Suggestions on ways to beat the stress
Take at least two consecutive weeks for vacation. Perhaps you don�t think you have the luxury for this, but work toward this. And yes, your job will not fall apart if you take two weeks for yourself.
Take care of your body, through diet and exercise. Another obvious one, but one we often miss. Watch what you eat. Get plenty of appropriate exercise. Even 30-40 minutes of moderate walking four times a week will do wonders for you. The old adage of no pain, no gain, doesn�t apply.
Set boundaries between home and work. While it�s not always possible, try and keep �home� at home and �work� at work. When you bring �work� home, or �home� to work, you�re only adding stress to what is probably already a stressful environment.
Decrease or discontinue caffeine. Caffeine is a great stimulant; your body doesn�t need it, particularly when you�re faced with a stressful event.
Avoid isolation. Don�t just exist in the world. Exist within a community. That community is not just your work place, but also your neighborhood, your place of worship, your volunteer organizations. No person is an island; we all need to be connected. Work at being connected. One thought: join the CISM team and give back to other emergency services workers; participate actively in the mission of the team and help your peers.
Balance. Balance. Balance. Try for balance among the various roles of your life over the period of a week. Each of us plays different roles: parent, spouse, lover, emergency services professional, volunteer, caregiver, worshipper, etc. Over the course of a week, try to do something in each one of your important roles (focus on no more than 7 roles in a given week).
Days: 757-446-5179
Nights, Weekends, & Holidays: 757-622-1309
� Relax. Practice meditation.
� Get a regular 8 hours of sleep a night.
� Take time for leisure activities and hobbies.
� Set realistic expectations.
� Don�t over-commit at home, at work, or in your volunteer life.
� Create a healthy support system.
� Use appropriate humor.
� Take daily vitamin supplements.
� Go for a 30 minute walk every day.
� Cut a cord of wood.
� Talk to an old friend.
� Create order in at least one part of your life� even it it�s just a closet.
� Drink lots of water.
My Site Map & Site Links
Tidewater EMS Critical Incident Stress Management Team.
For additional information about critical incident stress management contact
the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (http://www.icisf.org)
or the Tidewater CISM Team (http://tidewater.vaems.org/cism.html
or email to [email protected]).
(c) 2003 � Tidewater Emergency Medical Services Council, Inc., Norfolk, Virginia.
This information sheet may be reprinted in its entirety so long as credit is given to Tidewater Emergency Medical Services Council, Inc.