Take time for ramping down after shift

Before work, most cops take some ramp-up time to tactically focus and mentally prepare to enter the shift with the right on duty mindset. If you don’t, you should!

On the flip side, however, how many cops take some ramp-DOWN time at the end of each shift to mentally prepare to return home ready to get back into family life? Doing so can be critical to a healthy personal life, both for you and your family.

When your tour is over, take a few minutes to relax and decompress. Consider a candid attitude inventory. Are you uptight? Stressed out? Carrying post-shift emotional baggage that could cause you to be short-tempered? Are you still feeling frustrated after a particularly challenging call with a particularly infuriating individual? If so, remember that it was the job and your work experience that inspired these emotions. Not your family.

This is not to say you should bury job-inspired emotions completely. The point is to take a little time to try and relax so you can avoid unintentionally putting your loved ones in a line of emotional after-shift fire they didn’t inspire and they don’t deserve.