Throughout our lives, most of us will work in a job or perhaps even several jobs or career paths. According to research, around one in three workers report that they feel chronically stressed on the job. Stress can have a huge impact on many aspects of our lives including our relationships, health, habits and more. And for those who work in high-stress careers such as law enforcement, the impact of stress can run even deeper, especially if it begins to impact the work itself.
In a position like this where professionals are often under a lot of stress most of the time, stress-related issues can become even more difficult to spot simply because they become the norm. Law enforcement professionals need to put measures in place to successfully manage stress and avoid the risks that are involved such as physical health issues, sleep problems, weight loss or gain, and strain or relationships. Some of the main ways that people in high-stress law enforcement careers stay in control of their stress levels include:
Improve Your Confidence with Further Education
There is no denying that a job can often become much more stressful when somebody is not confident in what they do. If you are spending your time at work asking for help a lot, relying on others or second-guessing yourself, it can have a negative impact on your self-esteem and ultimately your stress levels. For law enforcement professionals, being on top of their game is not only important for getting the best results from their career and keeping themselves and others safe, but it also provides these professionals with the much-needed confidence in themselves to always make the right call and handle any situation that comes along. If you’re currently new to the field of law enforcement and want to improve your confidence, studying to improve your knowledge with a police studies degree from Wilfrid Laurier University Online can help.
Take Time for Yourself
Working in a high-stress career like law enforcement can quickly take over your life. But while living and breathing the job might be important when you have a serious case to solve and dangerous criminals to find and take off the streets, it’s often just as important to ensure that you make the most of your down time and take the time to do things that you enjoy so that you can relax in between the high-stress situations that you are facing. Law enforcement professionals know just how important it is to be able to switch off from the work that they do and simply enjoy their time as a human being with family, friends or taking part in the activities that they enjoy on their own. Taking your days off and making sure that you use your vacation time is important in any high-stress career as you need this time to mentally and physically recharge.
Healthy Lifestyle
Working in law enforcement can often be both physically and mentally demanding. As a law enforcement professional, putting your health first and making sure that you have healthy habits in your life will help you better prepare for handling the stresses and strains of this job. Regular exercise is important to make sure that your fitness levels are up to scratch to handle the physically demanding aspects of the job whether you’re chasing criminals on foot or lifting heavy objects to help people out of dangerous situations. Mentally, you’ll also need to keep yourself strong and focused to get the work done and ensure that you’re always at your best when it comes to making the most important decisions in this role. Aspects of your lifestyle such as diet and sleep can play a huge part in your cognitive functioning and how well you are able to handle the mental aspects of this role.
Have a Stress Management Plan
Good law enforcement professionals are prepared for the stresses that they are likely to face at work and will often have tried and tested stress management techniques that they will use to help them stay in control in high-stress situations. Figuring out what works for you is an important part of putting together a stress management plan for your job in law enforcement. For example, some people might find that deep breathing exercises in stressful situations work well to bring them back down to reality and keep feelings of worry and panic under control. Others find that spending some time throughout the day to meditate helps them stay grounded and less at risk of losing control of their stress levels. Ideally, you will want to find a method for stress reduction that keeps you in control of your stress rather than the other way around, as the truth is that you’re never going to be completely free of stress, and in a career like law enforcement, some stress can sometimes be a good thing to motivate you in the job.
Get Professional Support
Law enforcement professionals often see things on the job that they will never talk about with their family and friends. From gruesome murders to the devastating impact that some crimes will have on the victims, it is understandably extremely hard to deal with even for somebody who has been trained to work in this role. There might often be situations that can be very heart-breaking to deal with and while on the job, you will need to be strong, understanding and empathetic towards the victims – but in private, it can take a huge toll on your emotional health, especially if you are a naturally empathetic person who really feels for others. Getting professional help from a therapist is something that is offered to all law enforcement officers in these situations and taking the support offered is the best way to make sure that you have somebody who you can talk to in confidence about your experiences in the role and how they have impacted you.
Law enforcement is an important career path for order and safety in the world, but for those who do it, it can come with a lot of stress. These are just some of the things that professionals in these roles do to keep in control of their stress levels.