Stress and all the physiological impacts it has upon a law enforcement officer’s body and mind are a major contributing factor to many of the ills that befall police officers and other law enforcement professionals. Even though this article is written using the term police officer, it isn’t meant to exclude other law enforcement professionals like deputy sheriffs, corrections officers, parole officers, probation officers, DA’s investigators, dispatchers, CSI’s, code enforcement officers, wildlife officers, park rangers, etc. The problems of stress seem inherent in the law enforcement profession in general and no one seems immune to its toxic effects.
The Law Enforcement Survival Institute offers a prescription for law enforcement stress management called “Rx3x”. The prescription (Rx) is for stress management activities three times (3x) a day. The Rx3x process calls for a combination of mind and body exercises to reduce and manage excessive stress on days when a law enforcement officer or other professional is working. The process calls for:
1. A Physical Fitness Workout of 30-45 min each day focused upon building strength and aerobic fitness;
2. A Buffer Workout for Stress Reduction (20-30 min) between the work and home transition; and
3. A Stress Management Session (20-30 min) later in the day focused upon reducing mental stress.
A career in law enforcement can become very toxic… Continue reading
Many have searched for the pattern, or a model, to explain why the rich are rich. Thomas Stanley has made a living studying and writing about wealthy people. He found consistent behaviors among them and first wrote about it in the “
