All Clear - A Firefighter Health & Wellness Podcast
All Clear is a podcast that looks at the perils of modern firefighters, especially the physical and mental strains we face. Our goal is to help firefighters ignite The Fire Within and to build the best version of themselves as firefighters. Our conversations are real, sometimes raw but always honest. All Clear is presented by the NC Firefighter Cancer Alliance & First Responders Peer-Support Network.
All Clear - A Firefighter Health & Wellness Podcast
From Chaos To Calm: Journaling Techniques For First Responders
Transform your firefighting career by mastering the art of mindfulness and journaling. Discover how these powerful practices can be game-changers for managing the relentless stress and building resilience in the heat of the moment. Through the lens of Julia Cameron's Morning Pages from "The Artist's Way," you'll learn how writing three pages of stream-of-consciousness each morning can clear your mind, spark creativity, and help process emotions. We're committed to guiding you through integrating mindfulness to stay present during emergencies and using journaling to enhance emotional awareness and well-being.
In this episode, we focus on the practicalities of establishing a journaling routine, making it flexible enough to fit your demanding schedule. Whether it's five or ten minutes a day, these moments of reflection can make all the difference. We'll introduce breathing techniques like box breathing to help center your mind before writing and share tips for approaching your thoughts and emotions without judgment. By embracing imperfection and focusing on progress over perfection, our goal is to equip you with the tools to become mentally stronger and more resilient as a firefighter. Join us and share these insights with your fellow first responders—it could be the spark that transforms your mental wellness journey.
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This is All Clear Firefighter Wellness where we help you light your fire with it.
Speaker 2:Welcome to All Clear Firefighter Health and Wellness. I'm Travis. Today we're going to be doing something a little bit different. We're going to be doing a solo cast. So I'm going to be talking to you guys about something that's important to me. Now, before we get started, have you been to allclearpodcastcom? If you haven't, you really need to. There, you can do things such as buy All Clear Coffee, which really helps to support our nonprofit and our efforts here at the All Clear Podcast. In addition, you'll have a chance to reach out to us, check out past episodes and tell us what you think.
Speaker 2:So, to get started, today we're going to talk about something that might not seem like a firefighter's first line of defense, but can be an absolute game changer for your mental health. What is that? It's mindfulness and journaling. I know what you're thinking Journaling, mindfulness. How does that fit into the chaotic, high-stress world? Today, we're going to break it down and show you how these practices can actually help you decompress, process through the tough stuff and build resilience in a way that directly impacts how you show up to the station and also how you show up in life. Now there is a process I learned about from several professionals recently that can be easily incorporated into our lives in the fire service. So bear with me for a minute. This process is called Morning Pages. Now, keep an open mind. Let me explain the history of it and see how we can apply it.
Speaker 2:Morning Pages was a concept that came out of the book called the Artist's Way by author Julia Cameron. When we talk about Morning Pages, it's a way of clearing your mind, sparking creativity. Now, the idea actually is pretty simple. Each morning, you write three longhand stream of conscious pages. What that means is you write whatever's on your mind, whether it be song lyrics, maybe a quote. You think about something somebody else said. Now, these pages are not meant to be polished or even reread. They're a way for you to clear mind of anxieties, random thoughts or even lingering emotions, so you can start the day with a clear, more focused mindset. Now, morning pages can help silence your inner critic creativity, but it can provide a space for self-reflection, making a powerful tool for anyone, not just artists, to be able to connect with yourself and your deeper thoughts. Now, does that sound a little woo-woo or a little bit hippie, or does it sound useful? We're going to dig into it and see how we can apply this idea to what we do ourselves.
Speaker 2:Now, why does mindfulness matter for us in the fire service? Let's start with that concept of mindfulness. We face high stress, high stakes situations very regularly. We have to make decisions that can mean life and death in some cases, and that kind of constant pressure can easily build up stress and anxiety over time, even if we don't immediately realize it. Now, mindfulness is all about being present in the moment, focusing on what's happening right now, without judgment. Now, for us as first responders, this can help prevent burnout. It can calm our minds after an intense day or an intense call and keep us grounded in our personal lives, for our families, for those around us that we love.
