Emotional Intelligence and Mindfulness for EMS Grief, Loss, and Stress Andrea Abbas MS NRP FTO

EMS Programs Manager

Disclaimer

This disclaimer informs readers that the views, thoughts,

and opinions expressed in this presentation belong solely

to the author, and not necessarily to the author’s

employer, organization, committee or other group or

individual.

Emotional

Intelligence Defined

EI: You are in tune with what you

are feeling and how you project

yourself into the world.

EI: the ability to monitor ones

own and other peoples emotions

to discriminate between

different emotions and label

them appropriately, and to use

emotional information to guide

thinking and behavior.

Harnessing Emotional Intelligence for

Leadership Success: EMSWorld, V. Amato

5 Components of EI

1. Self-Awareness

2. Self Management

3. Motivation

4. Empathy

5. Social skills

Full article: click here

5 Tips for Becoming more EI

1. Manage negative emotions

2. Be mindful of your vocabulary

3. Practice empathy

4. Know your stressors

5. Bounce back from adversity

Scenario: Kyle

You are Kyle’s field training

officer. You’ve worked with

Kyle for a couple weeks

now. You arrive on scene to

discover your oxygen tank

missing when loading up

your equipment. You did

not replace the equipment

after the last call and don’t

know where the tank is.

Kyle is unsure where it was

left.

How would you approach

Kyle about this?

Mindfulness Defined

Mindfulness: Maintaining a moment-

by-moment awareness of our

thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations,

and surrounding environment through

a gentle lens. When we practice

mindfulness our thoughts tune into

what we are sensing in the present

moment rather than rehashing the

past or imagining the future.

What Mindfulness is NOT: 8 Pitfalls First Responders Must Avoid: PoliceOne, C. Coates

Mindfulness is NOT:

The path to enlightenment

About day dreams and waterfalls

Meditation, though this is related

Complicated

Easy

All about sitting still

A defense against being a jerk

Full article: click here

Stress

Stress: a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances.

Burn out: exhaustion of physical and emotional strength or motivation usually as a result of prolonged stress of frustration.

Dealing with stress in the workplace: 9 Simple Ways to Deal With Stress at Work

Irony

“The present moment is sometimes unacceptable,

unpleasant, or awful. It is what it is.”-Eckhart

Tolle

“Stress is caused by being here but wanting to be

there.”-Eckhart Tolle

“Don’t stress the could haves, if it should have, it

would have.”- Unknown

DanSun Photos

First Responder

Suicide: The

Chronic Stress

Condition,

EMS1

“Farina relates how first responders

are trained on physical and scene

safety, but not on how to protect their

mental health. “Research shows that

chronic workplace stress has a more

significant impact on first responder

mental health than critical incidents

such as officer-involved shootings or

pediatric cardiac arrests. Chronic

workplace stress is triggered by

difficult work schedules, a chronic lack

of sleep, and inadequate equipment,

but it also includes more insidious

issues,” she noted.

Read the full article here

So What Stresses

Us?

Witnessing human suffering regularly

Uncertainty

Risk of personal harm on the job

Intense workloads

Life and death decision making

Long working hours

Financial limitations

Poor Leadership/Management

Inability to take time off from work

Fear factors and liability

Scenario: Jason

Jason has been working for ABC ambulance for 2 years and recently transitioned from a 12 hour truck to a 24 hour truck. A couple months into the shift bid you notice that Jason is short tempered. He is not adjusting well to the lack of rest. Jason is turning 10-15 calls per shift and there is little to no down time on shift. Jason did not know what he was getting into. In addition, Jason is going through a divorce. Yesterday, Jason was one hour late to work. The road supervisor awarded him attendance points and came to the station to talk to Jason. Jason became agitated and threw his computer at his supervisor and walked out. His partner found him crying in the ambulance alone.

What do you think is happening with Jason?

How would you handle this as his partner?

How would you handle this as a supervisor?

Is Jason self-aware?

Is Jason stressed?

Grief and Loss

Defined as a deep sorrow.

What happens to us when we

become part of our own health

system?

We begin to see and experience

what our patients encounter.

How does your perspective shift?

How does experiencing a loss of

your own influence your work?

The Stages of Grief: 2 Models

1. Denial

2. Anger

3. Bargaining

4. Depression

5. Acceptance

1. Shock and denial

2. Pain and guilt

3. Anger and bargaining

4. Depression, reflection, loneliness

5. The upward turn

6. Reconstruction/working through

7. Acceptance and hope

Are Our Patient’s and Patient Family

Member’s Grieving?

Scenario: You arrive on scene to an 82 y.o. female who is not responsive. She is found in the dining room with her husband holding her up in a chair. She is barely breathing and is slumped over. As you ask pertinent questions about when she was last seen acting normally the husband begins to scream “ Just go! Stop screwing around!”

What’s happening here?

How would you respond?

How Can We Care for Ourselves to Mitigate Stressors and Prevent Burn Out?

1. Let it go.

2. Really ask yourself what makes you happy and brings you joy and DO IT.

3. Eat healthy

4. Move

5. Make sure you get the downtime and sleep you need.

6. Get comfortable with setting boundaries and saying no.

7. Spend time with friends and family.

8. Take breaks away from work.

When Helping Hurts: Trauma’s Effects on First Responders, L. Reagan

According to the Trauma Center at the Justice Resource Institute a first responder experiencing the following symptoms should seek professional help:

1. Hyper-arousal

2. Avoidance

3. Intrusions

4. Psychic numbing

Read the full article here

Bibliography

1. Good Therapy Blog, When Helping Hurts: Trauma’s Effects on First

Responders. 2015.

2. First Responder Suicide: The Chronic Stress Correlation. EMS1. 2019.

3. 9 Ways to Deal With Stress at Work. Verywellmind. 2019.

4. Harnessing Emotional Intelligence for Leadership Success. EMSWorld.

Amato. 2019.

5. The EMS Professional. An Emergency Medical Services Perspective on

Experiencing Personal Loss and Grief. Abbas. 2018.

CE Quiz and Evaluation: You must complete

the Quiz and Evaluation within one week of

the webinar to receive your CE. Click the link

below to complete the quiz.

https://msu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4O2xZSPfnDNCJoh