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LET ’ S WORK WITH FIREFIGHTER CULTURE AND NOT AGAINST IT .
It ’ s when we cross that gap between witness and victim that we lose our power and disappear into the problem – when it ’ s our house that ’ s burning , our buddy who got hurt , or our department that is forcing mandatory overtime . We ’ re then thrashed around by circumstances and thrown into damage control mode , struggling for mental air .
That ’ s when we must remember the gap . If we can move back into witness mode , sit with ourselves during the height of the reaction , and allow the intense feelings to burn themselves out , they will .
This simple practice is a game changer . If done consistently , it will establish a pattern of self-command that can override other negative default habits that we may have carried from our less mature days .
There may still be instances where more industrial-strength resources are necessary , but autonomous support greatly diminishes these occurrences . Effectively , it ’ s your ounce of prevention .
Radical responsibility for our own well-being is just that – it ’ s a radical idea nowadays , especially in the face of messaging that it ’ s better to ask for help or get comfortable with “ not being okay .” A significant marketing effort has been made to break the stigma . Leave it be .
First responders are still dying by suicide , and maybe it is because we haven ’ t provided them with the best solution yet . This is a situation problem , not a people problem . Let ’ s work with firefighter culture and not against it .
This is not to dismiss the impact of social support . We need others for connection . But going to an outside source for help as our primary defense sets us up for dependency , just as going to alcohol as a first line of relief sets us up for addiction , or going to avoidant behaviors sets us up to feel disconnected , lost , and isolated .
Resilience isn ’ t as complex as everyone makes it out to be . It doesn ’ t require color coding , gradients , continuums , numeric ratings , or any other complex system to understand and use . Resilience is merely behavior .
WHICH BEHAVIORS DO YOU EMPLOY WHEN YOU GET STRESSED ?
If they ’ re productive , that ’ s great . If not , then the only thing required is habit change . Pick one autonomous support move and make it your standard . Do it always when you get stressed . Mindfulness is just one tool of many .
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The people who choose suicide have already enacted their own autonomous strategy . We owe it to them to train firefighters to embrace existing cultural strengths — to be the competent , action-oriented problem-solvers they already are .