What do you do if you need to manage emotions effectively during an emergency?

In my experience I take a deep breath, analyze the situation and move forward. You didn’t cause it. It’s just your job to fix it. Plan A usually doesn’t work so you need to have a plan B and C ready to fall back on. My mantra is to be a sea of calm in an ocean of chaos.

I take a pause, a deep breath as some have said, and then take time to assess the situation. It is easy to become overwhelmed with the complexity of an emergency. So once I think I know what is going on, and have established situational awareness, I prioritize and start with the simple things that can be done first. this helps build confidence and a sense of progress. Take time to solicit advice and gain additional perspective while you form a team that you have confidence in. Lastly show confidence yourself, even if you have to pretend. Nothing erodes the confidence of a team faster than seeing the leader having a crisis of confidence.

Know yourself! When you're stressed, do you need to talk with friends for comfort or do you need to retreat in solitude? Knowing what you will need when the work hours are long, and the demand is great could mean the difference between keeping your job or switching careers.

First- realize that you did not cause the emergency or own it. Separating yourself from feeling that you own it is important. Managing a disaster after taking a step back to remind yourself that it is not about you. That can free you up to look at the incident free of some of the emotion. It sounds simple but it works. Also- get rest when you need it and limit caffeine intake.

In emergency situations, we need to recognize and name our emotions. It's like giving them a nametag and saying, "Welcome to the party, Fear. Take a seat, Anger. Sadness, you can have that cozy corner over there." By acknowledging our emotions, we're taking away their power to control us and allowing ourselves to navigate through the storm with a bit more clarity. Now have a calm conversation with them, dig deeper to understand the underlying reasons for your emotions. Are you feeling scared because of the immediate danger? Are you angry due to a perceived injustice? This self-reflection can provide valuable insights.

We teach using the acronym, C.A.L.M. Count your breathing (4x4) Affirmations (or prayer) Language: what you say to yourself and others Mission: stay focused on what needs to be done

One thing I've found helpful in such an instance is talking to someone and taking a deep breath and understand that the situation is already there and it needs to be sorted.

Communication is crucial. Share your feelings with trusted individuals, whether colleagues or friends. Expressing emotions can alleviate pressure and lead to a better understanding of the situation.

Una vez reconocemos el nivel emocional que nos expone ante una emergencia, el siguiente paso es manifestarlo con quien podamos sentir empatía y pueda entender la situación sin exacerbar la misma. Es clave contar con personas que tengan escucha activa y generen soluciones. Si por alguna razón, la emergencia no permite tiempos de respuesta emocional, convendría respirar, meditar y luego actuar.

I usually regulate my emotions by having a positive mindset that if my colleague can manage to handle such a situation i too can manage and knowing this won't last forever it's just a phase.

Use techniques like deep breathing or meditation to regulate your emotions and maintain a clear mind. Being aware of your emotional reactions allows you to develop appropriate self-regulation strategies.

The issue is that emotions cloud judgment and they are not effective when dealing with the incident so switch them off. That’s why the debrief is so important because that is when your emotions should show and you share them with like minded people.

An essential aspect of managing your emotions during an emergency response is to regulate and channel your emotions. We can learn to do this with training and understanding our emotions and one way I have learned to do it, not only for one self, but for a whole team is through training. Effective and realistic training will stress you, expose your emotions, and allow you to manage them safely. Training also allows you to be prepared for real scenarios to identify available resources and manage the team during this time.

El balance entre lo que manifestamos y pensamos es un hilo muy delgado, que tiende a causar desequilibrio. La clave es mantenerse consciente de la situación, respirar, ya que controlaría el sistema de salud interno del cuerpo y posteriormente, pensar o repetir sentencias positivas que contrarreste el caos que se pueda vivir con la emergencia. La ecuación perfecta devela que la mente es el campo de batalla y allí con habilidades blandas, se ejerce el poder de controlar o generar aún más caos.

Try to see your emotions in a more positive light by practicing perspective-taking. View challenges as opportunities for growth and strengthening your emotional resilience.

One thing I do to control the stress and emotions is consult with others that have more experience or different experience. This gives new light, empathy from experience, and a perspective that may clear the anxiety of emotions. Answers that can calm and direct energy come from the team you work with, the connections with others, and builds bonds that support not only your emotional stability in a stressful situation, but supports those you work with that may feel the same. Common experiences lend to a shared knowledge and work process that can make a team feel secure and confident that there will be success as long as the individuals in the team support each other.

In any emergency management of your emotions and state is essential. Know emergency numbers if phones working. What needs to happen for effective management. Identify leaders within the situation. Communication in group. Allocate groups for tasks. What is available. Clarity in process. Who else needs to be involved. Maintain calm to ensure successful outcome.

Empathy and support are essential in crisis situations. Actively listen and show compassion towards others. Sharing emotions collectively creates a supportive community and fosters collective resilience.

It's important to recognize when your own coping strategies are insufficient and professional help is needed. Psychologists and counselors can assist you in understanding your emotions and developing healthy coping mechanisms.

Advanced training and learnings are strong keys most of the time. Self-preparedness and insight comes from knowing the occupational atmosphere and processes. To manage emotions in an emergency, mock drills and trainings can be useful.

The question posed hinges on during an emergency. There is not a lot of time to delve deeply into naming emotions, asking why, speaking to others...all though they are important in a debrief. 1. Breathe, manage the fight or flight response. Get out of tunnel vision. 2. Don't respond too quickly into actions. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast. Consider priorities. Life (yours and others) then property. 3. Rely on your training which should've consisted of stress inoculation. Operate in the Yellow zone. Green zone is complacency, red is hair on fire. 4. Communicate effectively to others. Be specific. This engages the brain and helps diffuse tunnel vision in in #1. Nothing replaces scenario training. Physical/mental fitness is a must. 💪🧠

Stay informed about resources and support services available in emergency situations. Regularly participate in training and workshops to enhance your skills in managing emotions and crisis management.

There is a mentality in emergency management that pushes us to rely on our training. So what's the problem? We all receive a tremendous quantity of training, more so than almost any other profession. Rely on it! Know that you have been prepared for these incidents and each one is a learning experience. Make your instructors proud and utilize what they have taught you. Side Note: The book Emotional Intelligence is an excellent read and very applicable to many aspect of life including emergency management scenarios.

Tema en el cual poco se ha ahondado, no más en teoría, desde mi punto de vista como rescatista, por supuesto opinión personal, nadie está realmente preparando para ver trajedias dónde mueren personas, delante de ti, en tus manos, mucho menos donde hayan involucrados niños, y es una realidad que aturde los sentimientos, no es sino a través de los años que los rescatistas se vuelven fríos y distantes antes esa situación, más no insensibles ante ella, abriendo un umbral que pudiera ser de utilidad al pensar fría y sin distracción ante la emergencia, pero crea otro conflicto en el rescatista, cambia todo, la forma de ver la muerte, la percepción la vida, y es también objeto de estudio, en todo caso la ayuda no está demás.