Married to the Badge

It’s a fact of life that we all deal with stress. There is a level of stress to some degree in every profession and obviously those in police work are not immune. Police work brings with it stress that is excessive and never ends.

When a Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) carries unresolved stress from home to work, it can be very damaging. He may find himself unfocused and lacking in judgment when he needs it most.

The same goes for the reverse scenario in that stress carried over from work to home can be very damaging to one’s marriage and family life.

This can contribute to a horrible cycle where, to feel better, your LEO may release his stress with anger by venting and yelling about things that have nothing to do with the actual problem. He may not even now why he is stressed out anymore. It has just become a way of life.

The venting of this pent up stress does allow the officer to feel better for awhile, but the consequences of his actions can be monumental. The more he vents, the better he feels (for the moment at least), and in the end this only results with his spouse or child being alienated and distant. Those closest to him, he ends up pushing away.

Communication is key. Shutting down emotionally, easier though it may be, will not help your marriage, your children, or your LEO. Keep talking. Keep the walls down. I realize this isn’t easy and am definitely at fault when it comes to becoming emotionally detached from my spouse, but in the end, when retirement nears and we see that light at the end of the tunnel, it’s not what any of us want.

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