Many LEOs come to a point in their careers where they have that feeling that the flame has gone out.  The spark of enthusiasm has disappeared.  The job is not fun anymore.  These are some of the indicators of Burnout.  Early in my career there was a funny saying B.O.S.S. which made light fun of Officer Burn Out with a tongue in cheek cartoon of an officer doing the Superman pose with the B as a symbol on his chest.  If I remember correctly, there was a club you could send away a gag application for membership, too.

Unfortunately many LEO of the past suffered from the symptoms and the reality of burn out.  It affected their performance on and off the job.  Burn out was not a formally recognized symptom or hazard of public safety career, although we laughed about it, it destroyed many careers and people.

Burn out or Compassion fatigue has a major effect on many care taking professions such as the medical profession, clergy and public safety.  LEOs are described in our duties and have been described legally in court case as “community caretakers”.

• What are some of the signs of LEO burn out?
• Our work is not challenging
• I don’t care attitude and demeanor with the public and our peers
• We feel like we are in an emotional rut
• We start to lose our motivation.  Boredom sets in.
• Things, our duties and our life become “Routine” (a dangerous place as an LEO)

Mix these symptoms in with professional and personal situations we may have no control and frustration then sets in.  Our disposition change into a negative view of life and our job performance, relationships and our lifestyle suffers.

After 27 years working in our honorable profession, I have personally bumped, hit and crashed into this wall many times over my career. I am grateful for the “emotional helmet” that other LEOs and others have taught me to wear.  When we recognize and acknowledge this situation we can take some action to change the course of our professional and personal lives for a better and healthier direction.

SOME THINGS TO CONSIDER

SELF REFLECTION: Why did I enter this career? Have I lost that sense of commitment to duty and honor? What do I need to do to bring back the enthusiasm to my career?  These are moments we really need to ask ourselves in quiet time and our prayers for the answers.  They answers may come quick or it may take some time.  Be aware and listen to your intuition for guidance.

ARE YOU OVER COMMITTED? : With budget reductions are you carrying the duties of others? Is your life balanced between work and you’re off duty time? Is your off duty time refreshing, rewarding and stimulating filled with family, friends and healthy activities?

CHANGE OF DUTIES: Are there opportunities to change your present work assignment or schedule? Can you bid to a more challenging work assignment that will work for you and your family life?

TRAINING: Are you preparing yourself for future career assignments or promotions?  Are you willing to learn new skills to enhance and reinvigorate your present assignment?  Are you willing to pay for extra training yourself including on your own time?  Are you willing to assess yourself and invest in yourself?

ARE YOU ADVOCATING FOR YOUR NEEDS? : Are you willing to advocate for your professional needs and when you are off-duty? Are you willing to advocate for the needs of your family? Are you willing to “ASK”?

OFFER POSITIVE IDEAS: Are you willing to offer and listen to healthy and positive ideas to improve your agency work performance make the job easier and help keep morale in a positive mode?  Are you willing to offer and listen to your family and your community to improve your own quality of life?  Many of us have a fear of ridicule.  Many of our solutions to professional and personal problems come from within.  The worst they can say is No.  Ask while advocating, be willing to negotiate the solution and accept the final answer.  You will have no regrets in yourself for at least trying to make things better.

ARE YOU WILLING TO TALK? : Is a peer counselor, chaplain, E.A.P. or a mental health professional available for you to talk confidentially about how you feel while guiding you will healthy suggestions to help you overcome these symptoms?

In our careers as LEOs, we all hit that wall at some point.  It is up to you and I as individuals to reflect assess and make the changes needed to grow in life.  We are human beings performing a demanding and emotionally draining job.  Whether we work in a big or small agency, it is up to us as individuals to develop a positive direction in our lives.

Think of it as repainting a room or rearranging the furniture.  If we change the things we view every day this will help us change the way we view them.

REMEMBER: WE ARE THE HONORABLE PROFESSION!

Stay safe and be well!

Sgt.St.Hilaire is LET’s police wellness contributor.  He is a police officer in a Metro-west suburb of Boston, Massachusetts. He is a volunteer member of a regional C.I.S.M team.  He can be contacted by confidential email at: markfromnatick@Gmail.com.  Follow him on Twitter: @NPD3306 or Linked In.  Sgt.St.Hilaire does not receive any compensation or consideration for any program, book or other resource that he recommends.

In the 1993 movie Menace to Society, there was a scene that should bring a question to each of us. The movie depicts the lives of two gang bangers from Los Angeles.  They were constantly seeking the next hustle or get-over on people. The two were best friends, but were hell on their family members and friends who were trying to steer them into a right path. Sound familiar?

How many times in our day-to-day walk as police officers do we at times become more of a menace to our loved ones than the ones we apprehend?  How many of us who have been divorced more than once are still committing the same mistakes?

How’s our physical side doing? Can we still get out of the car without grunting? Worked out lately? How many trips to the fast food place? How many packs of smokes? How many beers or the hard stuff have we have had? How many aches and pains have we had that we take prescription drugs to kill the pains of life for the day?

How is our mental spirit doing? Have you taken that vacation to refresh yourself? Spend time with the family? Talked to someone other than one of your own? Learned anything new?

Attended a class to sharpen your skills? Learned how to communicate with people?

Did you remember to say the important words to your loved ones? Or did you have your “game face” on and thought you could tell them later?  How’s the job treating you now? Do still feel energized or cynical?  When was the last time you helped a citizen and boosted your?  Can you still laugh or do you always have a scowl on your face?

Now, here’s the best part. How’s your spiritual side doing? Can you still be a servant with a servant’s heart or do you feel that the citizens are there for you? Are you humbled about the calling in your life as protector of the weak or are you the “demon’ the neighborhood fears whenever your patrol unit comes by?

Do you set the example as spiritual head of the household by praying for and with your family or are you too good to do that stuff anymore? Have you a relationship with God or has life made you forget about Him? Can you worship Him or is the power of the authority that was given to you what you worship?

In the movie “Menace to Society,” there was a shootout with one of the gangbangers being hit as he lay dying; he saw his life flash before his eyes.  He saw all the ones who he had hurt and the ones he had caused problems to. They mainly consisted of his family and friends and innocent people he had robbed and stolen from. In one statement, he remembers his grandpa asking him if he cared if he lived or died.  At that time, he said he didn’t know and as his life was draining out of him his last words were this: “Yea, I do care…..But now it’s too late!”

Don’t let those be the last words coming out of your mouth. Don’t miss your chance to get it right in your soul, spirit, mind and body. Build your relationship with God and the ones who are in your life. Let people move heaven and earth to see the God in you and not fight like hell to stay away from you. In other words…Don’t be a menace to society!

Picture provided by Yvonne Griffin (firetrouble)