The Gumby Wellness Principles!
When I was a kid there were two things that we loved and looked forward to, Saturday morning cartoons and weekday afternoon reruns. It was a very different world than we live in today, where everything is streamed on demand anytime, any day, almost anywhere. No need to be home, or in front of the TV at a certain time. Now you just need your phone, a signal of some sort (or just have it downloaded) and some free time.
I know but you say Ryan, what does this have to do with Wellness? Well, I am glad you asked. Some people think that wellness is somehow about not having any problems, or having a stress free life, not letting anything affect us. “I am fine…stuff like that doesn’t affect me”. “I’ve seen this before a hundred times…this won’t be any different”. We think that wellness is about toughness and that toughness is about having that hard outer shell. We glamourize it by calling it “armor”. We don’t bend and we don’t break. We can take any blow and not be moved. Never let them see you sweat and never, never, let them know you cry or even better just don’t cry. Well, my friends, this mindset is quickly becoming as outdated as Saturday morning cartoons or the Brady Bunch reruns on Tuesday afternoon at 4:30.
One of those cartoons was a clay animation called Gumby. Gumby is a great picture of what wellness needs to be about today. He wasn’t hard but rather he was quite flexible. He could bend in a thousand different directions, but he wouldn’t break. Gumby is a symbol of resilience and what true wellness is all about. Gumby was used to teach lessons on virtues & values to kids in the 1950’s and often took on the role of being a first responder
So our goal in wellness is to be resilient, to bend but not break, to be affected without being overwhelmed, to be stretched with out losing our ability to return to our original form, having the ability to return to a healthy form after enduring things that get us bent all out of shape. We call these traumatic stress inuries (TSI) and when they accumalate without being treated or helped they are referred to as PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder). We talk a lot about how to deal with PTSD and TSI injuries after the event but the best way to be resilient is to prepare for them before we get in the situation. To put in the training and the work that allows us to be flexible in less than ideal situations. I want to lay out for you some essential elements for resilience that we all need to be working on in our lives. These are not new to me but rather insights that I have gained from listening to, reading and researching what others have said or done. We will call them the Gumby Principles! If we work on these skills in advance we will be known for our flexibility and resiliency.
Here is a list & breakdown of what we can call The Gumby Wellness principles
Awareness is having the ability to look around me and within me to grasp a hold of the reality that is happening. Situational awareness is absolutely essential for you as a first responder to make it through your day. You are trained in it, reminded of it, and you live it out on every call you take, each stop you make, or situations you find yourself in on the job. Situational awareness is what we have been trained to put our focus. But to be resilient in our lives we need to learn the skill of self awareness. What do we see when we look in the mirror? Do we ever look in the mirror of self reflection? How do other people experience us in their lives? Tasha Eurich said in her Ted Talk on self awareness "Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself." When it comes to being resilient the key to everything we are about to discuss is that we must live in self awareness. Here is a link to a good explanation of self-awareness and how to grow in our self-awareness.
Composure is about emotional regulation, patience and dealing with adverse situations. You were most likely hired to do this job because of your composure or tempermant. We look for people who are calm under pressure, not easily rattled. People who have the ability to slow things down when the pressure ramps up and is moving at warp speed.
While composure might be part of our natural disposition, it can also be a perishable skill. We all have a limit as to what we can handle and we all need tools to help us when we are stretched beyond our limits. Being able to self-regulate is a skill that we all need to work on to help us maintain our flexibility and resilience. There are some key things that we can look for to see when we are at our limits. Here are some questions to consider:
When something upsets me and/or hijacks my emotions, how long does it take for me to feel calm again?
Am I aware of the signs in my body that signal that I am on the verge of losing my composure?
What tools do I have for calming myself after something emotionally intense happens? Deep breathing, walking in nature, closing my eyes, and labeling my emotions are examples of calming strategies.
Am I utilizing the tools I have learned over the years? Many times we learn what to do but forget to practice it in the hustle of life.
Have others expressed concern to me regarding my moodiness, disposition or composure?
If you feel sad, moody or anxious, have emotional outbursts, or are unable to cope, it might be time to get help.
Collaboration is about relationships, support networks and working in teams. We all have gifts but no one has all the gifts. We need each other and especially in times of crisis or stress. We go to people we trust and we trust people that we know. The best time to build your collaboration network is before the crisis not after the crisis. The people we choose to befriend are the ones we will most likely turm to and collaborate with, we must choose wisely.
