PIVOT AND REDIRECT
FINDING CALM IN THE OFF SEASON
BY BEQUI LIVINGSTON
I love the phrase pivot and redirect; it applies perfectly to healing from traumatic stress and grief, especially after fire season.
As we all know, nothing ever stays the same, especially in wildland fire. Everything changes. The seasons change, the tides change, and wildland fire continues to change; yet we as humans, avoid change like the plague. Change can bring comfort but can also bring terror; change can bring good, but it can also bring chaos. When dealing with traumatic stress and grief, especially once the fire season winds down, our thoughts and emotions tend to surface, partially due to our autonomic nervous system being overwhelmed from the stress of the fire season. We do everything we can to distract ourselves from this chaos by reverting to our comfort zones, which can include turning to maladaptive coping behaviors such as busyness, alcohol, substance abuse, or other addictions, because change becomes too hard.
When we pivot, we make sure one foot is planted in a stable safety zone while letting the other foot explore. As the traumatic stress and grief from this past fire season begins to unwind, it’s important to keep that one foot planted and grounded; this may include reaching out to your safe and trusted support systems – the people who help keep you grounded while providing safe space for you to talk about what’s on your mind. Finding healthy ways to engage in self-care of your choosing is also essential to grounding and helping to calm your nervous system after fire season. Wildland firefighters tend to live in a constant state of adrenaline addiction during the fire season and long after it’s over, the sympathetic nervous system on high alert 24/7 as stress hormones continue to circulate through the body. It takes time, patience, and intention to allow the nervous system time to calm down, unwind, and heal.
How do we focus on self-care, especially when we’re stuck in the remnants of the sympathetic survival mode of fight and / or flight? In this state we tend to be angry, impatient, judgmental, elusive, anxious, fearful, overworking, arguing, running away, and reverting to our addictions and distractions. Self-care modalities that are helpful in this state include breathwork, mindfulness, somatic movement (such as yoga or Tai Chi), and bodywork (such as massage, chiropractic, or cranio-sacral).
Considering trauma-safe therapy with a professional you trust is helpful. Do whatever you can to to s-l-o-w down and find some stillness, even when it’s uncomfortable. You can then allow the other foot to move around, redirect, until it too finds stability and safety. As the saying goes in recovery and healing: One step forward and 20 steps back What self-care techniques work best when you’re stuck in the parasympathetic dorsal vagal survival mode of shut down, freeze, and collapse? This is an especially hard place to be, because you have little or no motivation to do anything, especially pivot and redirect. This is where we tend to feel sad, depressed, lethargic, unworthy, unloved, unmotivated, hopeless, helpless and may experience suicidal ideations.
Self-care modalities to consider when stuck in this parasympathetic dorsal vagal mode include active movement such as walking, dancing or jumping jacks to get out of freeze mode, and splashing your face with cold water or holding cold soda cans can help jump-start your system back into a more sympathetic mode. Other helpful modalities include breathwork, somatic movement, and mindfulness if you’re able. Social engagement is also important when in this state, to activate the parasympathetic ventral vagal branch. Meeting with friends for coffee or a walk in the woods, participating in a support group, going to a safe event where you’ll be around other people, and especially participating in trauma-safe therapy can help re-engage the nervous system. It’s too easy to isolate ourselves when in this mode, which isn’t healthy.
This delicate dance to find calm is never linear, it’s all over the place, like a toddler scribbling with crayons. Yet, we must do our best to keep that one foot planted, grounded, and safe. If both feet are ungrounded, then we may have a hard time moving forward, leaving our nervous system in chaos.
As you learn to pivot and redirect this off-season, may you find strength and courage to prioritize your self-care needs. May you look back at the fire season, doing an after-actionreview of yourself, your relationships, and your health. What worked well, and served you best? What didn’t work well, and didn’t serve you? And what can you do differently, to pivot and redirect, during this off-season, and make some changes to help you heal and prepare for wildfire season 2025?
HELPFUL RESOURCES:
Dr. Arielle Schwartz: www.drarielleschwartz.com
The Mindful Center: www.themindfulcenter.com
First Responder Wellness: www.firstresponder-wellness.com Recovery Ways: https://www.recoveryways.com/ rehab-blog/first-responders-trauma-the-benefits-of-rewiringneuropathways-via-therapy/
