? This is not to demean or criticize Emergency Personnel, it is to discuss possibilities so that we can create solutions for those who are having a hard time with anger and irritability.

There are one of two reasons why people in the Emergency Field are angry or irritable. The first reason is that they were that way before they became a first responder. The second reason is, something happened to cause them to change who they were. What I mean by that is, something happened, whether it was a traumatic call, a critical incident, or a habit they picked up from another worker or partner, that made them angry and irritable when they were a happier person previously.

If you are in the Emergency Field and you are angry, moody, or irritable, I know from personal experience that it can be fixed. If it really matters to you why you are angry or irritable then you should definately find out. It is not necessary to know the cause to overcome it.

Although, if you have Acute Stress Disorder or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, it may help to know the source of your emotional state so that the process of healing may move forward.

Never the less, if you want to overcome your negative emotional state, it is totally possible. The way we react emotionally is a habit and much like an addiction. A habit is something that we do, that is hard to stop, or we don't want to stop. An addiction, in my mind, is something that we do, that we do not believe we need to quit, or we do not believe we can quit.

The best way to change a habit or overcome an addiction is through information and education. In my store, on my website, there are many different audios that you can download that will help you learn to overcome anger or irritability.

We have free podcasts about Basic Stress Management, Critical Incident Stress Management, and Stress Relief for the Emergency Personnel.

Learning Deep Relaxation is very helpful because with practice you can learn to relax anywhere at anytime. Deep Relaxation is a very successful practice.

We have audios that help with creating positive emotions like feeling gratitude and feeling love, that will assist in overcoming the negative emotions of anger.

We also have an audio on learning to destress yourself in a minute, another exercise, when pracitced often, that will create a successful practice in order to overcome stressful habits.

And finally, our most popular audio, How to Destress Yourself. This audio is a four part class. It is designed for economic, as well as time convenience. This audio will help with basic and advanced stress management so that happiness, energy, and vitality may be created. This class helps individuals understand and overcome many negative emotions.

Well, I hope that is helpful...

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns please email me elizabeth@destressyourself.com

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comment below...

Have a great day! Have a great week! Have a great month! Have a great year! And most of all, have a great life. You got the power.

Don't forget to have fun and be playful, it's in your nature.

Elizabeth

MY CRITICAL INCIDENT STRESS AS AN EMT

My Critical Incident Stress began before I even had my EMT license. You can read about it here in MY FIRST TRAUMA AS AN EMT.

Another Critical Incident that truly affected me was when I responded to a 6 year old male, who was hit by a car, as he was riding his bike, on his way to school. As we got on scene, he was still breathing but, he was really messed up. We provided spinal immobilization and loaded him. As we were loading him into the ambulance, his mother arrived on scene. The police officer guided her to the front, passenger seat of the ambulance, and I was driving.

As the Mother was yelling out her son's name, yelling for him to talk to her, she was pulling on my right shoulder to help her turn towards the back of the ambulance. Sheee whooo, this was a dramatic scene because she was crying and desperate and then, I did the unspeakable, I started to tear up. Some how, I knew, I knew that her son was dying in the back of the ambulance.

As we arrived at the Emergency Room, my partner and the fire fighters were performing CPR.

OH MY GOSH! This visual still affects me. This hit sooo close to home because my son was eight years old and just began riding his bike to school. He insisted, he insisted that he was old enough.

After this incident I was very irritable and anxious. At the time, I had no idea that this call was related to my behavior. I was so emotional at this time of my life that I was crying in my supervisors office because I was literally exhausted, due to lack of sleep, and I asked him if I could have two weeks off.

After the two weeks, I recovered.

Because of my education and specialization in Critical Incident Stress Management, I can look back at this time and deduce that my behavior was due to this Critical Incident.

We cannot always recognize that specific incidents affect us. The number one sign of stress, especially critical stress, is denial. We most frequently say that everything is fine because we have this illusion that we have everything under control. We are heros, for goodness sake, we help people and save lives therefore, we don't need help or need to be saved.

It is my belief that deep down inside, we know when things are off. When we lack control over our behavior and emotions then we can probably use assistance.

When we can't eat or sleep, when we eat or sleep too much, when we are angry, irritable, and moody, chances are we could use some help to discover what is going on with us. When we are physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually exhausted, chances are we could use some help. When we are cynical, inneffective, depressed, anxious, withrawn, chances are we could use some help.

When we have medical problems like headaches, gastrointestinal problems, neck aches, back aches, or a weak immune system, chances are we could use some help.

If this sounds like you the best thing that you can do for yourself, your family, and your friends, is seek help. Make sure when you do seek help, see someone who specializes in the EMS, trauma, CISM (Critical Incident Stress Management), Acute Stress Disorder, or PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). The reason for this is if you get someone without this type of experience, they can make things worse.

I am glad I can share my story with you. It isn't easy but I know it is helpful for me and may be helpful for you.

For more free information on destress for the EMS, visit our store, or sign up for our free newsletter here.

Until next time, have fun and be playful, it is in your nature.

Elizabeth

If you have questions, comments, or need help, email me elizabeth@destressyourself.com