Stress Management Strategies and The Methods Among Police Officers
Since stress is the tension it is necessary to oppose the relaxation to it, which reduces stress levels, boost energy and mood. In everyday life of law enforcement personnel, constant pressure knocks out their body from the equilibrium state, which is dangerous to health. Therefore, it is necessary to be able to relax and to go into a state of mind, which is the complete opposition to stress. It should be taken into account that the relaxation is an active mental process that leads the human body to a relaxed and peaceful state and interrupts the stress response reducing it. For example, deep breathing technique allows relaxing and interrupting stress, regardless the thoughts that beset a person (Patterson, Chung, & Swan, 2012). In stressful situations, the breath quickens, and the body lacks oxygen. Deep breathing facilitates entering of vital oxygen into the brain and all cells in the right quantities (Patterson, Chung, & Swan, 2012).
Another useful technique is a visual meditation, which is a variation of the traditional meditation based on the use of not only the visual senses but also such senses as taste, touch, smell and sound. As a technique for relaxation, visual meditation includes an imaginary scene in which an individual feels free from tension and anxiety (Creswell, Pacilio, Lindsay, & Brown, 2014). This is a method of mental training, which includes intense and deep meditation that can be achieved by focusing on a single object and helps to interrupt the human stress response (Creswell, Pacilio, Lindsay, & Brown, 2014). This technique is crucial for law enforcement officers and helps to avoid focusing on the problems and not to be subjected to even more emotional pressure. Thus, relaxation techniques do not relieve police officers from the problems, but they help to relax and distract from irrelevant details in daily life. Due to such techniques, it is possible to interrupt stress response and solve problems with new forces.
References
Creswell, J., Pacilio, L., Lindsay, E., & Brown, K. (2014). Brief mindfulness meditation training alters psychological and neuroendocrine responses to social evaluative stress. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 44, 1-12. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2014.02.007
Patterson, G., Chung, I., & Swan, P. (2012). The effects of stress management interventions among police officers and recruits. Campbell Systematic Reviews, 7. …