Speaker 2:But mindfulness isn't just about sitting in meditation for hours. Now you can actually integrate something meditation for hours. Now you can actually integrate something like mindfulness in your practice of journaling. Are you journaling yet? We'll talk about that too. Now, before you just write off journaling as some sort of chore, an extra thing you got to do, hear me out Now. When combined with mindfulness, it can be a powerful way to unload your mental baggage. It'll be a good way to reflect on your day and prepare yourself mentally and emotionally for whatever's next Now, whether it's reflecting on a rough call, maybe the camaraderie you're feeling at the firehouse, or even stuff in your personal life with your wife, your kids, your husband, it's a way to release mental pressure that builds up from all of these things. Now journaling, when paired with mindfulness, can become a transformative practice that enhances emotional awareness and well-being. Now, this combined approach is especially valuable for individuals in high-pressure jobs, like first responders, where processing stress and emotions is crucial for long-term mental health.
Speaker 2:Let's expand on the steps for integrating mindfulness with journaling. The first step is you've got to find your quiet moment. The first step in combining mindfulness with journaling is creating a space, both physically and mentally. Now this doesn't mean that you have to go sit out by late, carve out an hour in a serene environment, hum to yourself. It's not what it means. In fact, our goal is to embrace the moment, however imperfect it may be.
Speaker 2:Now we have the need for routine when we do this. We need to try to find a consistent time each day. Whether it be right before our shift to journal, it could be when we get up in the morning. Creating a routine helps signal your brain that this is the moment for self-reflection. You basically flip that switch to put you in that reflective mode.
Speaker 2:Now, as we mentioned, it's not always got to be a perfect place. We have to embrace flexibility Now, whether it's the kitchen table, your car or even a brief pause at the station, maybe in your bunk, when you have a few minutes. It's okay if the environment isn't perfectly peaceful. In fact, it may be chaotic. The point is, what matters most is giving yourself permission to pause amidst everything that's going on and pause the chaos of the day so that you can start reflecting. Now we also need to set a realistic time frame. In morning pages, we talked about three full longhand pages. That's really hard to do. For me personally, it's just one page of longhand that I typically do a day. If you're short on time, just five to ten minutes is enough. Setting a realistic expectation lowers the pressures of us journaling and makes it sustainable, even on those days where we're constantly running, we're busy or maybe not even at the station.
Speaker 2:The second step is very important when it comes to incorporating mindfulness into our journaling process is we have to be present. We know that's what mindfulness is, and your breath is one of the simplest and most effective tools you have to help center your awareness. Now, why is breathing key? The act of deep, slow breathing has a psychological impact. We know that. It helps lower stress. It calms our nervous. When we do this shift helps take our mind from the busyness of the day to a more reflective mind state.
Speaker 2:Now, when we talk about breathing in the fire service, there are many different ways. We learn different breathing techniques for breathing box breathing ways. We learn different breathing techniques for breathing box breathing. There are a ton of different ways we learn to breathe to take our focus away from what's going on at the moment. In this case, we're going to use that skill to take away our lingering thoughts and draw our attention to the present. Now, with just a few cycles of this type of breathing, you'll find that your mind feels clearer, making it easier to start writing.
Speaker 2:Now, as we mentioned, you can breathe however you want to, but as long as you do that correctly reflective breathing to help flip that switch, to get you into a more reflective state. You're doing your job. Now we have to learn also to reflect without judgment. Now this step forms the combination of mindfulness and journaling. Mindfulness teaches us to observe our thoughts and emotions without judgment, which is exactly what we should do when we approach writing. Now, releasing self-criticism is a key.
Speaker 2:When you're journaling, it's important to let go of the need for things like perfect grammar. Sentence structure doesn't even have to really be coherent thoughts. This isn't about producing a novel. We're not doing some narrative like we would have in a fire report. Producing a novel. We're not doing some narrative like we would have in a fire report. It's about releasing what's on your mind. Free writing, where you allow your pen to move without editing, can help you get started and, as we mentioned before, it could be something as simple as writing down some song lyrics, a quote, something one of your co-workers said, something your wife said before you left in the morning. That is what is on your mind Now.
