As patrollers, we train physically and mentally to be ready to go when the snow finally flies. How many of us train to be ready emotionally for the possible stress injuries resulting from the bad scenes we may encounter?
During my 30-year career as a ski patroller, I always had a pre-season skiing-specific training program to prepare physically for the demands of patrolling. Annual OEC refreshers provided an opportunity to mentally revive the knowledge and skills necessary to care for injured skiers.
It wasn’t until late in my career that I began to pay attention to training for the emotional resilience needed to effectively confront potentially traumatizing events. Now I make it a point to regularly engage in what the All Clear Foundation calls “resilience workouts” as a way to be ready for life’s daily challenges and those high-stress rescues encountered on the hill.
My workout includes three evidence-based, effective “exercises” or activities—breathwork, time in nature, and mindfulness. These activities stimulate the vagus nerve, a critical part of the parasympathetic nervous system responsible for regulating heart rate, mood, and inflammation response. The vagus nerve calms the survival response and is the key to unlocking the relaxation response.
BREATHWORK
One of the best ways to activate the vagus nerve is slow, deep breathing. Attention to breathing shifts your focus away from stressful mind chatter and toward the rhythm of the breath itself.
Try BOX BREATHING, known as the “Navy Seal” breathing technique. It can be used to relax during a busy day or as an in-the-moment coping tactic to control the stress response. To go in-depth on the topic, read Breath by James Nestor.
I recommend a daily five-minute session of 4-2-6 paced breathing. Inhale through the nose to the belly for four seconds, hold for two seconds, and then exhale through the mouth for six seconds. Remember, whatever technique you choose it needs to be practiced regularly for you to be able to deploy it when it’s needed.
TIME IN NATURE
Did you know that when walking in the forest you breathe in phytoncides—oils released by the trees? These oils can lower levels of the primary stress hormone, cortisol. That’s why you feel calm and less anxious when walking in a forest.
Almost any serene and visually pleasing environment can enhance mood and trigger positive emotions and a sense of tranquility. I’ve been thinking about taking up fly fishing.
MINDFULNESS
As responders, we tend to move through our days picking up rocks and putting them in our pack. Mindfulness practices are a way to put down the things we don’t need to be carrying. That’s why I integrated mindfulness practice into my daily routine.
A recent study found that 10-minute daily mindfulness sessions using the Medito: Meditation & Wellness app improved mental health and encouraged healthier lifestyle behaviors, with lasting effects on well-being and habits like exercise and sleep:
• Reducing depression by 19.2% more than the control group.
• Improving well-being by 6.9% more.
• Decreasing anxiety by 12.6% more.
Another study found that mindfulness practices can decrease body mass index, waist circumference, weight, and percent of body fat.
Mindfulness is just being present—focused on the present moment rather than ruminating over the past, fearing the future, or chasing your monkey mind. It comes in many forms. Any activity that completely absorbs your focus—like skiing, climbing, or coincidentally, fly-tying can be mindful. There are any number of other exercises you can add to your resilience workout. Just do a quick search for “build emotional resilience.”
The key is to find activities you enjoy. That way you’re much more likely to do them and to work them into your daily routine. For more information about operational stress injury and resilience practices, contact Ollie Neith.
