Whats in a number?
They Say That The Human Psyche Can Handle Only 4 Traumatic Experiences In A Lifetime.
People join the Emergency Services to help others but who looks after them?
Most Emergency Service Workers deal with more than 4 traumatic experiences every single shift and are also expected to deal with it. Comments are frequent, “That’s what you get paid for…” or “What did you expect?”
With constant changes to working practices and expectations from the ‘public’ in the modern day work place are increasing demands that are being placed on the Uniform. Pressure keeps building and managers expect more, but want to give less.
I know what it is like. I was there in a Blue uniform. For 19 years, I was Fifteen-Fifty-Four. Job after job after job with no break was the norm. Every day there was more work being allocated, more than I could deal with, I was drowning. Work followed me home, played on my mind and never gave me a break.
After 19 years in a career that was my passion and I saw as my life long career, I was drained with nothing left to give. My emotional feelings were dead and the continued work pressure broke me.
Being in a hole, that I was unable to get out of by myself, I hoped that my employers and colleagues would lend a helping hand. All the years of service, my dedication of running toward the danger suddenly meant nothing. Instead all I got was the cold shoulder and even disciplined for being ill.
Therapy failed. I was pushed to the edge on more than one occassion. With the Mental Health services being swamped, I fell through the crack. It was the end but I was stronger than I thought I could ever be.
Nowhere to go and with no one to help, my whole life fell apart. My marriage ended badly, I was homeless after my home had to be sold and my career, that I was once so proud of had tossed me out.
After years of being kept in Limbo, I found the strngth to fight back. Taking one thing at a time, I started to climb out.
I am still striving to get out of the hole. I look back at my journey and see that it is more than I ever thought was possible.
My new book has been written and I hope that it will be published soon. When I have an update, I will let you all know.
In the meantime here is the flavour in an article produced by ‘Stronger’
Auguststronger2020-Facingthefrontline