STRESS MANAGEMENT

FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT

 NATURE OF STRESS:
 Stress
- plays a part in the lives of everyone. Some stress is not only
inevitable, it can be good. For example, the physical stress of
“working out” improves your cardiovascular system, and feeling
pressure that causes you to study harder for an exam can
improve your score. Police stress, however, refers to
the negative pressures related to police work. Police officers are
not super humans. According to Gail Goolkasian and others,
research shows that they are affected by their daily exposure to
human indecency and pain; that dealing with a suspicious and
sometimes hostile public takes its toll on them; and that the shift
changes, the long periods of boredom, and the ever-present
danger that are part of police work do cause serious job stress.
 Police work is highly stressful. It is one of the few occupations
in which, employees continually face physical dangers and be
asked to put their lives on the line at anytime. The police officer
is exposed to violence, cruelty, and aggression and must often
make critical decision in high- pressure situations.
Stress is part of living. All living organisms are subjected to
stress. Since we cannot separate stress from us, the best thing
that we can do as police officers is to manage it properly by
learning SMILE. ☺
 Definition of Key Concepts
Stress – the non-specific response of the body to any demand placed
upon it.
– the wear and fear on the body caused by living  
 Distress – negative stress

 Eustress – positive stress

 Stressor – any environmental event that causes an automatic

nervous system response.

 Police Stress – refers to negative stress that is related to an

individual’s job as a police officer.
Job Stress - the condition in which some factor or
combination of factors that intersects with the worker to
disrupt his psychological and physiological equilibrium.
 Defense mechanisms – protective mechanisms
whenever the integrity of the self or ego is threatened.
 Burn-out – a state of total mental, emotional and physical
exhaustion, characterized by changed attitudes towards work
colleagues and crisis victims.
 Flame-out – a preventable and treatable conditions which
occurs when the need for periodic rest, food, exercise and
relaxation is overlook or ignored.
STAGES OF A STRESSFUL SITUATION
Stress can unfold itself in a series of stages. The first is the
"fight of flight" stage in which the body prepares itself to take
action, alerting all body systems. In the second stage, a rush of
adrenaline courses through the blood stream enabling the body
to quickly respond to the situation at hand. During the third stage,
the body attempts to break down or metabolize stress hormones.
In the fourth stage, body systems slowly return to normal and a
calming down effect is experienced.
 GENERAL ADAPTATION SYNDROME
 Dr Hans Selye - in his book, The Stress of Life, proposed a “general adaptation
syndrome” to describe the incapacitating effects of negative stress. The syndrome
involves three distinct stages in individuals who are exposed to a wide variety of
environmental threats or “stressors”.

General Adaptation Syndrome

(GAS)

Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3

Stage 1 Alarm Reaction characterized by less than normal resistance to
the
- stressors and a more abundant secretion of stress hormones.
 
Stage 2 Resistance during which the level of resistance to the
stressors increases and body defense mechanisms are activated; and

Stage 3 Exhaustion, when bodily resources are depleted and the person
cannot maintain an adequate defense against the stressor.
 STRESSORS IN POLICE WORK
General classification
1. External stressors stemming from the criminal justice system and society at
large.
– frustration with the Philippine judicial system
– lack of consideration by courts in scheduling officers court appearance
– lack of public support
– negative or distorted media coverage
– officers’ dislike of administrative decisions
2. Internal
stressors stemming from the policies and practices of the police
organization.
– policies and procedures that are offensive
– poor or inadequate training and inadequate career development
opportunities
– lack of identity and recognition
– poor economic benefits and working conditions
 – excessive paperwork
– inconsistent discipline
– perceived favoritism
3. Stressors inherent in police work
– rigors of shift work
– role conflict
– frequent exposure to life’s miseries
– boredom
– fear
– responsibility for protecting other people
– fragmented nature of the job
– work overload
4. Stressors confronting individual officers.
– fears regarding job competence 
– necessity to conform
– necessity to take a second job
– altered social status in the community
 EFFECTS OF STRESS
Personal
 

