International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, Inc.
International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, Inc.
By Jake Dyck, ICISF Member
Good day everyone, I certainly hope that each and everyone of you reading this is having a tremendously,
wonderful, and awesome day! Thank you for taking a moment to read this article!
Gratitude is a big word with a simple message, THANK YOU!
Now many of you may be wondering how two words like thank you can help your mental health? I have found that thank you helps keep us in a positive frame of mind, and we as individuals become more receptive to try and look to the positive in situations!
The one thing that has helped me realize and understand this almost secret power that thank you has is when a year and half to two years ago I started a daily list of thanks at the start of my day! My daily list of thanks consists of writing down three things that I’m thankful for each and every day. Month’s after consistently doing my list of thanks I found that when I would start getting frustrated or stressed at work or at the scene of an incident all of a sudden I’d find something I was thankful for or something positive about the scene. My Thank You list has also helped me in tough situations to look for ways the circumstances at the scene or situation that can strengthen me! When I can find strength in the situation on scene I’m then also able to use the situation as a positive learning tool. When I get to overwhelmed I go back to the positive to build my mental health back up. In order for me to build up my mental wellness I have to find the cause that is forming the negative or the issue causing me difficulty from moving forward.
It is most crucial that I am completely honest with myself! Or if I’m talking with my PEER SUPPORT TEAM, and or CISM TEAM. We can only build and move forward with mental health when we acknowledge the cause of the issue. When we acknowledge cause, we then have a Foundation to start on the building process to build a strong and healthy platform for us in our mental health, and our wellness!
Given the stigma about coming forward and talking about the calls that bother us as being a sign of weakness. It is absolutely, and extremely important that we find the right help! For if we do not carefully get the correct help we will not find or get the positive results that allow us the strength to move forward. What I’m referring to by positive strength is that we look at our struggles and battles in ways that we can grow and learn from our experiences as lessons. When we think of our struggles as lessons we are usually more willing to allow ourselves to be vulnerable and to talk about our experiences.. Also when we feel comfortable and talk about these things going on in our mind it helps us to grow become more confident in ourselves. When the right foundation and platform are set, we actually start focusing on how we can help those around us instead of concerning or worrying about what people will think! When we think about how our experiences and lessons can help others around us or on our team that helps us share our story or lessons. As we share our stories, we will strengthen and grow one step and story at time and help to change the stigma of weakness around Mental Health.
In conclusion I would like to challenge you think about this saying that I proposed to fellow firefighters in my volunteer fire department. The saying is: “TOUGH ENOUGH TO TALK!”
Also remember gratitude may be a big word but it has a simple message: Thank You!
Thank You again for taking the time to read my article! Thank you!
Sincerely,
Jacob Dyck
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International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, Inc is a 501(c)3 Non Profit