Responder Toolbox
1. SLEEP is your NUMBER ONE priority - do you work on call, rotating or swing shifts? You need to prioritize your sleep schedules. Build this into your work routine, where nothing else is scheduled during this time (this means you are not available for family functions, personal obligations, work tasks, eating, exercise, or anything other than sleeping during this time!). If you end a shift and you don’t need the few extra hours for sleeping, then do something awesome to treat yourself. No one died this shift - ice cream on me! I know it sounds impossible to predict an on-call schedule but trust me, there are ways to build in sleep. And then thank me later.
2. EXERCISE is your second priority - do you sit at the office waiting for dispatch to call? Do you "run" all shift or all night? This is not the exercise you need. I used to think about my calls as hard work and yes, sometimes I would lift really heavy dead people and sweat and breathe heavily. But let me say it again for the people in the back - This is not the exercise you need! What you need are daily body movements that are not work related - dog walks, play time with the kids, bike rides with your partner, a yoga session, 15min on the treadmill, lifting weights. The exercise is not work related - see what I did there? It’s a mindset thing.
3. EATING and DRINKING to fuel your body - the crap I used to eat while on call?! It's embarrassing. One of the first rules I made to be a better investigator was never ever would I eat anything sold at a gas station. Yes, this is hard when it is 2am and you've been running and you're hungry/thirsty. Will your body crave caffeine and sweets? Do you feel like you can't turn off after a long day and think alcohol will help you sleep? Of course! But you are in charge of what goes in your mouth. Caffeine, alcohol, and processed foods might feel right in the moment, but they do not produce what you think they do. I do not consume these things ever, no matter what my cravings try to tell me. And I sleep 100% better now (just ask my FitBit).
4. ANXIETY DUMP - After seeing what we've seen, it's easy to get caught in a worry loop. PTSD rates in the responder community are through the roof and suicide is at an all time high. I started journaling - at first, I had to do it a lot. I started by setting a timer on my phone a few times a day where I'd stop whatever I was doing and just write for one minute everything I was thinking or feeling. Sometimes it was about the delicious turkey wrap I was enjoying and sometimes it was about the terrible drunk who just killed a family of three. I did this for a few months until I started looking forward to Anxiety Dump time. Soon after, bad thoughts didn’t even phase me outside of Anxiety Dump time. (Public Service Announcement - I still have negative thoughts. All humans do! What I do with them next is the key.) Now I've got a scheduled time every evening to "dump" my worries, sad feelings, and negative thoughts. I usually take about 5 minutes to purge onto the page anything and everything. Sometimes it’s really dark stuff I can't say out loud and sometimes it’s simply the menu options for my daughter's 10th birthday party. Either way, it feels really good to know I will always have time to remove things from my brain on to a page.
5. TALK TO SOMEONE - This was the hardest one for me to do. People are selfish, even if they won't admit it. I really thought I was the only one struggling. I really thought that I could carry the weight of the job on my shoulders. And yes, I can now admit that I was ashamed that I was affected by it all. Guess what - I’m not alone. I am a real live human being who is exposed to the worst day of people's lives during my work shift. I am doing the best I can with the tools I am given. And my new tool is taking back my power and taking control of this job and my life! You know what feels good to me? Saying that I have helped thousands of families through moments that they'll remember forever. Is it easy? Nope! But they need me to be the best forensic investigator I can be. I owe them that.
Be the best forensic investigator you can be. Take back your power. Take control of your life and this job. You owe your families, and you owe yourself too.
Dispatch a mentor at www.forensicsfound.com : schedule a free, confidential call to learn about our programs. I’ve got your six.
