Train Your Brain Like You Train Your Body: Consistently

By Caroline Godin

Do you train your brain? It’s not just about completing trivia games and tricky puzzles.

You train your body consistently to be an effective firefighter. If not, you risk not doing your job well. Your brain needs to be in good shape to perform well, too. But do you train it the same?

Body vs. the Brain

Bodybuilders and acrobats have different body types, yet they both train specifically for performance. A bodybuilder works on lifting, while an acrobat focuses on flexibility and accuracy. The common factor is consistent training to maintain and increase their skills.

Your brain needs constant training. If you don’t use a muscle, it weakens. If you don’t use your brain, you lose focus, forget things, and process information more slowly. It’s essential to train your brain to both maintain and increase your mental skills.

How should you do it? It seems clear in some professions: A scientist studies research. A doctor practices medicine and learns about new procedures. Teachers, lawyers, and most professions need to keep up with continuing education, and continuous practice, to stay on top of their jobs.

What about first responders?

The Need for Resilience

First responders need to train their bodies and complete continuing education, but there’s another factor that’s often overlooked: 

You should train your brain for resilience. First responders are under more stress than most people. You put yourself in dangerous situations, see the worst of humanity, and go home as if nothing happened. Stress affects you physically and mentally. The longer you ignore it, the more damage it causes. To avoid damage, and recover from previous damage, you need to train your brain like an athlete going to the gym or physical therapy.

How can you train your brain as a first responder and build not only coping skills, but resilience consistently?

How to Train Your Brain as a Firefighter

Training your brain starts with knowing where you are. Know your emotions, tendencies, and options to move forward. Once you acknowledge your current status, decide how to proceed towards recovery (if needed) and improvement.

Brain training can be done through programs like First Responders Resiliency’s Resiliency Program. Their program includes topics like sleep, mindfulness, neuroanatomy, and toxin exposures. Going through modules, responders learn more about the brain, how the job’s stress and trauma affects your brain, and what can be done.

There are many benefits to first responder brain training. You improve decision-making, adaptability, memory, situational awareness, and prevent future cognitive decline. Most importantly, you learn to build resilience to stress, which reduces its effects.

Train Your Brain Consistently

When you train your brain like you train your body – or better – you build greater resilience to the job’s effects on your mental health. Start training your brain today and start feeling more equipped mentally for your job and your life.

Caroline Godin is the First Responder Coaching publicist and a certified life coach. She can be reached at [email protected] and her articles can be found at The First Responder Coaching blog.