Everyone seems to be on the verge of a collective breakdown. At any moment, I expect to see person after person walking by me with a strip of hair shaved down the middle of their head. On social media, the narrative feels explosive. The people I am seeing at my crisis walk-in are expressing rage and grief. The interventions I’m having during street outreach feel the same way. I’ve been yelled at, in the name of venting from both sides of the divide. What each person has in common is they feel unheard to the point it has boiled over. I would imagine those answering emergency and non-emergency public safety calls are experiencing the same thing. I would also imagine that a lot of you are experiencing how it feels to be at the center of a collective crisis-physically, mentally and emotionally anxious, exhausted, uncomfortable and on the verge of a Brittany moment yourself. I sure know that I’ve been feeling it. I’d love to get in my car, drive to the woods and just start walking. But, I can’t. I have to work and that work, like yours means that I will continue to have to deal with people at their maddest, baddest and saddest. My only option is to figure out how to keep my own peace within the chaos. Thankfully, there are a lot of smart people who have researched how to do this and shared it. Here are three simple things that have brought me back down to earth, dropped my shoulders from my ears and prevented me from having to wear a hat to cover evidence of my meltdown.
Breathing
When I start to get stressed out, verging on burnout I notice something. I’m breathing shallowly into my chest. When I recognize this, I can stop and take a deep breath all the way into my abdomen (belly breathing) counting to four, hold at the top then release to the count of five. For deep cleansing, I will breathe into my nose and out through my mouth. What I like about this is it can be done anywhere and doesn’t create any attention. It can be done while waiting for a call, working a call and after a call. Anytime I feel tense I try to remember to do this. It’s so simple but it works so well. Our body and brain needs oxygen. When our respiration is compromised due to our ventilation (okay I got all EMT there for a minute), our system isn’t able to send oxygen circulating through our blood nor is it able to dispel the carbon dioxide accumulating in our system. There is a reason why hypoxia (deficiency of oxygen reaching the tissues) is one of the first things a medic looks for when someone has an altered level of consciousness (acting odd). If we are not breathing adequately, it affects our mind, body and spirit. Consciously breathing well makes us feel well.
Meditation
I will admit that meditation is one of the things I struggle with most in my self-care routine. I am a type-A, uptight (anxious), control-freak, perfectionist. So when I try to sit still thinking nothing at all focusing on just being present in that moment, everything in my being rebels. For this reason, I’m the prime person that needs to meditate. I’ve tried a number of different strategies-start with 30 minutes, start with 3 minutes, eyes closed, eyes open, sitting, laying, walking...the list goes on and on. No matter what I struggle with the basic concept-being still. At the same time, I recognize I can’t seem to get around this stillness being so good for me. Every self-help narrative, every counselor, every training I’ve attended on providing mental health services includes singing the praises of being still, taking a moment out of the busy day. I’m also reminded that it is a practice not a perfect. So, I practice time and time again. Right now, I’m doing 5 minutes a day before I go to bed. I’m sitting on a soft blanket with my eyes closed. I focus on my belly breathing. I’ve been told that doing something daily for three weeks will make it a habit. I have 20 days left to go.
Gratitude
This is probably my favorite way to find peace in the chaos especially due to having an occupation stuffed with conflict. I have been trying to connect with my gratitude in two ways. First, writing a gratitude list. Every morning, I write in my journal (another way I do self-care) and I add ten things that I am grateful for. Yesterday, I focused on things to be grateful for because I knew I would be writing them down today. Today, my list included things like: the changing colors of the autumn trees, my dog’s goofiness and my husband’s unconditional support. Tomorrow I will name ten more things and the day after that ten more. Second, I try and reframe negative thoughts and complaints into a positive gratitude statement. I’m grateful I made it safely to work versus Traffic sure ticked me off this morning. Refocusing on the good things occurring in my life helps me not focus on the things that make me want to shave my head.
Public safety telecommunicators, the first first responders and field responders are surrounded by negativity. We are affected by stress and vicarious trauma. It is part of what we do. This doesn’t even take into consideration any of the stress we face outside of work. If we don’t address it, it will make us physically, mentally and emotionally unwell. I hate feeling unwell and I’m glad there are some simple strategies to combat some of it. I find these tools helpful. I hope you do as well.
Michelle Perin
Michelle Perin has been a freelance writer since 2000. In December 2010, she earned her Master’s degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice from Indiana State University.
