DON'T GET CAUGHT IN THE NEGATIVITY OF YOUR CAREER
As police officers, soldiers and first responders, you guys are caught in difficult situations often within your career. Often the situations are full of drama, conflict and negativity. It is very easy to constantly focus on what doesn't work, focus on the tough times in your life and the tough times in your career.
Something that I talk about often with police officers is that you guys don't get sent to an incident to catch up with the people who live there and explain to them what a great time they're having and tell them they're doing well. You guys only ever interact with people in a negative situation. They're either victims, offenders or witnesses. Never do you interact with people where it is in a positive outcome where they're happy to see you because unfortunately, police officers, soldiers and first responders deal with people at the worst times in their life. Usually you attend people's addresses to speak to them about the most horrific circumstances that those people will probably encounter and you do that day in and day out, so it's very easy to be caught in the drama and negativity.
Something that I've heard recently was somebody said to me if complaining and negativity was an Olympic sport, emergency service workers could win a gold medal. As tongue in cheek as that was, I look back at my own career and the people who I spent a lot of time with who were police and I totally agree. Don't get me wrong, I think that being a police officer, soldier or first responder are the most noble professions on this planet. The fact that you will risk your life running towards a danger other people run away from to try and protect people who don't appreciate you and don't give you the recognition you deserve is amazing. Unfortunately, it can be a job that, because of the pressure, because of what you see, because of the trauma and your experience, it can turn you into quite a cynical human being.
The negativity, drama and cynicism that I see in emergency service workers has a physiological effect on you, your body and your health. When you are so negative, cynical and engaged in drama, that evokes the fight or flight adrenal response that puts you into an adrenal fatigue state. It causes all sorts of mental, emotional, and physical problems for your health. You control how you think. Don’t jump into the negativity of how you speak about your career, of the TJF scenario that so many of us know. Don’t get caught up in the difficulty of saying what a horrible job it is because the reality is it’s an amazing job.
Being a police officer, soldier or first responder is one of the best careers in the planet. I absolutely believe that. You joined the job because you wanted to make a difference. People stay in the job because they love it. With a less than 3% average attrition rate for most police departments, it shows me it’s not that bad. It’s bad enough that you will complain about it but it’s not bad enough you will leave. What I would love you to do is focus on the positivity in your career and the amazing things you get out of it, what you do for other people, and get away from the negativity that causes you great drama and problems. ~ Shaun O’Gorman