ARTICLES
ONE MINUTE SERIES
Here you can download or share brief, straight-to-the-point articles covering a wide range of topics from Psychological First Aid to self-improvement and self-care.
The OMS series is written specially with First Responders, Medical and Mental Health professionals in mind.
WHAT IS
PSYCHOLOGICAL FIRST AID?
Global statistics tell us that most people will experience a traumatic event at least once in their lifetime. After people encounter unexpected death, loss, severe injury, or perceived danger to themselves or others, they react strongly without any conscious effort to do so.
ACCUTE STRESS REACTION
Here is an empowering thing to know: Most professionals who have been traumatized during the course of their work will experience relief over time.
Immediately after a traumatic event (e.g. pediatric CPR) many people...
THANK YOURSELF
The nature of our jobs has us confronting misfortune on a regular basis.
We can feel as if we are in a war of attrition, an uphill battle with the odds stacked against us before we even started. We step into the ring daily...
SOCIAL SUPPORT
Social Support has an integral role in determining how people recover from the traumatic events they experience at work or life in general.
Numerous studies investigating protective and risk factors regarding PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) have found...
NAMING EMOTIONS
Among the most important skills a person can develop for self-care is the ability to identify what emotion they feel when things are tough.
The ability to skillfully name emotions is sometimes called "Affect Labeling".
Our emotions serve an important purpose, being like indicator lights to...
MEDIA CATASTROPHIZING
The human mind is designed to react and respond to what it takes in through the five senses. We constantly examine ourselves & our surroundings to assess safety and survival needs. If we notice that something in our environment is amiss...
AVOIDANCE
Human beings are instinctively programmed to avoid pain in order to survive. Throughout the day we try to keep ourselves safe by avoiding dangerous things that we suspect might cause us pain and harm. For example, we may attempt to stay away from...
SELF CARE MAKING TIME
It is easy to go through an entire day without doing kindness with ourselves. An old Talmudic adage states "If I will not be there for myself, who will be?" There are some things in life that only we can do for ourselves, such as...
RELATIONSHIP WITH PHONE
A lot of people find their daily routine to be exhausting, juggling work with family matters, social obligations, and various chores. It may feel like we are always running from task to task, living in a society that is constantly making demands...
STIGMA
Many First Responders, Medical Professionals, and Mental Health Professionals report in psychotherapy that it was hard for them to admit they were struggling with trauma or other challenges and to seek help.
These professionals often explain that their reluctance to seek help was due to the stigma created by First Responder culture. A myth has been perpetuated among...
SLEEP HYGIENE AND DEPRIVATION
Scientists tell us that getting enough sleep is integral to emotional wellbeing, maintaining our physical health, & being successful. It is speculated that most people do not get enough sleep due to behavioral factors in our personal lives or...