- Published on
Hersch Wilson is a firefighter, writer and author of Firefighter Zen: A Field Guide to Thriving in Tough Times. His Zen meditation practice empowers Mr. Wilson to be calm, present, creative and composed so that he can “see the problem and all possible solutions. I sometimes need out-of-the-box ideas, like how to disentangle a car from a bridge abutment or how to get a large man with intense back pain out of his bathroom and down three flights of stairs.”
The “mental” tools he uses to deal with emergencies and crises as a firefighter are the same Zen tools anyone can use “in all sorts of situations when the goal is to stay calm and creative when everyone around you is losing their heads.” To become this kind of calm, composed individual who can deal effectively with any life issue, Mr. Wilson advises tapping into these two simple mantras:
#1) This is not my emergency. Mr. Wilson provides this explanation: “When firefighters respond to a call, no matter how serious, we drum into our brains that—while this might be an emergency for the person, the patient, the owner of a house on fire—it isn’t our illness, injury, or home burning. We can be empathetic, but we don’t want to absorb and reflect back someone else’s panic. It’s not our emergency. It’s our job, we train for it, and most likely we’ve seen it or something like it before.”
#2) Go slow to go fast. “When we rush, we make mistakes, and mistakes cost time” he notes and explains: “When I’m on a scene, especially a complex one, I repeat this endlessly. If I slow down, check that I have the right medication, make sure that I’ve grabbed the right end of a hose line (seriously), then I actually save time. Nothing is more frustrating than having to repeat steps because I’ve zoomed and forgotten something.” When dealing with an emergency, remember to “go slow” as much as is realistic. This means avoiding panic racing out of the house to the hospital but forgetting insurance documents or your cell phone.
Finally, Mr. Wilson strongly promotes practicing ‘square’ breathing. It’s a simple breath exercise used by professionals in high stress jobs such as Navy seals and firefighters. This simple technique slows down the breath which leads to more effective emergency management because slow breath produces a slower more thoughtful mind. Here’s how to do ‘square’ breathing:
1. Two seconds: inhale
2. Two seconds: hold your breath
3. Two seconds: exhale
4. Two seconds: hold
5. Repeat for four to six breaths
To develop this skill practice it regularly. “Get up in the morning, square breathing. Stuck in traffic, breathe. Before you walk into your home after work breathe. Once it becomes a habit, you’ll notice that after the first breath you’ll start to relax, your shoulders will drop, and you’ll be able to think more clearly.”
The “mental” tools he uses to deal with emergencies and crises as a firefighter are the same Zen tools anyone can use “in all sorts of situations when the goal is to stay calm and creative when everyone around you is losing their heads.” To become this kind of calm, composed individual who can deal effectively with any life issue, Mr. Wilson advises tapping into these two simple mantras:
#1) This is not my emergency. Mr. Wilson provides this explanation: “When firefighters respond to a call, no matter how serious, we drum into our brains that—while this might be an emergency for the person, the patient, the owner of a house on fire—it isn’t our illness, injury, or home burning. We can be empathetic, but we don’t want to absorb and reflect back someone else’s panic. It’s not our emergency. It’s our job, we train for it, and most likely we’ve seen it or something like it before.”
#2) Go slow to go fast. “When we rush, we make mistakes, and mistakes cost time” he notes and explains: “When I’m on a scene, especially a complex one, I repeat this endlessly. If I slow down, check that I have the right medication, make sure that I’ve grabbed the right end of a hose line (seriously), then I actually save time. Nothing is more frustrating than having to repeat steps because I’ve zoomed and forgotten something.” When dealing with an emergency, remember to “go slow” as much as is realistic. This means avoiding panic racing out of the house to the hospital but forgetting insurance documents or your cell phone.
Finally, Mr. Wilson strongly promotes practicing ‘square’ breathing. It’s a simple breath exercise used by professionals in high stress jobs such as Navy seals and firefighters. This simple technique slows down the breath which leads to more effective emergency management because slow breath produces a slower more thoughtful mind. Here’s how to do ‘square’ breathing:
1. Two seconds: inhale
2. Two seconds: hold your breath
3. Two seconds: exhale
4. Two seconds: hold
5. Repeat for four to six breaths
To develop this skill practice it regularly. “Get up in the morning, square breathing. Stuck in traffic, breathe. Before you walk into your home after work breathe. Once it becomes a habit, you’ll notice that after the first breath you’ll start to relax, your shoulders will drop, and you’ll be able to think more clearly.”
0 Comments