If you didn’t know the month of May is Mental Health Awareness Month. If you work in public safety wether it be law enforcement, fire fighter, EMT, or the one that holds it all together a 911 dispatcher I am sure you are aware of mental health but do you talk about it?
As a 911 Dispatcher, I am familiar with the stress that comes with the job. Whether it’s the stress that comes with answering the phones, stress that comes with making sure your units are okay or the stress your coworkers bring at times I understand the stress. We all know the stress we all complain about the stress at the times, we find ways to deal with it in our own way. However it’s the one thing we don’t talk about enough.
As members of the public safety community, we don’t talk about our mental health. We consider it to mean we are weak, fragile, unstable, or think our coworkers will see us differently. As dispatchers we are expected to be superhumans, we should not have emotions, show emotions or talk about the emotions we are feeling. We have chosen to help others in their time of need, we have chosen to sit in a chair behind a computer when there is a flood, tornado, national emergency and help others while our families are out struggling as well. We have to push all that out of or mind and focus on others.
We cannot talk about this tho, we can turn around and tell our coworkers you are struggling can you? You don’t want to look like you can’t handle the job, you are superhuman after all right? You are supposed to sit in that seat, listen to screams for help, people pleading for you to get them help and stay calm, right?
I use to think those thoughts, I use to think that I was superhuman. I was wrong, I was horribly wrong. You are not weak, unstable, or fragile, you are human like everyone else sitting in that room. I use to hold it all in because in public safety we don’t talk about it, we push it away, we smile and help people. I’m hear to tell you I hate this stigma and I struggle with anxiety and depression.
I would go home and tell Chris because he was eating ice cream too loud. I would snap at my co-workers because they said hello and I was crying in the break room then stand up and log back into CAD. You are not alone in this, you have others dealing with the same thing in your center but we are excellent at masking it. Its okay to ask for help, to seek a counselor to talk with, it’s okay to take anxiety medication to help you with this mountain you are climbing. It is okay not to be okay!
Some days are going to be difficult that’s a given, some days you are going to yell at someone for wearing a red shirt because you are so stressed also a given. You need to talk to someone about it, do not struggle alone. I can tell you your coworkers, director, friends or family will understand and not think less of you! Reach out…speak up….put yourself first. It’s okay to talk to a counselor about you emotions you are not superhuman. Remember it’s okay not to be okay!
If you need a source to get started here’s a great source to help!
The Anxious Gent 