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FEATURE Solutions to the Stress of Technology for physical ftness, such as free gym membership or on-site ftness equipment. EAP programs and critical incident debriefng are also often effective dealing with specifc crises as they come up. While these efforts are clearly important pieces of police offcer wellness, modern wellness programs also need to address the threat that is equal or even greater by specifcally targeting day-today stress. Given the serious threat to police offcers posed by stress, wellness programs should be given the same priority as other police in-service training programs and paid for from the agency's training budget. To focus programs on stress reduction, a holistic approach is needed. There is a growing understanding that stress is best managed by using the same tool that tends to create it—the mind. Many people try to manage their stress level by managing the outside world, trying to control the very situations or circumstances they believe are causing them stress. Yet Today's police officer carries numerous pieces of in reality, the circumstances they are exposed to technology. The high-stress nature of police work may be aren't the real source of stress; so trying to manage made even more stressful by our reliance on technology. them will only lead to further frustration. While traditional stress-reduction techniques such as exercise, diet and sleep can be helpful to reduce the erating citizen complaints, falling asleep while driving, and underlying level of stress, only the mind has the capacity to making serious administrative errors. prevent a stressful response in the frst place. With continued exposure to stress, an underlying level of The mind creates stress by focusing on how one might be tension is created. This constant tension, although subtle at running late, or on all of the better uses for one's time. And times, begins to impact the way a person thinks. There is a while the level of stress might be mitigated through managclear relationship between an individual's stress level and ing the circumstances by setting aside more time for coffee or his tendency to make mistakes. A person's mood, temperadriving, it is just a matter of time before everyone gets stuck ment and judgment are also impacted. This can lead to anxibehind the customer with a stack of coupons at the grocery ety, depression and signifcant behavioral problems, both in store or someone slips into the open parking space seconds and outside the workplace. before them, especially when there is somewhere else to be. In some occupations, mistakes, bad temperament and poor The most effective method to manage any stress is to discijudgment might be inconvenient or even impact an organizapline the mind to react appropriately. tion's productivity and proft. However, for law enforcement, which relies on the support of the public to be effective and Ancient Solutions makes decisions impacting people's lives and freedom, these The modern-day problem of stress has ancient solutions. technostress outcomes could lead to signifcant dysfunction. Whether the source of stress is the common, technostress or waiting in line, even the medical profession is recognizing the Managing Stress by Managing the Mind mind-body model holds the key to controlling stress. The Stress As technology continues to advance, one option for reducing Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical technostress is to become less technology reliant as a profesCenter is one program demonstrating the power of this model. sion. However, since there are great benefts that also come The program recognizes stress is a signifcant cause of with technology, the better solution is to embrace the techmental and physical illness and pain and treats large numnology of today and the future and commit to a strategy for bers of patients through "mindfulness meditation." Although managing police offcer stress. the term "meditation" might still conjure up images of a hipPolice departments should move toward: 1) comprehenpie sitting in the lotus position for some, the Massachusetts sive wellness programs; 2) mind-based techniques for stress program has helped move the ancient practice of meditation reduction; and/or 3) mandatory participation by all memfrom the esoteric toward the mainstream. bers of the organization in wellness programs developed for The program has been remarkably successful and has helped that purpose. large numbers of people deal with stress, pain and anxiety. There Police departments should develop comprehensive wellare many ways to practice meditation, but one simple form inness programs that take a holistic approach to managing the volves simply sitting, closing your eyes, and focusing on the stress being compounded by technology. Typical police wellbreathing. Meditation can be practiced on an airplane, and there ness programs, where they do exist, might provide incentives is even a form of "walking meditation." Although it takes time 54 LAW and ORDER I June 2013