Alcohol abuse Anxiety

Drug abuse Psychosomatic disease
Emotional instability Eating disorder
Fatigue Boredom
Marital Problems Mental Illness
Depression Suicide
Insomnia Health breakdown
Insecurity Irresponsibility
 Organizational
Reduced productivity Lack of creativity
Increased errors Increase sick leave
High turnover Premature Retirement
Absenteeism Job Dissatisfaction
Damage and waste Poor decision
Antagonistic group action
 STAGES OF STRESS RESPONSE
Stage 1: Alarm Reaction. Any physical, emotional, or mental upset will cause an
instantaneous reaction by the body to combat the stressor. This physical response is
well known as the "fight-or-flight" reaction. The “fight or flight” reaction sends a
tremendous burst of adrenaline to all parts of the body—the blood vessels, heart,
stomach, kidneys, lungs, eyes, muscles, and more. If the stress is short-term (acute)
or not severe (in biological terms, a short time would be a few hours, perhaps even a
couple of days), we quickly recover without any detrimental effect to the body. If the
stress is chronic or long-term, the body's resistance is affected, making us more
susceptible to illness or disease.

Stage 2: Resistance. At the resistance stage, the body tries to become balanced
(a process called homeostasis). You may think you can handle anything because
the stress symptoms noticed in the alarm stage have now calmed down—until you
become completely exhausted. As the stress continues, you may suffer with fatigue,
sleep problems, and an overall malaise. If you get poor sleep, you may become
quite irritable and have difficulty concentrating or being productive at home or work.
This creates even more stress and a vicious cycle has started.
Stage 3: Exhaustion. After combating stress for days to weeks, the body
shuts down completely. Sometimes after days of unending stress, the body
succumbs to illness—either a viral or bacterial infection. If you look back over
a period of several years, you may find that the times you developed a cold
or flu were immediately after a stressful event in your life. 
It is during this exhaustion stage that you may pay the price of abuse with
premature skin aging. Chronic or long-term stress depletes the epidermis of
water, oxygen, and vitamin C, as well as increases hormone levels,
histamines, and sebum production. While completely unaware of the internal
damage from chronic stress, you will notice how it manifests in skin
symptoms such as bumps, excess oil, breakouts, acne, rosacea, pimples,
and a host of other unsightly conditions. 
Stress and the Police Family
 changing work schedule – not much time is spent with children; weekends
and holiday with the family are missed.
 emotional exhaustion – the various negative situations with which the
officers constantly comes in contact lead to frustration and psychological
exhaustion.
 negative image – perceived public animosity and disrespect impose the
negative label of “cop” on the officer.
 overprotecting the spouse and family – wanting to know where his wife and
children are what they are doing and who they are with all times can impose
irksome restrictions on the family.
 hardening of emotions – to function adequate on the job law
enforcement officers often find it necessary to suppress their
feelings.
 sexual problems – sexual problems between the officer and his
spouse may be either a symptom or a cause of emotional conflict
and estrangement – and often are both.
 identity problems – traditional roles of men and women in marriage
have undergone rapid changes in the past several years.
 problems with the children – children of police officers may
encounter negative reactions and rejections from both peers and
schoolteachers because of their father’s occupation.
 Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- a psychological condition that is caused by one’s inability to successfully
manage an emotional response triggered by severe trauma (Paradise,
1991).

 The symptoms of PTSD generally include (Philip and Schwartz,

1992).
• When exposed to places and situations resembling the initial traumatic event,
the officer re-experiences the traumatic event. The officer can have nightmares,
flashbacks or hallucinations.
• Continual avoidance of any thought about the traumatic event.
• A sense of detachment from others, including family members.
• Insomnia
• Spontaneous outbursts of anger.
• Preoccupation with thoughts of death or dying.
• Inability to concentrate.
 Stress Management Techniques to be Used
 Techniques that you select depend on the cause of the stress
and the situation in which the stress occurs.  In choosing
methods to combat stress, it is worth asking yourself where the
stress comes from. If outside factors such as important events or
relationship difficulties are causing stress, then a positive
thinking or imagery based technique may be effective. Where
stress and fatigue are long term, then lifestyle and organizational
changes may be appropriate. If the feelings of stress come from
adrenaline in your body, then it may be effective to relax the
body and slow the flow of adrenaline.
 Stress management techniques from a number of
different perspectives:
Firstly we look at a method of analyzing the stresses you are under so
that you can choose the appropriate control technique. This is
explained in The Stress Diary.

