How do you destress as a police officer on a tough day at work?

I was in federal law enforcement (LE) for over 32 years before I retired. I found one of the best ways to relieve stress was by avoiding becoming unnecessarily stressed in the first place. One of the best ways by which to avoid uncalled for stress was by remaining ethical while performing your duties in law enforcement. Not having to worry about having done something unethical in the performance of ones duties avoids stress that way too many in LE now suffer. I found one of the best things to keep me on the straight and narrow and to keep me performing my duties in an ethical manner, besides the threat of jail and loss of pension, was to remember that I was a servant of the people and that it was not the other way around. I refused to become part of the so called blue wall of silence when I saw others in LE violating people's rights or committing other offenses. In that regard, I maintained my integrity and that helped keep stress at bay.

Of course, there are many other stressors that even the totally ethical officer faces. They come from all directions such as from violent criminals who attempt to harm the law enforcement officer (LEO), civilian complainants who believe that officers are not carrying out their duties to their satisfaction, bosses who fail to recognize the achievements of any given LEO, politicians with an anti-LE agenda, legal decisions that destroy a case and make it seems as if your work was for naught, being involved in a shooting or other self-defense situation especially if you injure or mortally wound another person, law suits against LEOs on trumped up charges, long hours of hard policing, problems with spouses caused by working long hours and being away from home and family too much, stress caused or worsened by not seeking to handle stress (some LEOs believe it a weakness to seek help to deal with stress) and so on and on and on.

I found many ways to alleviate stress and one of the most important was to discuss with others what was stressing you. When I say with others, I do not mean solely or even mostly with other LEOs; that leads to a feeling of it's us against them (the us being LE and the then being everyone else). I do mean discussing your stress or the situations that caused the stress with your spouse, other family members, friends, clergy and even mental health professionals. Virtually every mid-sized to larger law enforcement agency or police department, and even many of the smaller ones, has some sort of Employee Assistance program to help an officer deal with stress.

In addition, there were other methods to deal with stress such as keeping with a routine to minimize stress in your life. Besides talking it out, you could also: take part in a regular exercise program (a healthy body and healthy mind work well together to support each other), engage in hobbies and other such pursuits on a regular basis, take a step back when involved in a stressful situation (I do not mean while engaging a violent criminal but maybe in the office when dealing with a belligerent supervisor who is haranguing you over a petty issue) and taking a moment to think before you reply to him or her.

Another way to avoid stressful situation was to keep up on the law and your other training such as self-defense courses, shooting and other tactics. Being well trained and thus being ready for stressful situations often helped to keep stress at a minimum and thus made ant stress you did encounter easier with which to deal.

Don't for a minute think that I was an expert at achieving a stress free career, I was plagued by stressful situations just like are others in LE and I suffered from stress. I tried to deal with it as best I could through the things I mentioned above and I think that most times I was at least fairly successful in doing so. Had I let it build up too much, I am pretty sure I would have found another career but luckily for me, I was able to deal with at least to my own satisfaction.

All the best,
Glenn B

That is truly a simple question but not a simple answer. My career in law enforcement has been 21 amazing years. Each and every day has been a new and different day. One those days though when I have been tested or have been called to perform my duty in a bad situation, in my first years I shrugged all the bad stuff off. It did't matter to me. But that was not the right thing to do. I have witnessed some really bad and yes...evil stuff. I was told once, " the truly strong man ask for help, to gain more strength". That is so true. Public safety are not immune to all the bad that happens every day in this world. We lean on those we are close with, be it co-workers, friends or family. We seek out counsel and help to deal with those things we have witnessed. You have to talk it out to get it out. Death, pain, distraught, loss...I could go on. A cop or firefighter and even EMS feel those things too. Because the day you don't feel for your fellow man...you need to stop doing what you are doing.
I am lucky because I have a faith that keeps me on path and that I depend on each and every day. In my job, if you go home at the end of the shift, then thats a good day. I was called to this job. I was lead to it. I serve a purpose. In a persons life, there are only truly two days in that life that truly matter, the day you were born and the day you find out why.

What Matthew Rice says is true. I have spent 30 years in Law enforcement, most of those as a Police Officer in Washington D.C. There are many ways that Police distress. The majority of us gather together with like minded, career people to talk about the events that occur to them. These are also the things that have effected us the most. Some Officers take their stress out by working out, some travel, other take time with family to balance the good with the bad. For me, my faith has allowed me to focus on other things besides work and the stresses of the day. It has allowed me to maintain a balance in life that some Officers don't have. It has stopped the bitterness from creeping in to my heart and mind, because of the things that I had to deal with on a daily basis.

Find the things that you enjoy doing and turn to them. For me this was volunteering to help with children. Coaching, chaperoning on scout trips, fishing, and hunting. I also enjoyed scuba diving, woodworking and gun smithing.
As with personal tragedy time helps the most. But living the things I enjoy and reminding myself why I cared enough to serve provided the balance for the bad side of humanity I encountered doing the job.

Hi. I agree with Matt and Shawn in that faith can be a excellent path with which to deal with the stresses that a career in LE can bring. The career can show you just how awful people can be, but it can show you that most people are good, honest and hard-working. I have found relief in other pursuits such as working out, travel, hobbies or just flopping on the couch sometimes with a great movie. However, the one thing an LEO should not do is keep everything inside. Talking to people (i.e., your significant other, friends, family) can serve to lower the stress/frustration level quite well. And, LEO's have to put the ego away sometimes and realize that it's ok to seek help outside the family/friend circle. Many Departments have employee assistance programs that can help when things get too overwhelming. You just have to remember, that after 8, 10, 12 or more hours, you can take off that uniform and put the job away for a bit.

I'm still a Police Officer after over 40 years of active service and have had many stressful situations, but coming home to my family safe is how I distress. It is a great profession and I'd do it all again, but my single word answer to your question is "family."

I also agree with Matt, Shawn and Robert. After working 15 years as a police officer, 10 of those years working a special unit. For me to see and deal with things that aren't the best things in life to see, I had to realize that I took the job to make a difference in the community and to help whenever or wherever I could. And you do need a strong support team weather it co- workers or family, sometimes it's difficult to handle things that stick with you long after the circumstances are done and over, just know that as long as your doing the best job you can do, you get to go home knowing you did your best.

You will need to focus on stress and time management. In order to manage stress you have to manage your time wisely. <span style="background-color: transparent;">You have to set a routine for yourself and stick to it for the most part. Once you get into the groove of a routine it will be much easier for you to manage your time and have enough time for everything you need to do (including relaxing). Make yourself to-do lists on a weekly basis, use Google calendar or a planner to keep track of events, deadlines, and due dates. In addition to setting a routine and sticking to it, plan out relaxing activities into your day. Or set aside a time, after everything is done for the day, that you can have "me" time. I have also personally found it essential to not only find time for myself but also make use of that time in a way that is best for me and my holistic wellness. I have found the HeadSpace app to be an essential tool in helping me relax and generally feel more relaxed throughout the day, Guided meditation, even if you have a busy schedule, will make you feel more at ease and relaxed throughout the day as a whole (not just when you have the time to relax and focus on that "me" time).</span>

<span style="background-color: transparent;">Set a routine.Use Google Calendar.Set aside Me TimeWrite weekly to-do lists and use a planner.Find a peaceful and restful activity that will help you feel relaxed.</span>