One of the most common signs of stress among the emergency service, besides denial, is unhappiness. There are fire fighters, paramedics, police officers, and EMT's that are truly unhappy.
What is the cause of this unhappiness? It's different for everyone, and in the Emergency Field, it comes and goes in phases. It may be caused by problems at home, problems at work, or it may be caused from a recent critical incident.
If you are unhappy something must be done because life is full of joy. Many emergency personnel enjoy life but there are those times that are just overwhelming and then we get stuck in that rut.
So what can one do? We can learn to destress which really means to create a stress free life. One must evaluate where the stress is coming from and then search for the solution.
One of the things I propose is never ending goal setting. What I mean by this is, pinpoint the problem and then work on the solution. The solution is your goal. If you have money problems then the goal is to solve it. If you have health problems then the goal is to solve it. If you have relationship problems then the goal is to solve it.
Often times we know how to solve our problems and the only reason we don't work towards solving them is because we do not focus on it. In other words, we do not set a goal to focus on it.
Spend time on yourself and set goals to solve your stress and if you need help seek it.
An obstacle in relieving stress in the Emergency Field is many individuals do not, and will not seek help. It has been said, the number one sign of stress in First Responders is denial.
As heros, we help others, and tend to believe we don't need help because if we do then something is wrong with us.
One must look at the evidence. If you are angry, anxious, and/or depressed for long periods of time or out of proportion to the things happening in your life, it may not be normal for you. It may not be normal for anyone. If it doesn't seem normal, it is a really good indicator you may need help.
My graduate studies were in Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling but I believe in self-help via bibliotherapy more than I believe in therapy. Maybe because I was a first responder for twenty years.
I'm not saying therapy doesn't work, I'm saying I don't believe in it for me. I've read and studied many spiritual books, including the Bible, and I found more healing and relief that way than talking to a therapist who doesn't have much inclination as to what we may be going through due to special circumstances in the EMS.
The greatest advice I can, or could give anyone suffering from stress is you got to be able to notice you have stress, and you got to be able to focus on the solution.
The next advice is please seek consultation with your Private Medical Doctor, it may be you need medication to help you. I believe in the assistance of medication because I've seen it help many heal emotionally, mentally, and physically.
With the help of your PMD, and focusing on the solution, relief is sure to come.
Examples of solutions are:
For anger, the solution can be peace.
For anxiety, the solution can be calm, confidence.
For depression, the solution can appreciation.
Simple, but not necessarily easy.
These solutions are of course more complex than the phrases provided above but we are habitual beings, and if we practice anger, anxiety, or depression, we can, and will become experts because practiced habits makes things permanent. Therefore, if we intentionally practice the opposite, we can become experts with permanent habits, as well.
The application and practice is how we become great at anything. Just think about art, driving, and sports. At first, we must learn the skills, and after application and practice, if we want to, we can be experts.
I'm a professional because I get paid but, I am an expert because I have a high success rate.
It takes application, education, and practice to become experts at anything, including calm, confidence, with inner peace, which happens to be the opposite of stress.
I've talked to EMT's, Fire Fighters, Paramedics, Police Officers, and Military Personnel and some understand they are stressed, and some are in great denial. The question is, are you happy? If no, then you may have high levels of stress. If yes, you are probably alright unless people are telling you that you are not. Then the next question is, is your anger, anxiety, depression, irritability, or moodiness out of control?
Just some words of healing to think about, I'm sending out into the Universe, if you need it because a lot of people are buying up the book I wrote on EMS Stress.
To your healing, if you need it!
