Being with a first responder isn’t easy, they are often married to the job and they feel it is their duty to put it before anything else in their life. They want to help others and make a positive impact in the community. They tend to take on a lot of responsibility like longer hours and enrolment in training programmes. Here are some important reasons why police officers need to have something more than just their work.
- Burnout
Not having a life outside of your job can quickly lead to burnout. Police officers need to put as much passion into their personal lives as they do their careers. You cannot invest everything into your career and forget about other important parts of your life. You tend to see that police officers and other first responders who are in the job a long time invest less in their personal life and more in their careers. A balanced life is key when you want to avoid burnout and get the best of both worlds.
- Retirement is Difficult
If you don’t move beyond your job, you’ll have a real problem when you retire. A lot of first responders retire when they are in their 50’s. This isn’t an old age and most of them are still physically fit and healthy. When they retire, they don’t want to be lying around the house reading books or watching the TV. If you have an outlet away from your job, you can use this when you retire. If you don’t know where to start, go for police retirement counselling and speak to a professional who can help plan for retirement.
- First Responders Bonds
When you are a police officer on the force, a firefighter, or a paramedic, you have a close bond with your colleagues. First responders share a bond like no other as they are faced with some incredibly difficult situations while on the job. Although this is great, it often leads to first responders only having friends in the same career. When you get sick or retire, you sometimes lose that positive social channel.
As you can see, there are many reasons why police officers and other first responders need to build a life outside of their careers. It is important to take steps to ensure you have something more outside of your job. If you don’t know where to start, get in touch with a professional counsellor.
