EMERGENCY SERVICES FOUNDATION FAMILIES GUIDE | 9 | EMERGENCY SERVICES FOUNDATION FAMILIES GUIDE 8 Potential exposure to trauma and life-threatening events Exposure to workplace stressors – workloads – inadequate support – shift work – bullying Deployments away from home Balancing the demands of many roles Involvement in major incidents either in the response or recovery phase Fatigue Day to day pressures from work and life – health concerns, job security, financial worries, relationship issues Things to remember. Often it is families or loved ones who are the first to notice concerning changes in behaviour or mood of their emergency service worker. The sooner you seek help the less support is needed and the more likely you are to recover quickly. Like physical health challenges, the sooner mental health challenges can be addressed the better and, as always, prevention is better than cure. We want to address a headache before it become a debilitating migraine. Three things to consider when thinking about connecting for support. Individuals experiencing low mental fitness can turn this around with the appropriate support from family, friends, the workplace, and health care professionals. Families in particular, play a vital role in breaking down barriers and enhancing the likelihood of their emergency service loved one seeking support. There is undoubtedly stigma around mental health amongst emergency service workers, but this need not be the case if mental health is thought of the same as physical health. We would have no hesitation in seeking help for a fractured limb or unexplained pain. And we should have no hesitation seeking help if we are feeling a decline in our mental health. Are things (signs and symptoms) getting worse or more persistent? 2 Have you noticed a change in yourself or has someone you trust mentioned they’ve noticed changes in your behaviour or mood?. Are these changes starting to interfere with daily living at home with your partner or parenting, socially or at work. 1 3 Wellbeing challenges come in all shapes and sizes.
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