By Phil Hall
What happens when the “what if” or worst-case scenario becomes the only scenario? First responders live in both scenarios each time they go to work and often when they return home.
At work, this allows us to excel when responding to any call for help. Going into the unknown means there is potential for many worst-case scenarios. This mindset is embedded in us from our first day of training to prepare us for our career as a first responder. We became experts in “what if”/worst case and used it in any scenario, emergency or not. Now throw in compassion fatigue, PTSD, and management issues, and you have a new potential for a negative mindset that thrives in the “what if”/worst-case scenario thinking.
I have experienced and seen firsthand that negative mindset. It’s a dark and lonely rabbit hole where you become the disgruntled and angry first responder. You might find that others avoid you entirely or love pushing your buttons to get you fired up for entertainment. Others do not care about the consequences you will face because of your negative mindset. For myself, it’s a daily struggle to avoid pessimistic news, conversations, or worst-case-scenario thinking.
Do you like living in this space? If not, your new mindset will require work, grace, self-awareness, patience, and humility.
Skills to combat the worst-case scenario/”what if” mindset: 5 G’s
Generous: Get comfortable stepping outside your comfort zone regarding how you dole our generosity. Whether it be to co-workers in need, your family, or friends, generosity is soul healing and a significant first step towards healing a negative mindset.
Giving: Learn how to give without any expectations of receiving. You don’t need to balance giving unless you are attached to someone who always takes.
Grace: It starts with yourself. Allow yourself to make mistakes as you work towards this new mindset. It’s easy to slip back into negative thinking and speech. You are a work in progress, not a final project.
Gratitude: Practice showing gratitude to yourself for all you do—not what you didn’t do. Alongside that, recognize the efforts of others and the collateral consequences or decisions that positively impact you.
Grit: This means understanding that nothing worth fighting for comes easy. Grit and determination are unmeasurable in success. Complacency is an anchor preventing growth.
Keep the 5 G’s in mind as a focus of intent each day, instead of what if worst case.
Pause to reflect on each moment. Remember, a pause isn’t the same as a stop; it’s more like the California slow roll. You can let your experience and training reflect in your quick response instead of quick judgment. Look in the mirror and remind yourself that you can do the hard things. And not only can you do them, but as a first responder, you do them well.
