MENTAL WELLBEING

A career in the police force can often be extremely stressful with constant exposure to situations and trauma that most normal people never have to face. As a result of this many police officers develop mental health issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder.

Police wellbeing is at the heart of the 1TeamActive programme which is why we would like to offer a few suggestions on how to look after your mental health as well as list the organisations that can offer professional help to anyone trying to cope with this difficult issue:

BE OPEN ABOUT HOW YOU FEEL – Sharing your negative thoughts and feelings with colleagues, family and friends can help gain perspective, aid relaxation, reduce stress and enhance connectedness. After all, a problem shared, is a problem halved! Those work debriefs can really make a difference.

PROCESS EVENTS – After exposure to a traumatic incident, it may help to go over the timeline of events that occured to process how you are feeling and fully make sense of what has happened. Remember you can self-refer to the “TRiM” process and that other organisations can also help – see links below.

PRACTICE MINDFULNESS – Busy work lives and hectic schedules can make it difficult to live in the present. Practicing mindfulness can help you to focus on what is happening now and has shown to have great benefits for improving mental health, reducing feelings of stress, anxiety and depression. Useful mindfulness meditation techniques include simply sitting down, closing your eyes, focusing on your breathing and observing your wandering thoughts, without judgement or reaction.

GET ACTIVE – Challenging yourself, whether this be physically or mentally can be a brilliant way to deal with stress and build confidence. Physical activity and sport have been shown to be particularly effective in helping to treat poor mental health and sharing the experience with others is even more beneficial. To see this in action, visit the hugely successful Surfwell project which was set up to improve police staff mental well-being, resilience and workplace performance through the proven scientific benefits of surf therapy.

HEALTHY OPTIONS – Avoid unhealthy habits and coping mechanisms such as drinking, smoking and a high intake of caffeine. These may seem like stress relief, but in the long term will create problems.

By agreeing to take on a manageable workload, effectively prioritizing and delegating tasks, you can help to reduce stress and work anxiety. A positive work-life balance is created not found and is crucial to improving your physical and mental health. Balance is about feeling good about yourself and feeling in control of your life and career – vital elements in creating personal happiness. A successful work-life balance also gives you space to think more clearly and better understand your feelings, thoughts and emotions. Mastering this balance can help you to ‘be present’ in the moment, spend quality time with your children, take time out for yourself and prioritise what is important to you, without feelings of stress or guilt.

The NHS website offers a huge amount of information, support and advice about mental health which should be your first port of call but there are also many organisations serving the policing family about this issue – see below for further information.