As the vibrant community of San Diego welcomes the warmth and sunshine of June, we also embrace an important cause that touches us all, especially our dedicated First Responders: PTSI Awareness Month. This month, we come together to honor the incredible dedication and resilience of our First Responders while highlighting the significance of addressing post-traumatic stress injury . These individuals face immense stress and challenges daily, and it is crucial to break the silence and stigma surrounding PTSI. By sharing stories, resources, and support, we aim to foster a compassionate and informed community where our first responders feel seen, heard, and valued. Join us in this collective effort to prioritize mental health and create a stronger, healthier San Diego for all.

PTSD: A Silent Struggle

For First Responders & Veterans

Mindfulness and Relaxation Techniques

Engage your mind and ground yourself to alleviate the symptoms of PTSI with these effective techniques. The 5 Senses Exercise helps you reconnect with your surroundings, reducing stress. Box Breathing, a structured rhythm technique, reduces anxiety and improves focus. Progressive Muscle Relaxation, which involves systematically tensing and relaxing muscles, releases tension and enhances well-being. These exercises are essential tools to promote mindfulness and mental health for our dedicated First Responders in San Diego.

5 Senses Exercise

Engage your mind and ground yourself in the present moment with the 5 Senses Exercise. This simple yet powerful technique uses your five senses to help you reconnect with your surroundings, reduce stress, and enhance mindfulness.

Box Breathing

Find calm and balance through Box Breathing, a technique that involves mindful breathing in a structured rhythm. This exercise helps reduce anxiety, improve focus, and bring a sense of relaxation to both mind and body.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Release tension and achieve a state of deep relaxation with Progressive Muscle Relaxation. This exercise involves systematically tensing and then relaxing different muscle groups, helping you to alleviate stress and enhance overall well-being.

THE ORIGINAL “CALIFORNIA POLICE OLYMPICS

The United States Police & Fire Championships is an Olympic-style competition for athletes representing law enforcement, firefighters, and officers from corrections, probation, border protection, immigration and customs from across the country. Athletes compete in 38 different sporting events at 28 venues throughout San Diego County. The 2024

United States Police & Fire Championships will be held June 8-15, 2024. Register here

Feet on the Street: Events Celebrated Last Month

Motors For Minds - Our team had the great honor to be an exhibitor at the 2nd Annual Motors for Minds Event! It was truly incredible to table at such a wonderful event, meet with fellow First Responders, First Responder Families and community members. We had a joyous time being able to celebrate our First Responders this May is Mental Health Awareness Month, promoting their wellness, well-being and resiliency! A HUGE Thank You to Justin Loftis and Motors for Minds for inviting our program

out to celebrate our First Responder community.  Congratulations on another wonderful event!

I Love My Park Day - The program was very excited to be part of this year’s I Love My

Park Event! This event showcased what our local parks have to offer to the surrounding communities. It was a fantastic event that had a variety of parks programs and entertainment for our San Diego community. This was such a GREAT event and we are so appreciative to celebrate our Park Rangers, Parks, First Responder Community and San Diegans! Thank you for having us be part of this event, we are so happy to celebrate May is Mental Health Month in San Diego!

First Responder Suicide Prevention Training

San Diego County Suicide Prevention Council, in collaboration with Fire Captain Ryan J. Mitchell's First Responders Behavioral Health Support Program, is hosting a First

Responder Suicide Prevention Training. This free, 1-hour training helps prepare First Responders to prevent suicide by raising awareness about factors of suicide, learning conversation tools for suicide prevention, discussing resources, understanding factors of suicide, and identifying how to appropriately respond. Who should attend? Those who represent the First Responder population including Law Enforcement, Fire Departments, EMS, Dispatch, Lifeguard, CERT, or other emergency response communities.

(REGISTER HERE) June 5th, 2024 at 9am (PT) & June 19th, 2024 3pm (PT)

Group Presentation: Reducing Stigma

Resiliency is a top priority in the First Responder community. First Responders are at a greater risk for experiencing symptoms of depression and anxiety due to repeated exposure to trauma. Many First Responders are hesitant to seek help because of the stigma surrounding mental health. Our staff provides county-funded in-person & Zoom presentations to educate First Responders about stigma, resiliency & wellness,

recognize its impact, and provide tools to reduce stigma and promote wellness within the First Responder community. Our team is working to promote prevention and support First Responders – creating custom presentations to meet department needs.  Contact us today to request an in-person or Zoom presentation. For more information, please visit us at: www.sdfirstrespondersprogram.org 1-833-YU-FIRST (1-833-983-4778)

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This program is funded by the County of San Diego/HHSA

1-833-983-4778 SDFirstRespondersProgram.org

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