Speaker 2:We also have to allow our emotions to surface. After a tough shift, we have a lot of emotions, things like fear, frustration, sadness, and some of these might come up. Instead of bottling them up and pushing them down, we can use journaling as a safe space. I hate that term. Why don't we call it as a okay place to be able to write about them, acknowledge them and look at their impact on us? Also, we have to learn to not judge and we need to observe. Imagine that you're observing your thoughts as if you were an outsider, like you're looking into your head instead of looking out. You might think of things like this. Call was really hard and it shook me more than I thought. Write those thoughts down as they come, like you're looking in from the outside. Write them down without trying to change or fix them or edit them. This is how mindfulness works in the journaling process. Take it moment by moment.
Speaker 2:Using free writing is absolutely fine. Sometimes you get stuck when you're trying to write. Maybe in school you had a phobia of writing, like I did. Sometimes you just need a prompt. Sometimes the hardest part is just getting started, especially if you've had a racked mind, a difficult, stressful day. Journaling prompts can actually help you guide yourself on the key aspects of your experience. Think about it this way when you've got your notebook, write your four or five questions down that might be prompts inside the cover. That way you can look back on them if you get stuck and you need a starting point. Sometimes, when we think about prompts that are specific to our industry, it could help us, since our work is pretty intense and emotionally charged at times.
Speaker 2:Prompts that focus specifically on daily challenges can be incredibly effective. For example, you could use things like what is the most challenging part of my day? Reflecting on things like that will allow you to process difficult moments, perhaps helping you understand why certain situations affect you more than others. You could ask a question like how did I handle a stressful situation? This helps you identify coping mechanisms that you've used, whether consciously or unconsciously, and it gives you insight into how you manage pressure. Another one what's one thing I did today that made me proud?
Speaker 2:This prompt helps you recognize your achievements. They may not be great achievements. It may not be a career that you're proud. This prompt helps you recognize your achievements. They may not be great achievements. It may not be a career call. Every time it could be something small. However, it fosters a sense of accomplishment. Another one you might use how did today's calls affect me emotionally? Now, by turning into your emotional side, when you think about the calls maybe you've had on your shift, you build emotional intelligence and a deeper understanding of how different experiences shape your state of mind. Also, don't forget to be specific. The more specific the prompts we use maybe that we write down on a cheat sheet, the more personal of an experience we can have and the more we'll get out of journaling. Customizing prompts based on our needs can lead to deeper reflection and self-awareness.
Speaker 2:But how do you end a journaling entry? One good way is to end with gratitude. Gratitude may seem cliché. I'm happy for this, but there's a real science behind the benefits of gratitude. Studies have shown that cultivating gratitude can boost your mood, improve resilience and even reduce symptoms such as depression and anxiety. Now why does gratitude work? In a stressful job like firefighting, it's easy to focus on what went wrong or the trauma that we saw. What's the bad stuff going on? But ending your journaling session with a focus on gratitude allows you to shift gears and end on a positive note, even after something that's pretty difficult. What can you write about?
Speaker 2:Gratitude doesn't have to be about grand, life-changing things. It can be something as simple as appreciating that you made it home safely, how much you enjoy working with the guys on your team, or even just the opportunity to rest after a rough day. Now there are also long-term benefits of using gratitude as well. Over time, practicing gratitude will rewire your brain to focus more on positive experiences, even in challenging situations. It doesn't ease the difficult aspects of our job, but it helps create a more balanced perspective. So when we combine mindfulness with journaling, it helps us build resilience, emotional awareness and self-compassion, especially in a high-stress job like that of a first responder. Now, by taking just a few minutes to pause, breathe, reflect and end with gratitude, you can create a sustainable habit that nurtures your mental health and emotional wellness.
