Resilience Advice for Planners from Experts in High-Stress Careers

Whether it is public engagement, balancing the priorities of the local governing body with the long-term plans of the community, or trying to identify funding to move a project forward, working as a planner can feel hectic at times.

Add in a global pandemic, shifting federal guidance, and a rapid news cycle, and it may feel like everything is up in the air. Continuing to navigate through that uncertainty while also handling the complex emotions that come with living in the gray can be challenging.

But planners aren't alone and may be able to learn from other high-stress professionals in finding ways to improve their resiliency and establish helpful wellness routines.

Lessons From a Surgeon

How do frontline care workers and surgeons operate in a field where every decision is supercharged? "I think the real lesson — taught early in medical school and then residency — is to deal with the thing that is right in front of you," says Dr. Lenworth Jacobs Jr., a professor at the University of Connecticut in Farmington and director of the Trauma Institute at Hartford Hospital in Connecticut.

AVOID CARRYOVERS

Throughout a shift, a surgeon might see varying levels of severity in patient injuries, from a gunshot wound to a broken finger. But both patients expect the surgeon's best effort, attention, and care. The surgeon mustn't dwell on the traumatic case. "You cannot afford carryovers," Jacobs says, "because if you carry over the thinking, the angst, the anguish, and the distress from the previous patient, you're doing a disservice to the patient in front of you."

This will sound familiar to planners, who may go from a tough city council meeting one night to a charette the next morning. But whether it is an elected official, a teammate from a different department, or a community member wanting to make their corner of the world a little better, they all deserve a planner's focus and attention.

LEAN INTO TEAMWORK

Debrief sessions can also be effective ways of processing traumatic incidents to provide closure for the team members. "Have the people who are there and who are feeling the grief or the pain and have a debrief session as close to the event as possible," Jacobs says. "What was it? What did we do? What could we have done better? What could we have avoided?"

There is value in building camaraderie with colleagues, creating a network of peers who are all pulling on the same side of the rope and can bring a team of perspectives. And it can start with simple team-building activities or celebrations. "You begin to see that we're a team, and that is very helpful for a small group," Jacobs says.

"You need to remember that people come from different backgrounds, cultures, ethnicities, religions, and expectations. So, the more you make it a togetherness environment, the better off you're going to be."
—Dr. Lenworth Jacobs Jr.

Lessons From a Therapist

How does a therapist cope with trauma? That is one of the topics Dr. Lisa Corbin, a therapist and professor at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM), covers with her students.

Vicarious trauma — when a counselor internalizes the at-times disturbing stories they hear from their patients and subsequently experiences second-hand trauma.

Corbin says PCOM has put self-care and understanding the signs of vicarious trauma in the curriculum. "Vicarious trauma is what happens to us because we care about people, and that is the way the brain works," she says. "It builds a picture, because that is how we remember things well. But when someone is telling you a horrific story, you can't just tell your brain not to make the picture."

The key is to figure out what to do with that picture once it is created. "Once it is there, we have to find a place for it," she says.

FIND A TRANSITIONAL ACTIVITY

One way to train your brain to separate work from home life is by creating a transitional activity. For Corbin, that takes on the form of calling a friend on the commute home. Or on a particularly stressful day, it may involve spending that time in silence to allow her brain to process what happened.

There's no one-size-fits-all approach. "I remember when my mom used to come home from work, she would change right away into her pajamas," Corbin says. "I realize now it's because she wanted to leave work at work. That is a transitional activity."

It also doesn't have to be only at the end of the day. Corbin says that if she knows she has back-to-back sessions with clients who have experienced a lot of traumas, she sometimes makes a point to go to the restroom to wash her hands between those sessions. "I imagine all of the emotions associated with one client washing off and going down the drain," she says.

Other examples include:

• Taking a warm bath or shower at night can help settle your mind before going to sleep.
• Having a work-free space when eating.
• Completing important documentation before ending the workday.

UNDERSTAND HOW THOUGHTS IMPACT BEHAVIOR

During a recent workshop, Corbin had participants create "I am" statements to describe themselves. "We need to be reminded of who we are and why we went into this field," she says. "And if you find the 'why,' usually you'll find the 'how.'"

"We need to be reminded of who we are and why we went into this field. And if you find the 'why,' usually you'll find the 'how.'"
—Dr. Lisa Corbin

A positive mindset is also important to consider because thoughts can influence emotions, and emotions can influence behavior. "If I'm having the thought that I'm going to get fired, I'm going to become very anxious — and then I might start messing up my job," she says. "If I'm thinking things are never going to get better, is that true? How do I know that? Or, if I'm having this thought that I feel so helpless that there's nothing I can do. But if I step back, I can think about what I can do. Is there a group I can join? Is there a phone call I can make? What is it that might just bring me a little bit of a sense of control?"

Ways to improve positive thinking include:

• Take a break when you need it.
• Find a connection with your surroundings or get outside.

Lessons from First Responders

It can be difficult to unplug from a typical 9-to-5. Now imagine being on-call 24/7. The National Fraternal Order of Police has a section of its website dedicated to wellness tips and strategies for officers and other first responders. However, this helpful guidance can be applied to any line of work. The advice includes:

• Being mindful and meditating.
• Keeping a journal or finding other ways to pause and reflect.
• Emphasizing the importance of sleep and maintaining your physical health.
• Practicing breathing exercises.
• Eating a healthy diet with Omega-3 fatty acids improves cognitive function.

Top image: Barks_japan. iStock / Getty Images Plus.