Emotions are contagious. Am I more likely to be an infector or infected?
Do I have people I can rely on; people I can trust?
Am I someone others trust and like?
What are my strengths and talents that I can contribute to others I collaborate with?
What are my weaknesses that I need others to cover?
If you do not have a support network of friends or confidents, it may be time to intentionally begin to put that network together. If you feel lonely or abandoned, have high social anxiety and are unable to relate to others, it might be time to get help.
Vision is about those things that are in front of you, what you see, where we focus our attention. Where are you heading?, and why do you want to go there? Dr. Kevin Gilmartin talks about the power of our calendar to keep us from slipping into dark places. Having a plan to work that goes beyond work. What are you looking forward to? Who do you want to help? Do you have goals, values and a sense of self-worth? Is your plan for your life bigger than your job? This is all about your vision. Here are some questions for us to consider.
Where am I going with my life?
Do I have a sense of purpose?
Do I know – and act on – my priorities?
Please get help immediately if you feel hopeless; like you’re in everyone’s way. If you feel like you “don’t want to do this anymore” or like “everything would be better if you were not around,” please reach out for help right now.
Adaptability is about problem-solving, resourcefulness and being ready for obstacles and ever changing circumstances. Some are tempted to confuse resiliance with not having to adapt. The most resiliant among us are not those who resist the change but rather those who embrace it. This charcteristic of resilience is summed up well by the unofficial slogan of the U.S. Marines - improvise, adapt, overcome!
How are your problem-solving skills?
Can you challenge your thinking with questions like, “will this thought help me grow?” or “does this thought help me to connect with others?”
How’s your curiosity?
Are you able to see change as an opportunity?
Are you able to bounce back from mistakes and learn from criticism?
Are you able to hold yourself accountable for your performance?
Are you able to remain hopeful even in difficult situations?
If you cannot cope with personal challenges or deal with difficult situations, or have thought distortions that cause problems with your ability to function, these are signs that you should seek help.
Tenacious Gratitude is about the ability to persevere, see the good and get back on track. We are surrounded by and called out to some of the worst situations in our community. If we are not careful, we can begin to think that this is how the world has become. But if we tenaciously look around us we will see much for which we can be thankful. We usually find whatever we are looking for and are focused on! A thankful attitude changes us and the people we are around. Don’t just be thankful for what you have, be thankful for who you have. Be thankful for others and to others. Words like thank you, I appreciate that, that means a lot to me, will not only make you feel better, but they will affect the people you speak them to in a positive way. Gratefulness finds its superpower when we recognize it and articulate it in a tangible way.
Do I have gratitude practice or Rythm?
Are the words, thank you, I appreciate that, I appreciate you, a regular part of my vocabulary?
Do I often feel thankful but not express it?
If it is hard for you to think of things for which you are grateful, if it is difficult, awkward or uncomfortable for you to express your thankfulness to others, if you feel pessimistic, hopeless, or think that there is nothing good in your life for which you can be thankful, you should reach out for some support.
Physical Health is about exercise, sleep, nutrition and brain health. Our body’s are the tool that we most need and the tool that we most often neglect. Our physical, mental and emotional health are really all interwined. What we put into our bodies affects us. Sleep is a superpower that gives us a bigger advantage than most of us realize or understand. What we eat, how much we sleep and the priority we put on exercise all effects how our brain functions. Our mindset is greatly affected by our brains health. Exercise is not just about your physical strength or appearance, it has a huge impact on our attitude, mindset, endurance and self-confidence. A rested you is always better than an exhasuted you!
Are you getting between 7-9 hours of good quality sleep daily?
Are you getting enough cardio, weightlifting, walking, cycling, boxing, basketball or other exercise?
How’s your nutrition or your whole, plant foods-to-processed foods ratio?
How much alcohol or other recreational pharmaceuticals are you ingesting?
Is your weight, blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol under control?
If you’re unhealthy, not sleeping, overusing alcohol or drugs, or not caring for chronic diseases, it’s time to get help and see your physician.
Resilience is the key to a long career as a first responder. The goal isn’t to survive your carreer but rather to thrive in the midst of and long after your career is over. Being a first responder will stretch you, you will get bent put of shape, and pushed beyond your comfort zone. Some people will not bounce back, they will not return to their healthy state of being. Others will be able to thrive because they have put the work in and have deveoloped an elasticity that enables them to be resilient and return to their healthy form. The choices are a personal ones, that only you can make for yourself. Choose wisely!