| There are three types of stress that the | | | | disturbed thoughts, hyper-alertness, intrusive |
| Emergency Personnel experience. The first is | | | | images, memory loss, night mares, and poor |
| general stress, the second is critical stress, and | | | | concentration. Some emotional signs may include |
| the third is cumulative stress or burnout. General | | | | anxiety, apprehension, depression, fear, grief, guilt, |
| stress is everyday strain, Critical stress is when | | | | or panic. |
| you experience an extraordinary trauma with | | | | Often times when an Emergency Worker |
| unusual circumstances, and burnout is when you | | | | experiences a lot of general stress and a critical |
| have several stressors that could be general and | | | | incident it can lead to cumulative stress which is |
| or critical. | | | | burnout. The elements of burnout consist of |
| General stress is like a movie, it makes us laugh | | | | cynicism, physical, mental, and emotional |
| and it makes us cry. This kind of stress usually | | | | exhaustion, and ineffectiveness. When we are |
| includes emotional, financial, mental, relational, and | | | | cynical we become very negative and |
| or health problems. For example, if we are having | | | | unenthusiastic and this creates unhappiness. When |
| a hard time financially it could disrupt our | | | | we are physically, mentally, and emotionally |
| relationship with our significant other and the | | | | exhausted we become drained and unwilling to |
| pressures can cause health problems. These | | | | continue to do all the joyful things life has in store |
| problems may include, but are not limited to, | | | | for us. Finally, if we are unhappy and unwilling we |
| headaches, neck aches, backaches, gastrointestinal | | | | are ineffective to our families, our profession, our |
| problems, and insomnia. Everyone experiences this | | | | community, and ourselves. |
| kind of stress including the Emergency Personnel. | | | | As an emergency worker under stress and strain |
| In addition to these stressors, Emergency | | | | the best thing we can do for our family, friends, |
| Personnel experience difficult work partners or | | | | and selves is seek help. Seldom do emergency |
| patients, negative work environment, missed | | | | workers seek help due to the fact that we help |
| meals, interrupted sleep, and rotating schedules. | | | | others and to need help may indicate a sign of |
| The biggest stressor that Emergency Personnel | | | | weakness. We must help ourselves before we |
| experience is death, dying, and/or gruesome | | | | can help others. |
| imagery often related to trauma. When this | | | | A variety of ways we can help ourselves are |
| occurs it may be a critical incident, which in turn | | | | seek a therapist who specializes in critical incident |
| develops into critical stress. A critical incident is an | | | | stress management or emergency personnel, |
| event that interrupts one's ability to carry on | | | | seek classes on critical incident stress |
| everyday life. This interference may disrupt | | | | management or stress management, speak with |
| behavioral, cognitive, and emotional well-being. | | | | our church leader for advise or resources, or talk |
| Some behavioral signs may include avoidance, | | | | to our supervisor at work for resources. We can |
| blaming, a decrease or increase in appetite, a | | | | also take an active roll in taking care of ourselves |
| decrease or increase in sleep, difficulty with | | | | physically, mentally, and emotionally. Finally, we can |
| speech, an increase in alcohol, caffeine, drug, or | | | | participate in things we enjoy doing, notice where |
| nicotine, irritability, poor hygiene, restlessness, | | | | our thoughts are, be committed to being in this |
| anger outbursts, or withdrawal. Some cognitive | | | | moment, and intentionally enjoy the people we |
| signs may include denial, difficulty in decision | | | | are with and enjoy ourselves. |
| making, difficulty problem solving, disorientation, | | | | |