In first responder land - or really any high stress emergency responder - there is a myth that is perpetuated by a culture of "suck it up buttercup" or "rub some dirt on it". Crying is a perceived weakness, when in reality it is a normal human biological response to stress. How does this play out in our world? Take a listen to find out.

Links I promised:

"Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers" by: Robert M. Sapolsky

"The Neurobiology of Human Crying"

Prioritizing rest can be very difficult in a "yes" world. Though without boundaries we can lose ourselves to our jobs or to other things simply because we say "yes" often and "no" never. Take a listen to how boundaries can help build resilience in a chaotic world.

Hyper independence isn't the strength it pretends to be.

Today's culture pushes us to believe that vulnerability is a weakness; something to be avoided. Yet in moment by moment human interaction, vulnerability deepens and grows relationships and relationships are one of the foundational strengths of resilience.

Awareness is a cornerstone of resilience. If we are unaware of our baseline behaviors, how do we grow? How do we even know that we are deviating? In a career field that can change our personalities, it is all that much more important to know where we are starting from so as not to lose ourselves to the job.

As individuals who are in high octane high-stress jobs understanding the stress response and some of its effects are important to survival in our chosen fields. Both physically and emotionally. Episode 7 takes a glance at what it looks like when we have bottomed out and some tools that we can use to bring us back into balance.

Mentions and Resources:

International Crisis Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF)

"Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers" Robert Sapolsky

Tis the season of resolutions. Goals are a positive tool that we can use to increase well-being, form good habits, and direct us down a path we want to be on. What does this look like? How do we do this? Here is a quick snippet of things to think about as many of us move into the new year with some new goals.

As promised click on here "Optimism Test" and get started.

Have a coworker that gets under your skin. One that you simply don't like or get along with. This podcast goes over a technique that prevents that coworker from robbing you of a good day.

This is not a technique to use in situations where abuse, bullying, or any form of harassment is taking place. Those are bigger issues that need to be addressed via the grievance procedure in your work environment. This is a technique utilized with people we just don't get along with.

Resilience is a wholeness approach. In this podcast, we glance at what we eat, exercise, and sleep and the effect that they have on our ability to be resilient.

"Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers" by Robert M Sapolsky

Before making any major lifestyle changes speak with your doctor about the safest way to accomplish what you are after.

Mindset is one of our most powerful tools for resilience. Understanding that our mindset directly affects our behavior and our perceptions is imperative. Existing in the negative mindset (assuming that there is ALWAYS a storm on the horizon even when the evidence is clear there is not) can cause us to be tossed all over by temporary circumstances.

In this podcast learn a simple technique to thwart and actively combat toxic negativity.

"Keeping a gratitude journal can increase well-being by 9% and lower depressive symptoms by 27%" Seligman, M et al, 2005

In this episode, we look at what optimism is and what it is not. Optimism is a skill that can be learned, honed, and practiced to pull us away from a negative mindset.

Book recommendation: "Learned Optimism" by Martin Seligman.

Science behind optimism - Srivastava, S et al, 2006 & deTerte, I. et al, 2014.

Challenge: on a scale of 1-5; 1 being never and 5 being always.

Notice the Positive

See Opportunity

Accept & Control

Focus on Solutions

Take Purposeful Action

Reach Out