Next we look at a number if different mental approaches to controlling

short term stress.
 
We then look at physical techniques for reducing stress, relaxing
muscles and controlling adrenaline in your body.
 
After this we switch focus to long term stress, and look at ways of
controlling stress that you may be creating for yourself.
 
Finally we look at ways of reducing stress caused by your environment.
 
Counter Stress Programs

Philippine National Police

P-hysical Wellness Program
E-motional Wellness Program
M-ental Wellness Program
S-piritual Wellness Program

Department of Health Sandosenang “S” Iwas Stress

- scheduling - speak to me
- siesta - self-awareness
- sports - stress debriefing
- spirituality - stress reduction relaxation exercises
- sounds, songs - socials

- sensation techniques - smile

 Eleven Pointers to Live By In Managing Stress
1. Stress in daily life is natural, pervasive, unavoidable thus to be expected.
2. Police officer means and success in coping with stressful incidents vary.
3. Stress has a significant relationship to job performance.
4. The best defense against stress is understanding it, its symptoms and
causes.
5. It is not the components of your job that create stress-it is how you perceive
life.
6. You cannot control what happens in the environment but you are responsible
for your reactions to it.
7. There are two tragedies in life. One is getting what one wants and the other is
not getting it.
8. Men’s natures are alike. It is their habits that carry them apart.
9. We are all tea bags. We don’t know how strong we are until we are put into
hot water.
10. The key to winning is attitude. Attitude is your altitude.
11. The most difficult in life is choice.
Principles of Stress Management 

 It seems like everywhere we turn now we hear about how bad stress can
be for our lives and our health. Just because we understand how important
stress management is in our lives, that doesn't really mean we understand
how to make stress management a part of our lives. That is where the
principles of stress management come into play. By understanding and
implementing these four simple principles you will be able to reduce the stress
in your life and therefore be able to have a more organized life all around. 
 Try to prioritize. The very first principle in stress management is
trying to prioritize the things in your life. Take time each day to think
about what you need to accomplish and what should be done first. By
taking the time early in the day to do this, you can get rid of the big
items that will take up most of your time and plan the smaller items
around them. By writing down this priority or "to-do" list, you will be able
to better plan out your day, and see exactly how much time you have to
do things. Do this not only for each day, but also each week, month,
and year if at all possible.
 Take time for yourself. One of the major causes of stress in our lives is to not take
enough time for ourselves. Everyone needs a little time to "recharge" their batteries
and to clear their head. If you don't do this periodically, if only for five or ten minutes
each day, you will find yourself emotionally and physically drained and unable to go
on.
 Recognize when you need help. No matter how much we may not like to admit it,
everyone needs help. What makes this so difficult is that we, as a society, have a
hard time learning to recognize when we need help. If you find yourself becoming
stressed, take a little time to take stock of the situation. Think about what led up to
the situation that you are in, and remember that for the future. When you find
yourself in those or similar situations where you may find yourself having
difficulties, seek the help of another.
 Learn to let go. Perhaps the single most difficult principle of stress management to
learn, is learning to let go. There are times when you simply need to take a break.
Where it will do no good whatsoever to continue on with the stressful situation, so it
is best to leave. Take a five or ten minute break to get your bearings. Afterwards,
come back with a clear head. You will be amazed at how much difference this can
make.
 PRAYER
 
Lord slow me down
Ease the pounding of my heart by quieting my mind.
Steady my hurried pace.
Give me in the confusion of my day, the calmness of the everlasting hills.
Break the tension on my nerves and muscles.
Help me to know the magical restoring power of sleep.
Teach me to take minute vacation by slowing down to look at a flower, a cloud, to chat with
a friend, to pat a dog, to read a few lines from a good book.
Remind me that the race is not always to the swift, that there is more to life than increasing
its speed.
Let me look upward into the branches of the towering oak and know that it grew great and
strong because it grew slowly and well.
Lord, slow me down. Inspire me to send my roots deep into the soil of life’s enduring values
that I may grow toward the stars of my great destiny.