First Responders

The biggest challenges that First Responders face when dealing with mental health issues are their shift work, disconnecting from themselves, and the stigma associated with seeking help.
 
Transcript: "What would you say are the most common challenges that first responders face when dealing with mental health issues? The biggest hurdles that I see a lot of times are just pure shift work having really messed up hours and Not enough time off and being short-staffed But the biggest issues that I'm seeing are coming from first responders being really disconnected from themselves They get really overwhelmed sensory wise and the easiest way we know how to deal with that is just to numb out And Bessel van der Kolk talks about how the essence of trauma is the loss of identity So when we're experiencing traumatic events, we're kind of losing our identity. We're Separating from ourselves, but this is a double-edged sword because we have this other identity as being a police officer or firefighter to fall back on so we double down on that and we use work and staying busy to Compensate for those things the stigma is another big issue. Although it's getting better It is still around and I think that we stigmatize ourselves More than we realize so getting over the fear of just coming out and saying I'm struggling But what I found is once you can get over that hurdle The rest of it can just flow naturally"

The most effective way to prevent negative mental health effects from high stress jobs is by reconnecting with the body through breathing exercises, grounding techniques, meditation, mindful movement, and proper nutrition. This will help regulate the mind/body connection and allow for true connection rather than over-regulation.
 
Transcript: "What do you think are the most effective ways to prevent the negative mental health effects of high stress jobs? I love this question and I'm going to stick with first responders since that's my specialty. In my opinion, the most effective ways to manage this is making sure that we are not neglecting the body. I'm not just talking about diet and exercise here. When we experience high stress situations, it actually encodes in our body the same way that trauma does. It sets off the same series of events within our body as going through something traumatic. The alarm bell goes off, we get into survival mode, cortisol starts pumping, and all kinds of things are going on. As first responders, we've learned to mask all of that that's going on and still do our jobs. Cool as a cucumber. So the most effective ways are going to be reconnecting with our body, making sure that our mind and body are speaking the same language so that we can mitigate those effects. We can do this through breathing exercises, grounding techniques. Meditation has a ton of scientifically proven benefits. Mobility, being really mindful about how we're moving our body, nice and slow, really intentional. And then also nourishing our body in a proper way. Blood sugar regulation, caffeine and nicotine moderation, hydrating, a proper diet. None of those things alone are going to change everything, but incorporating several of those things, you will really start to see a big change. Because only 20% of the mind-body communication is from your brain to your body. 80% of it is from your body to your brain. Regulating is really important, but I always say true connection, mind and body connection over regulation. We're not always going to be regulated. We're human. We don't want to flatline, right? But making sure that we're staying connected, listening to those signals and honoring that."

To not become numb with your feelings of compassion over your career as a first responder, it is important to check in with your own mental health and stay connected with your body. You can do this by talking it out, going to the gym, going for a walk, doing breathing exercises, meditation, and tapping into you and your body. It is also important to allow other people to support you when needed.
 
Transcript: "How do you not become numb with your feelings over your career? Compassion fatigue is super common in the first responder world. The first couple years it's really easy to kind of be strong for people and really hold space for them. But after a while your defense mechanisms kind of wear down. And on top of that, there's probably gonna be cases that you try to extend compassion and people are just not nice. So this really depends on the individual and making sure that you're checking in with your own mental health, making sure that you're staying connected with your body. I talk about this all the time. We get so overwhelmed that it's just easier to disconnect from ourselves, i.e. numbing out. Certainly this compartmentalization can be very effective while you're on shift. It's going to allow you to do your job and do it effectively and not crumble. But when you get home, you have got to process these things. You have got to decompress. You have got to allow your body to feel the effects of the stress and then release it. And if you're brave enough to start diving into this stuff, a lot of times we find that we are very good at intellectualizing our emotions and not actually feeling them. It's much safer to numb everything out and just try to explain it away. You cannot heal and process only in your mind. You have to let it cycle through your body. There are a lot of safe ways to do this. Sometimes just talking it out and letting yourself go through that is enough. Going to the gym, going for a walk, doing breathing exercises, meditation, tapping into you and your body, but ultimately just making sure that you're staying connected with yourself. And allowing other people to support you when needed."

My path to becoming a first responder was not a straight one. I started as a ski instructor in Canada, then moved to California where I became a volunteer firefighter and eventually a paid reservist and full-time firefighter. I also became a paramedic to increase my chances of getting hired as a firefighter. Now I'm working towards being a chief.
 
Transcript: "I got a question from Blair O'Donovan. What was my path to becoming a first responder? Blair, it's a very sunny day, pardon the sunglasses as I answer from outside. My path was not a straight one. I was a ski instructor initially and in the summertime when there was no snow that first year I had nothing to do and so I kind of accidentally fell into being a volunteer firefighter. Did not have it stuck in my mind that I was going to be a firefighter, totally by accident. This was up north in Canada, as you can tell I'm in Canada right now. I met someone from California, moved down to California, pursued my professional career there again starting as a volunteer and then a reservist and then a paid reservist and eventually a full timer and then bounced around that way. Another part of my first response life was being a paramedic. In the United States, fire and EMS run side by side. Most of the EMS is run by the fire departments and so I became a paramedic as well, largely to become a firefighter, to get hired as a firefighter greatly increased my chances. So my path was not necessarily a straight one. It involved two countries, a couple of volunteer positions and now fire department number five, as I'm rolling towards being a chief. Thanks for the question."

If I could relive a moment, it would be my first year on the job at station one with some of the best firefighters I've ever worked with. We laughed every day and played a lot of jokes. Making a difference responding to a fire is also an incredible moment that continues to happen.
 
Transcript: "I think there are a lot of moments I wish I could relive. Moments of just laughing and being surrounded by just wonderful people who want to do amazing things. My first year on the job I had an amazing assignment down at Station 1 with some of the best firefighters I've ever worked with. And we literally laughed every day at work. We played a lot of jokes. So if I could relive a moment, it would be that first year. Any of the pranks, any of the jokes. I know probably thinking out of this question for first responders, it would be a moment making a difference responding to a fire, which all of those are incredible moments. I just hope those continue to happen and we continue to have opportunities to save lives and make a difference."

As First Responders, it is important to prove our worth and that we can be trusted. It is important to remember that we are human and sometimes need help. We must model the behavior of asking for help and not being ashamed when we are struggling.
 
Transcript: "Day one on the job as first responders, we are placed in a position where we have to prove ourselves and we have to prove to the people around us that we're fit for duty, that we're capable, that we're going to have their back and that they can trust us. So it's a natural human condition to struggle, to go through rough patches, to have lows. But in our world sometimes I think there's a line I remember early in my career when I was a police officer, somebody made a comment, they said, some people are meant to be the police, some people are meant to call the police. And I took that to heart. I felt really and truly that now that I was a first responder, that I had stepped over this invisible line into being that person that, you know, helps. And I didn't realize that we're not just helpers or people that need help, that we can be both, that you can be a helper, you can be an outstanding first responder, but you're human. And at some point in your life, especially in a long career, you're going to need help. So I think we're at this point now where we understand this. We see our brothers and sisters dying by suicide. We hear about people having PTSD. And what we have to do is we just have to model the behaviors that we want them to exhibit. So that means when we're struggling, we should ask for help and model that it's okay not to be okay."