Speaker 2:Now how do you might be able to make time for journaling? Consistency is important. Here's one thing being a firefighter means that we carry a unique level of emotional and mental weight. We see things that people that most people around us don't our families may not even understand. What we see sometimes when you deal with life and death situations, long hours and high pressure. Journaling with mindfulness isn't about fixing everything overnight. Pressure journaling with mindfulness isn't about fixing everything overnight. It's about building small daily habits that give your mind space to process, heal and prepare for whatever comes. When we ignore our mental health, it catches up with us, but by taking just a few minutes to be mindful and reflective, we can start to unload the weight in a healthy way. In the long run, it makes us a better first responder, a better teammate and a healthier person. As we mentioned, it's small steps. It's about being consistent.
Speaker 2:How do you make journaling a practice? We got to make it a habit. We lead unpredictable lives, particularly at work. We never know what's coming up Between long shifts, high stress situations, maybe always being on call. It can feel impossible to stick to a rigid schedule when it comes to something like journaling, but that's why consistency doesn't have to mean perfection. The key to making mindful journaling a habit is to find a time that fits naturally into your routine every day. It could be maybe before you go to bed After a long shift.
Speaker 2:Journaling can help offload emotional weight that you had that day. By sitting down for five to ten minutes before you go to bed, you allow your mind to release all that's bubbling up inside and it'll make it easier for you to get a restful night. Mind to release all that's bubbling up inside and it'll make it easier for you to get a restful night's sleep, if that's possible, depending how busy your shift is. How about after a shift? Coming home from a call or a long day? We can have a lot to process. We might feel mentally and physically drained, but taking a few minutes to journal can help with mental decompression and make our downtime more peaceful when we're not at the station. How about on our off days? We're not necessarily at work every day.
Speaker 2:Maybe during your time off, you need to take a quiet moment with your coffee in the morning to jot down your thoughts, and if you're drinking coffee, you should be drinking all clear coffee. Hey, in all seriousness, though, sit down with your coffee, write your thoughts down, reflect on your week, set your intentions for how you want to spend your day. Building the habit during your downtime can help us ease into it and make it more enjoyable. The important part is to link journaling to something you already do every day. It could be drinking your coffee getting ready for bed. Maybe it's after you do your workout. You might want to journal what you did in your workout for the day. As we do this, it will become second nature.
Speaker 2:What's next? Keep it simple. We always say keep it super simple, keep it simple stupid. We always hear those things in the fire service. We got to keep our journaling simple.
Speaker 2:A lot of people think that journaling has to be a huge production. You need fancy pens and notebooks. You need an hour to sit down, but it's really not that complicated. It really is powerful but simple. You don't need anything more than a spiral-bound notebook. Heck, you might even use the Notes app on your phone. You don't have to write pages and pages. It could be just a few lines, literally five, ten minutes. What's more important is consistency over the volume. Now, some days you might not only write a sentence like Today was rough, but I'm glad I could help. That might be it, that's okay, but you might want to write a lot more.
Speaker 2:What you're doing, regardless of the length, short or small, helps make space to process and reflect what's in our head. The more you do it, the more natural it will become for us. But we also can't be hard on ourselves. This might be one of the most crucial points. Give yourself some grace. As first responders, we're trained to be tough, to handle situations under pressure, make very difficult decisions with very little input. But when it comes to mental health, being tough always isn't the answer. Sometimes it's about self-compassion.
Speaker 2:If you miss a day journaling or feel like you're not getting it right, it's important to remember there is no right or wrong way to do it. The entire practice of mindfulness is built around the idea of non-judgment. If you slip up, don't beat yourself up. Just start again. Start tomorrow. It's not about perfection, it's about progress. That's it for what we had for our first solo cast. I hope you found it helpful and you'll try to give a little bit more credence to things such as journaling. Give it a try. Remember it's all about taking small steps toward mental well-being, which ultimately makes us stronger at our jobs. If you like the episode, be sure to subscribe, share it with your crew, share it with somebody you work with and, as always, light your fire within you have been listening to all clear firefighter wellness.
Speaker 1:All clear is presented by the north carolina firefighter cancer alliance. You can find out more about us at all clear podcastcom. Leave us a message. We'd love to hear from you. If you like what you hear, tell someone. All opinions expressed on the podcast do not always reflect the opinions of the podcast. As always, light your fire within.
