Managing the Aftermath: A Guide to Post-Incident Stress

The body does not know the call is over. Adrenaline, cortisol and heart rate stay elevated long after you clear the scene, and the habits you build in the first hour decide how the next week feels. Start with breath. Four seconds in, four hold, four out, four hold, repeated for two minutes, measurably lowers heart rate and pulls you out of a sympathetic state. Then move. A ten minute walk before you write your report metabolizes the stress hormones still circulating. Sitting still in a running unit keeps them there. Finally, talk. Not a formal debrief, just a two minute check with someone who was there. Naming what happened out loud is the single most protective thing you can do in the first hour.