Do You Care Enough About Yourself? Do You Practice Self-Care?
Trauma does not discriminate. Anyone can experience a traumatic event regardless of who they are and where they come from, and we have to be aware that this trauma affects people differently. Society today has to acknowledge that these traumatic experiences can take an emotional and psychological toll on anyone, especially for those who work within the criminal justice system. For this very reason, people within the criminal justice field (whether that is a survivor, advocate, law enforcement officer, etc) need to get involved with trauma-informed care programs that encourage healing and empowerment. The Department of Justice refers to these as “programs [that] identify and limit potential triggers to reduce their retraumatization and protect mental and emotional health” (2014) – I honestly cannot think of anything more important than protecting our health, regardless of if you work within the criminal justice field or not.
Unfortunately, in today’s world, there is a very strong pre-disposition against admitting the fact that people in the criminal justice field need help. We are the ones that are supposed to be strong and the ones that should be able to handle anything and everything that comes our way, but often times, we forget about taking care of ourselves. Unfortunately, there is a common stigma that says that if we are willing to publicly admit that we need help due to the stress imposed by our jobs, then we are not able to perform them in the way we are expected to and we are simply deemed “weak”, “pathetic”, or “disappointing”. This very thought imposes reluctance in us to seek assistance and therefore makes it impossible to encourage other people to take care of themselves too.
Let’s be real – our jobs are tough. Our jobs are difficult on us and the people around us. Our jobs, as rewarding as they are, are exhausting and strenuous. We need to realize that coping strategies are key in our lives, or we could ultimately turn to negative coping methods, such as self-medication and thrill-seeking behaviors, that could lead us into an even more negative path (like depression, PTSD, suicide, alcoholism, bankruptcy, divorce…).
Every workplace is a different environment, so we also need to realize that the coping skills and self-care methods that work for one workplace may not work in another. However, these are some self-care ideas that I have witnessed from experience that I believe will encourage positivity and help in most work places within the criminal justice system:
- Take a break – Do not spend 24 hours a day 7 days a week at work, or you will lose perspective of your life and the real world. Being in the field and forgetting that you are an actual person who needs to do other things will cause you to forget about the fact that you matter just as much as the people that you are helping and protecting. If you do not help yourself, who will?!
- Read – Reading can provide us with an alternative world that is not as traumatic as the one we work in every day. It gives us the opportunity to learn and to enjoy other topics that we may not get a chance to explore otherwise. It also encourages us to ignore social media for a bit, which also tends to be very negative. Social media networks are quick to make us believe that we are not doing our jobs well, and we may even end up believing this if we do not put them to the side more often.
- Exercise and a proper diet – This applies to everyone! Fitness is crucial, not only so that we can keep up with the physical requirements in our jobs, but it also helps us be aware of our bodies and our strength. It allows us to release stress and fuel ourselves with the right things that will spark a higher energy in us. We have to keep our bodies healthy, as well as our minds. Exercise and a good diet allow for both.
- Sleep – As much as we would love to some times, we are not robots and we need to rest and recharge, or we will not be able to do our jobs successfully. Actually, there are many studies that show how sleeping improves memory, attention spans, and your overall mood (this link talks more about the benefits of sleep for law enforcement officers: http://www.copsalive.com/the-importance-of-sleep-to-police-officers).
- Counseling – Find a safe space for you to be able to decompress, vent, and express your true feelings within the job. Many times, we are afraid to do this with our co-workers or family members because of the fear that they will look down on us for admitting we need help dealing with our stress or simply want to talk about the negative aspects of our jobs. Counseling, regardless of if you have a mental health issue or not, is a healthy way to release those emotions and gather yourself and receive feedback. I believe this should be mandatory in all workplaces, especially in the criminal justice field.
- Look out for our peers – be proactive and ask your co-workers about any of their concerns. Be willing to not only notice any negative attitudes or behaviors, but also be willing to point them out so they can address them. Those negative attitudes and behaviors may very well be the result of a situation they were not ready to admit or get help for. Be the friend and co-worker you would want to have.
Do not forget how important balance is and recognize that the trauma we are exposed to is not the norm. These traumatic experiences we go through can affect all of us negatively if we are not careful. It is OKAY for this field to take a toll on us and it is OKAY to seek help to deal with how this trauma affects us. If we cannot take care of ourselves, we cannot take care of anyone else!
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