Mental

Firefighters are aware of the statistics linking firefighter deaths to preventable diseases and illnesses caused by unhealthy lifestyles. One of the leading causes of firefighter deaths is heart attacks. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Bringing answers to the modern firefighter’s burning health questions, we aim to help firefighters identify and put into practice better health choices to increase your chances at a healthier wellbeing with disease and illness free careers and retirements.

Latest: Mental

Shrinks Unwrapped: FAQs About First Responder Therapy

Retired Fire Lieutenant David Dachinger joins forces with seasoned psychotherapists Dr. Stacy Raymond and Bonnie Rumilly, LCSW, EMT-B, to peel back the layers of responder therapy. Titled “Shrinks Unwrapped: The Inside Scoop on Responder Therapy,” this Responder Resilience episode, which aired on May 22nd, 2024, offers a rare glimpse inside a psychotherapist’s office and what a first responder client can expect to experience during a therapy session.

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Arresting Anxiety

Anxiety is a natural stress response. The problem arises when anxiety becomes an everyday, or overwhelming occurrence. Anxiety is a part of our emotional toolkit that allows us to prepare for a potentially high-stress situation. However, there are times when it goes into overdrive. Having perpetual and/or overwhelming anxiety can greatly affect our quality of life. In time, our nervous systems acclimate to this exaggerated sense of threat. It becomes our normal, so much so that we will have trouble relaxing, as it feels unnatural. 

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How to Straddle the Detachment Line

It’s common to think that being detached is not so great. Detached people are considered cold, aloof and indifferent. We make assumptions that if a person is detached, they must be disconnected from their work, family, spirituality or other important elements of being human. 

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Re-Wire Your Lizard Brain’s Response to Danger

Neuroscientists would argue that risk-takers behave more irrationally... no matter how great the risk to self. Do you have a “lizard brain?” Well, you sort of do. The more primitive parts of the human brain — the brain stem, cerebellum, and basal ganglia — are shared by lizards and humans. Charmingly, humans and lizards both inherited these parts of our brain from fish.

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Ambiguous Loss & the Firefighter

His toothbrush is by the sink. Her sandals are by the door. They are part of our lives, but they aren’t here for days, weeks, or sometimes months, depending on their role as a firefighter (e.g., municipal, wildland, strike teams).

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Our Relationship with Morals

Around the kitchen table, there is no shortage of advice. We listen in on the newest relationship conflict, the justification for questionable behaviors, and the self-righteous indignation we are all susceptible to as either the participant or the bystander.   We subjectively define what is acceptable and rarely take the time to measure up our behavior to any particular standard.

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Peer Support: Two In, Two Out

Peer support has become a hot topic lately, and for good reason. The peer-to-peer support model has been around since the late 1700s and has been used to help improve health outcomes and quality of life for a range of mental and physical health conditions, including asthma, cancer, diabetes, and substance use disorder.  

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But there is Nothing Wrong with Me!

In the world of firefighting, strength, bravery, and resilience are qualities that define these everyday heroes. However, there's an aspect of their lives that has often remained in the shadows: mental health. For many firefighters, acknowledging mental health challenges can be daunting. It's not uncommon to hear them say, "But there's nothing wrong with me."

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Chasing Humility: Self-Esteem Vs. Self-Doubt

While it’s perfectly normal – and refreshingly human – to have moments when we feel less than completely confident, long stretches of self-doubt can signal self-esteem problems. And statistics show that low self-esteem is one of the most uncovered issues when we seek counseling.

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