I’m about to teach you how to take back control of your anger and hypervigilance as a Police Officer.
When did your short fuse start to get smaller and your spidey senses heightened to another level where you are on high alert everywhere you go?
Even in your own house.
- Was it about 5 years into your Law Enforcement career?
- After having kids and working shifts?
- Or after a stressful period at home or on the job?
Stressful period does not necessarily mean a traumatic call.
The shifts and demands of the day-to-day of your job from a physical standpoint can push anyone’s body to a point where anger and hypervigilance start to appear without ever experiencing a traumatic call.
Taking care of an ill parent or child or be experiencing relationship stress, financial stress, admin stress, the hate since BLM, covid, working in a position you may even like, but it comes with a lot of pressure, hours and OT or you may be leading a team and not responsible for just your life anymore, but others as well.
The list is endless.
One thing I have learned since 2018 when I started working with First Responders and also being the wife of an Officer with kids, is that the stressors of a 911 Lifestyle are tenfold that of a civilian.
Causing anger and hypervigilance to creep in through time on the job.
That is when you are NOT using strategies required for someone who lives a 911 Lifestyle AND INSTEAD treating your body like a civilian.
- Not switching back into your resting system when a call is cleared. (I’ll teach you this)
- Assuming your body will know when to sleep and wake when you don’t always know when that will be.
- Relying on coffee and energy drinks to make it through your shift. (Don’t worry – coffee isn’t evil. The key is knowing how and when to use it on shift)
- Being prescribed anti-anxiety meds without also diving into the actual cause of your hypervigilance and anger.
- Using working out and pushing your body hard so that it can adapt to stressors
Which may end up with 1 or more of the following:
- Yelling at your kids for just being in the room and being kids feeling guilty after, wishing it hadn’t happened.
- Blowing up at your spouse because of the way they loaded the dishwasher wrong causing friction in your relationship.
- Being on such high alert at a restaurant that you have to have the corner seat with an eye on every entrance and exit or your entire family has to go elsewhere.
- Having your spouse send you back to the car when you are out shopping because you are so hypervigilant that she’s afraid you are going to get into an altercation with someone in the store.
- Escalating situations in calls because you can’t keep calm
- Missing details because you are so laser-focused you couldn’t see the entire scene
- Being passed up for promotions because of your temperament.
Before we go any further there is something you need to know.
The anger and hypervigilance, it’s not all in your head.
Yes, traumas can do a number on you. I do not take lightly the toll PTSD can place on each and every one of you.
And it is a fact that traumas can cause anger and hypervigilance.
BUT if it was all trauma-related, then why do other professions have anger and hypervigilant issues.
Why do civilians who have not had the trauma exposure you have had experience anger and live in a stressed state?
You see it every single shift on calls.
Every demographic, income level, and profession you see anger.
I find it so closed-minded when a CEO of a large corporation or a high-power lawyer is losing his shit and people say.
“Oh they work long hours and push themselves hard and have a lot of stress on their plate – They are burnt out.”
BUT as soon as a First Responder is losing his shift, getting angry or always on alert it is instantly assumed that it’s from the traumas and is a mental health issue.
There is no consideration to the fact that you are asked to sleep and be awake day and night, 12, 24 hours at a time or longer and the stress this places on your body and family life often results in a short fuse and not being able to turn it off, even when trying to relax on your couch.
Ignoring the day-to-day stress of the job that plays a big part in the stress hit your body takes each and every shift is a huge mistake.
Can you see how if we only focus on the traumas we are missing a HUGE piece of the puzzle?
Anger and hypervigilance are not in your head.
They are a way your body’s stress system tells you that it needs support.
Not the support that a civilian needs.
The support that is required for that someone who lives a 911 Lifestyle full of shift work, OT, where their mind and body are pushed each and every day beyond that of a civilian.
So that you can control the switch that turns on and off your stress and resting systems.
Allowing you to be calm, rest and relax when you want and switch into a hypervigilant state when you need all of your spidey senses kicked into high gear on scene in order to keep you and your partner safe.
One Step At A Time
There are 10 different lessons that I teach in my 911 Lifestyle Program for you to gain more and more control of your resting system.
There is one that any time I survey the First Responders I work to find out which lessons are helping them the most there is one lesson that 95% of the time is top of the list.
They say it’s because of how simple it is and how they instantly found that it made a difference in them getting back into a calmer, more relaxed state.
Knowing how many of you experience the anger and hypervigilance I decided that this lesson needs to be taught to not only those in my 911 Lifestyle program but to you as well.
Which is why I created a free training for you to start to Gain Back Control Of Your Anger & Hypervigilance Now.
Grab your FREE copy today and start feeling what it’s like to not be living in a stressed state all of the time.
While proving to yourself that it’s not all in your head because a simple exercise that strengthens your stress system can give you some relief.
Disclaimer
The advice provided in this article is for informational purposes only. It is meant to augment and not replace consultation with a licensed health care provider. Consultation with a Naturopathic Doctor or other primary care provider is recommended for anyone suffering from a health problem.
About the Author
Andi Clark is a mom, wife of a Police Officer and the founder of 911 Lifestyle.
Andi has a background in athletics including a 25+yr career as a personal trainer, nutrition and mindset coach to athletes and stressed out high end executives.
Being healthy and active was what she lived for. Until her body started waking absolutely exhausted, workouts become something to push through instead of enjoy. A short fuse crept in, motivation left and injuries seemed to be a part of life. All of this added up to the point that she had to stop all activity altogether.
Doctors, specialists and prescriptions were never able to fix the problem.
Once Andi realized she had a genetic stress condition that puts her body into an increased stress response state all the time (similar to what Police Officers and First Responders experience when they put on their uniform and have to mentally prepare for whatever may happen in their day) was she able to figure out what was happening and how to reverse it.
Through years of research and studying, Andi formulated a completely different way to thrive when your body is always functioning at higher than usual stress levels. One where it is possible to reverse and prevent an officer from getting to a point where they struggle to get through their days by taking a preventative approach instead of a reactive one. And one that reduces the negative effects of shift work on the body.
Through her husband’s career as an officer her focus has been on preventing burnout, exhaustion and a tanked immune system that she knew can result from high levels of stress that are out of your control.
As she watched his co-workers struggle with everything from sleep, exhaustion and anger leading to divorce, PTSD and even suicide it became apparent how LIFE-SAVING the foundations she was laying down for her husband actually were, because not only was he tolerating the shiftwork lifestyle, he was thriving in it.
Andi created 911 Lifestyle once she realized the strategies her husband was using MUST become available to all Police Officers and First Responders so they can peak during crisis, recover quickly after, have energy left over for their families and become the Elite First Responders that they were born to be.