The demanding and stressful nature of law enforcement work can negatively impact your well-being over the course of your career. When you ignore or fail to address the cumulative impact of these experiences, you compromise your physical and mental health, the quality of your relationships and your effectiveness both on and off duty.

Many of the personal and work issues that cops experience do not develop overnight. It is crucial to develop a routine that incorporates self-reflection to help you maintain awareness of any problem areas. In doing so, you can recalibrate your responses and seek out additional resources to counter any negative impact to your quality of life. So how exactly do you do this? Two words: take inventory.

It is crucial to develop a routine that incorporates self-reflection to help you maintain awareness of any problem areas.

Although some aspects of life are inevitably beyond your control, you can still actively restructure your routine, modify your thoughts and behaviors, and seek out additional tools and resources to enhance your general well-being. Below are some questions to help you take inventory in the common areas impacted by police work — physical health, emotional/psychological health and relationships. The goal of this exercise is to enhance your awareness of the areas that pose challenges to your well-being, as well as those areas you are doing well in. I encourage you to write down your responses.

Physical impact

• On average, how much sleep do you get in a 24-hour period? Do you have issues staying or falling asleep? What does your pre-sleep routine look like? Do you wake up with headaches or still feel exhausted despite sleeping? Has someone mentioned that you snore loudly or stop breathing in your sleep?
• What does your current diet consist of? Do you have challenges maintaining proper nutrition during your workweek or days off?
• What is your current exercise routine? How often do you exercise? What types of exercises do you do? If you do not have a steady exercise routine, what are some of the barriers?
• If you experience chronic pain, is it being managed effectively? Have you explored additional non-medication-based interventions to supplement your current treatment regimen?
• Do you use any substances (such as alcohol, caffeine, sleep aids, nicotine, etc.)? How often do you use these substances? What primarily drives your consumption? Any personal or family history of substance abuse?
• When was your last physical exam? Do you have any health concerns that are not being addressed?

Emotional/psychological impact

• Do you experience any issues that might be due to exposure to traumatic incidents?
• Do you find yourself keeping busy to avoid thinking of disturbing events and/or avoid dealing with unpleasant emotions?
• Do you experience times when your emotions bubble over? For example, feeling a lump in your throat or becoming tearful for no apparent reason or feeling angry and lashing out at others?
• How do you cope with stress or unpleasant emotions or experiences? What healthy and unhealthy coping behaviors do you engage in?
• Do you ever feel hopeless about yourself or your future? Have you ever thought about suicide or just not being around anymore?
• Have you lost someone or something and never fully processed or grieved that loss?
• What issues currently exist that create stress or strain on your quality of life?
• Do you feel that you are chronically stressed or experiencing burnout? Do you experience periods of emotional numbing or an inability to feel any emotion?
• Do you find that your outlook (on self, others, world) has changed? How so? Any evidence of mistrust, cynicism or negative thinking?

Relationship impact

• How have your relationships (family, romantic, friendships) changed since becoming a cop?
• Are you satisfied with your romantic relationship? How is your communication? Any unresolved issues or resentments?
• Do you have at least a few meaningful personal relationships? If not, what are some of the barriers to finding and maintaining healthy, meaningful relationships with others?
• Do loved ones or friends comment that you have “changed” since becoming a cop? If so, what do they say? Is this a positive or negative change?

Now that you have answered the above questions, take a moment to circle or check any problem areas. Are there tangible things you can do now to help you recalibrate? What additional information, tools and resources do you need? The next step is to take action. Connect with a peer supporter, chaplain and/or qualified mental health professional to get what you need to counter the negative impact of the job in these areas of your life. If your agency offers wellness visits, bring your responses to these questions to that visit. If you have a trusted friend or partner who seems to be doing well in one of your problem areas, talk with them to see what tools they are using. I hope this helps. Be safe out there.