Emotional Intelligence and Mindfulness for EMS Grief, Loss, and Stress Andrea Abbas MS NRP FTO
EMS Programs Manager
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Emotional
Intelligence Defined
EI: You are in tune with what you
are feeling and how you project
yourself into the world.
EI: the ability to monitor ones
own and other peoples emotions
to discriminate between
different emotions and label
them appropriately, and to use
emotional information to guide
thinking and behavior.
Harnessing Emotional Intelligence for
Leadership Success: EMSWorld, V. Amato
5 Components of EI
1. Self-Awareness
2. Self Management
3. Motivation
4. Empathy
5. Social skills
Full article: click here
5 Tips for Becoming more EI
1. Manage negative emotions
2. Be mindful of your vocabulary
3. Practice empathy
4. Know your stressors
5. Bounce back from adversity
Scenario: Kyle
You are Kyle’s field training
officer. You’ve worked with
Kyle for a couple weeks
now. You arrive on scene to
discover your oxygen tank
missing when loading up
your equipment. You did
not replace the equipment
after the last call and don’t
know where the tank is.
Kyle is unsure where it was
left.
How would you approach
Kyle about this?
Mindfulness Defined
Mindfulness: Maintaining a moment-
by-moment awareness of our
thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations,
and surrounding environment through
a gentle lens. When we practice
mindfulness our thoughts tune into
what we are sensing in the present
moment rather than rehashing the
past or imagining the future.
What Mindfulness is NOT: 8 Pitfalls First Responders Must Avoid: PoliceOne, C. Coates
Mindfulness is NOT:
The path to enlightenment
About day dreams and waterfalls
Meditation, though this is related
Complicated
Easy
All about sitting still
A defense against being a jerk
Full article: click here
Stress
Stress: a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances.
Burn out: exhaustion of physical and emotional strength or motivation usually as a result of prolonged stress of frustration.
Dealing with stress in the workplace: 9 Simple Ways to Deal With Stress at Work
Irony
“The present moment is sometimes unacceptable,
unpleasant, or awful. It is what it is.”-Eckhart
Tolle
“Stress is caused by being here but wanting to be
there.”-Eckhart Tolle
“Don’t stress the could haves, if it should have, it
would have.”- Unknown
DanSun Photos
First Responder
Suicide: The
Chronic Stress
Condition,
EMS1
“Farina relates how first responders
are trained on physical and scene
safety, but not on how to protect their
mental health. “Research shows that
chronic workplace stress has a more
significant impact on first responder
mental health than critical incidents
such as officer-involved shootings or
pediatric cardiac arrests. Chronic
workplace stress is triggered by
difficult work schedules, a chronic lack
of sleep, and inadequate equipment,
but it also includes more insidious
issues,” she noted.
Read the full article here
So What Stresses
Us?
Witnessing human suffering regularly
Uncertainty
Risk of personal harm on the job
Intense workloads
Life and death decision making
Long working hours
Financial limitations
Poor Leadership/Management
Inability to take time off from work
Fear factors and liability
Scenario: Jason
Jason has been working for ABC ambulance for 2 years and recently transitioned from a 12 hour truck to a 24 hour truck. A couple months into the shift bid you notice that Jason is short tempered. He is not adjusting well to the lack of rest. Jason is turning 10-15 calls per shift and there is little to no down time on shift. Jason did not know what he was getting into. In addition, Jason is going through a divorce. Yesterday, Jason was one hour late to work. The road supervisor awarded him attendance points and came to the station to talk to Jason. Jason became agitated and threw his computer at his supervisor and walked out. His partner found him crying in the ambulance alone.
What do you think is happening with Jason?
How would you handle this as his partner?
How would you handle this as a supervisor?
Is Jason self-aware?
Is Jason stressed?
Grief and Loss
Defined as a deep sorrow.
What happens to us when we
become part of our own health
system?
We begin to see and experience
what our patients encounter.
How does your perspective shift?
How does experiencing a loss of
your own influence your work?
The Stages of Grief: 2 Models
1. Denial
2. Anger
3. Bargaining
4. Depression
5. Acceptance
1. Shock and denial
2. Pain and guilt
3. Anger and bargaining
4. Depression, reflection, loneliness
5. The upward turn
6. Reconstruction/working through
7. Acceptance and hope
Are Our Patient’s and Patient Family
Member’s Grieving?
Scenario: You arrive on scene to an 82 y.o. female who is not responsive. She is found in the dining room with her husband holding her up in a chair. She is barely breathing and is slumped over. As you ask pertinent questions about when she was last seen acting normally the husband begins to scream “ Just go! Stop screwing around!”
What’s happening here?
How would you respond?
How Can We Care for Ourselves to Mitigate Stressors and Prevent Burn Out?
1. Let it go.
2. Really ask yourself what makes you happy and brings you joy and DO IT.
3. Eat healthy
4. Move
5. Make sure you get the downtime and sleep you need.
6. Get comfortable with setting boundaries and saying no.
7. Spend time with friends and family.
8. Take breaks away from work.
When Helping Hurts: Trauma’s Effects on First Responders, L. Reagan
According to the Trauma Center at the Justice Resource Institute a first responder experiencing the following symptoms should seek professional help:
1. Hyper-arousal
2. Avoidance
3. Intrusions
4. Psychic numbing
Read the full article here
Bibliography
1. Good Therapy Blog, When Helping Hurts: Trauma’s Effects on First
Responders. 2015.
2. First Responder Suicide: The Chronic Stress Correlation. EMS1. 2019.
3. 9 Ways to Deal With Stress at Work. Verywellmind. 2019.
4. Harnessing Emotional Intelligence for Leadership Success. EMSWorld.
Amato. 2019.
5. The EMS Professional. An Emergency Medical Services Perspective on
Experiencing Personal Loss and Grief. Abbas. 2018.
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