REP'S BLOG INTERNATIONAL


STRESS AWARENESS WEEK


The first week of November marked International Stress Awareness Week. An important topic that is ever-present in day to day life, PC Claire Bond has opened up to share her story of how stress has impacted her and the support out there for anyone who may need it.


She writes: “I joined Staffordshire Police in 2001 and joined the Federation as a rep in 2018. I was always quite passionate from the beginning about changing people’s lives for the better. However, on 23 September 2018 it was


my whole life that changed when I was seriously injured on duty. In the blink of an eye, 17 years as a frontline response officer came to an end. The stress that came with me being


injured started straightaway. I spent the next two years desperately fighting to return to a job I love and to be the person I was before my life was turned upside down. The first year was all about physical


recovery. When my consultant said it would be 18 to 24 months before I could recover, I heard six months. I felt the need to prove how easy I could fix myself and get up and get walking. But the reality was I could hardly move as both legs were in braces. I felt utterly useless. I felt I was such a burden. As time went on, the stress of trying to


be upbeat to my visitors and trying to rush through the recovery process took its toll. I had to go on medication and accept that recovery was going to be for the long haul. I couldn’t understand it - why would my body not do what I wanted it to? The second year of my recovery was all


about my mental wellbeing and attitude. Pretty early on, anxiety became common place in my day to day. I began to avoid people and I was constantly questioning


Staffordshire workplace representative Claire Bond.


myself and my emotions, asking ‘why do I feel like this?’ Everything was an uphill battle. The emotional and mental stresses


that were left behind from the incident were as prominent and as hard to deal with as the physical. The euphoria I had got from improving physically turned at times to despair. I didn’t sleep well, I became really irritable and I wasn’t nice to be around. I was avoiding talking about it and everything around me felt grey. I was very anxious and became increasingly angry. I didn’t like the person I had become, so I put my hand up and asked for help. I attended the Police Treatment Centre


in Harrogate for the first time in April 2019. They also put me in contact with Police Care who helped me with a grant to alter my bathroom from a bath to a shower to assist in future-proofing my house. The place has been a lifesaver in managing the physical stress caused by the incident, and I would recommend all police officers sign up for their local treatment centre. The Fed has got us such good deals on the price, but the support they offer is priceless. My Federation colleagues always helped me keep busy by inviting me to the Branch Council meetings and I became a trustee, so at least I could still be involved at work. The Fed also helped me gain information on contacting the Department for Work and Pensions to claim both PIP and Industrial Injury Benefits, which helped financially and took off some pressure. All this has kept me busy and helped


my self-esteem, especially after being given the diagnosis that I will not be able to return to frontline policing, but will no doubt be office based for the remainder of my career. Without the support that I received


from my family, my friends and my Federation and all that they can offer, I wouldn’t have made it to where I am now. There is no shame in asking for help to


deal with stress. Reach out as soon as you can, don’t wait until it’s too late. There are so many avenues offering support and so many people who can guide you through. We are all in this together.” Stress can manifest itself in many


different ways. Physical, mental and emotional, and any one of these can have a huge impact on a person. We can’t remove stress in policing, but we can talk about it more and do more to help one another. Some stress can be good for us. But


when it stops being good for you, that’s when members need to reach out. If you feel you are experiencing stress and you need to chat with someone, the first port of call is your local branch, where local reps can confidentially advise you on the best way forward.


‘There is no shame in asking for help to deal with stress’


27 I POLICE I DECEMBER 2021


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