On this episode, I talked with Claudia Stanley, fellow LEOW, and licensed clinical social worker in Texas. Her LEO is a veteran, has served on patrol, heat, and narcotics teams. In our interview, we delved a bit deeper into the topic of anxiety as it relates to LEOW and GF’s. This is a nice follow up to episode 4- overview of anxiety. Claudia reviewed common anxiety symptoms her go to coping techniques:

-Grounding technique-present and disrupt panic

-STOP technique for rumination

-Yoga-movement

-Belly breathing-regulating

-PMR-tension

-Body Scan-sensations

-Affirmations-thoughts

-Boundaries-tv, social media, environment/people

-Faith/Spirituality- prayer, verses, reading, connecting to nature.

We also talk about the kinds of anxiety a police wife/gf can expect during the course of a LEO career, tips how to manage the worry about your LEO and his job (hint: we can’t control it, but we can roll with it!), and overview education around medication and therapies for anxiety.