Editor’s note: In a profession where high stress is a daily reality, “101 Stress-Busting Tips for First Responders” offers timely, actionable advice from someone who’s lived it. Scott Medlin, a Marine Corps veteran and former law enforcement officer, cuts through generic wellness talk with practical strategies first responders can apply immediately. This excerpt delivers a sample of Medlin’s no-nonsense guidance for managing stress, maintaining mental health, and building long-term resilience.
1. Realize what stress is.
I went to Dictionary.com1 to provide you with a formal definition of stress. Here‘s what it says: a specific response by the body to a stimulus, as fear or pain, that disturbs or interferes with the normal physiological equilibrium of an organism.
We are obviously going to look more into it, but an important thing to remember is that stress is natural. Stress happens, and no first responder is immune to the way it throws off their equilibrium. You‘re only human, and as a first responder, please avoid putting expectations on yourself that something shouldn‘t bother you. The main thing to embrace is that we cannot afford to stay in a state of stress (hence the 100 tips to follow on how to avoid staying there).
2. Stop harmfully focusing on the stress.
No, I don‘t mean to be in denial of it. But, as I‘ve heard from so many people who are the “gurus” of personal development, the reason you are stressed is that your attention is on what‘s stressing you. There‘s a familiar phrase by Tony Robbins: “Where your attention goes, energy flows.” I‘m not sure if he originally said it, but he says it a lot. Let‘s go with quoting him.
If you‘re at home with your family and focused on how awful that toxic manager is back at work, you‘re stressed out. And, unfortunately, your family can take the brunt of it. The same thing applies to calls. If you‘re focused on a critical incident, then chances are you‘ll feel stressed.
Therefore, acknowledge what‘s bothering you and start to shift your focus toward how to overcome and rise above it. This is not easy, but it goes hand in hand with that extremely familiar phrase, “It’s okay to not be okay, but you just can’t stay there.” Give yourself some grace because it‘s not always easy to redirect your focus toward managing, coping, or combating stress. However, it‘s not optional.
3. Never settle for the stress.
I absolutely cannot stand it when people say, “I‘m always stressed.” I‘ll get into self-talk and mindset later on, but who the heck said you have to settle for always being stressed? You do not have to live that way. Give yourself permission to take time, even if it‘s just a few minutes, to implement some type of action item to ease yourself (even if just a little) from the effects of stress.
4. Live your life with the right habits.
Our brains like to save energy, just like we‘re all for saving on energy to avoid a high monthly energy bill. As a result, we pick up habits, which involve doing something without having to put too much thought into it. As James Clear puts it simply in his book “Atomic Habits"2, easier habits typically don‘t serve us well, while harder habits do (in the long run).
Let‘s put that into perspective. Are you snacking or drinking to deal with stress? That‘s an easy habit to pick up because of the instant pleasure, but good gosh, does it cost us in the long run! On the other hand, doing push-ups for the first time in a while won‘t give you instant pleasurable results, but give it time, be consistent, and you‘ll start to see gains.
5. Sleep
I get it, you might be one of those people who say, “I‘ll sleep when I‘m dead!” or, “I‘m used to not getting sleep.” Please understand: you cannot outrun the fact that you‘re human, and you need sleep. When we don‘t sleep well, we open ourselves up to feeling more and more stress (not to mention other health risks). As someone who has had to learn how to get better sleep, I can tell you—it‘s worth the effort. Sleep will help you in every aspect when it comes to dealing with stress.
Some game changers that improved my sleep included avoiding electronics before going to bed. Now, if this is impossible for you, at least use blue-light-blocking glasses. Walking outside in the morning without sunglasses and soaking in some sunlight (not staring directly into the sun, of course) has also been beneficial. Additionally, not eating or drinking two to three hours before bed has been helpful because it allows your body to focus on rest—not resting and digesting a late evening snack.
Keep the room cool. I remember hearing sleep scientist Matt Walker mention this in his TED Talk3, which he delivered about five years ago. According to him, the temperature should be set at 65 degrees. “WHAT?!” I know, that‘s what I said, and my wife and I keep it at 68. We can‘t quite afford 65, but the main thing is that this piece of advice has been great and has helped significantly.
Invest in a quality bed/mattress. Seriously, we spend a significant portion of our lives in bed sleeping. For you firefighters, does the city (or county) provide good mattresses at the fire station? I‘m not sure, because I actually had to stay awake during my shift. OK, I couldn‘t resist. Back on track about sleep—a wellness doctor I used to see about my sleep issues recommended taking 600mg of magnesium glycinate about an hour before bed. I‘m not telling you to do that, but I do encourage you to consult a professional about how magnesium might help with your overall health and sleep. He mentioned that magnesium can help your body relax. I also recommend looking into your vitamin D and B vitamin levels.
These first five tips are just the beginning. 101 Stress-Busting Tips for First Responders is packed with practical, no-nonsense strategies to help you stay sharp, resilient, and in control—no matter what the job throws at you.