Winter weather can bring about dangerous conditions. First Responders often attend emergencies on the most treacherous roads, drunk driving, or fighting fires caused by fires or heaters as the temperatures drop.
Through tough and critical, winter may bring unique risks and challenges that can add what feels like a pillar of pressure. When conditions are challenging, First Responders inherently put themselves in tumultuous situations to help others. As physically taxing as this can be, the winter months also bring a unique set of mental hurdles. As a First Responder, you must protect your mental health using just as much precaution as you would ensure your physical safety.
Challenges and Deceptive Risks
Keeping yourself as safe as possible is essential when putting your life on the line to save others. If you cannot properly keep yourself safe, you will not be in a position to help those who are in desperate need of your services. While this may be obvious for immediate physical threats, the unique strain winter puts on your mental health can also be a potential risk to your well-being. Being so narrowly focused on keeping others safe makes it easy yet dangerous to leave your health on the back burner. However, winter should be a time when you are especially using precaution to guard your mental health since there can be many deceptive threats that sneak up during the colder weather. Some include:
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
Typically, the winter months see an increase in mental health issues due to decreased daylight, colder temperatures, and holiday-related stress. While this can take a toll on your mood, leaving you feeling more lethargic and gloomy, it might not mean you have SAD. However, these winter blues shouldn’t inhibit your ability to enjoy life. You may be experiencing SAD if your mood starts to invade all aspects of your life, including your work and relationships. When these symptoms become severe enough and interfere with daily functioning, it may be a sign of SAD.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, “SAD is not considered a separate disorder but is a type of depression characterized by its recurrent seasonal pattern.” Therefore, some of the signs and symptoms include those associated with major depression:
- Feeling depressed most of the day, almost every day
- Losing interest in activities you once enjoyed
- Experiencing shifts in appetite or weight
- Feeling agitated or sluggish
- Feeling worthless or hopeless
- Having difficulty concentrating
- Having frequent thoughts of death or suicide
- Oversleeping
- Overeating, particularly with a craving for carbohydrates
- Weight gain
- Social withdrawal
Holiday Stress
The holidays can look a lot different for first responders who may not be able to take time off to spend with loved ones, adding to the everyday stress associated with the holidays. Some of this anxiety and depression may be resulting from unmet holiday expectations, failing to achieve unrealistic New Year’s resolutions, guilt about overindulgence, and a sense of loneliness after the holidays. While for some this may be temporary mental distress, in severe cases, these feelings can turn into chronic depression, especially for those with a history of the disorder.
Beating the Winter Blues
While understanding the particular mental health risks winter brings, individuals must focus on using positive coping mechanisms to mitigate any psychological distress. This ultimately promotes safety for themselves, their loved ones, and their community. Practicing positive self-care by setting up a healthy daily routine is an excellent place to start. This can include surrounding yourself with positive energy by spending time with loved ones and exploring healthy activities that make you feel happy. Meditation, regular exercise, enjoying nature, eating healthy, and making sleep a priority can also help safeguard your mental health. These forms of self-care can help you navigate the winter months and beat the winter blues. It is important to understand that you are not alone. If you are experiencing persistent negative feelings that disrupt your daily life, make sure to reach out to family and friends, or seek professional help.
First responders and their families experience more acute stress and trauma than the general population, and the statistics are staggering. With years of experience serving First Responders, our Family of Companies has a distinctive view of their career and family life – from new recruit training, wellness visits, peer support services, counseling, crisis support, department training, and long-term treatment. We are here to help. Email info@frhealth.com or call 888.443.4898 to connect with our culturally competent team.
