Lau Tzu once said: "Comon Sense in an Uncommon Degree is called wisdom"

The Wisdom of Stress for First Responders on the Front Lines of our community.

The "Near and the Far of It".

Hi and welcome to another on line newsletter. As of late most of us have been caught up in the day to day life events that surround the act of living. Life as we know it always has had many in's and out's such that we get caught up with doing a lot by habit. Breaking out of the habit once and a while is a good thing from the perspective of one of our friends from Sesame Street, Grover.

When Grover marches up to the front of the t.v. screen doing his near far thing it is something that when you think about it we can all relate to. I call this the "near and far of life". If we take the active time out to asses our own commings and goings we can see that life can be one busy act. Taking the time out to look at where we are and where we are going makes sense. It helps us to fine tune and adjust to the many stressors that we bump into.

Taking time out to do a "golobal assessment" of where stress is comming from in our lives and what we can do to slow the pace of it down to managable levels gives us more time for the pleasurable events that we all like and want more of. Family time and couple time or recreation to name a few become subjects that can be addressed with a more relaxed healthier outlook when studied as a near far persepective.

In a hear and now observation we can see with the busy and long winter that we have worked our way through we can now begin to see into spring and summer where we can recreate our selves. In doing the fun and enjoyable events that go with shaking off winter, our outlook and overview of a busy life that includes commitiments on the front lines of firefighting, law enforcement or medical work becomes more centered and balanced.

Take the time out to do an assesment on where your at in the hear and now with stress by using the Grover model of near and far in assesing stress and it's impact on you. The suprise will come when you realize how much stress is there.

Finding ways to reduce stress means that you will want to "dial back" on some of the commitments and events that are impacting your day. Doing a regular "global stress assessment" should be no different than brushing your teeth. It is automatic, instinctive, reflexive, intuitive and makes rational professional sense. That is what separates the individual from the civilian. That too, is the sign of professional maturity that gives you, the first responder, the competitive edge, in staying in top mental shape for the duration of your career choice. Professional or volunteer, we can all learn something from our furry friend on the tube.

Doing a global stress check will give you more of the time you need to relax and become a better balanced First Responder. It is only after all, common sense.....until next e newletter..

stay safe in the service.....