I am well aware that I often view my occupation as a firefighter through a biased lens. It's a
profession that has an entire culture wrapped around it and several of the eight dimensions of
wellness that make up my fondness for the job (financial, occupational, physical, and social
dimensions as defined in our reading) (Garcia, 2015). I feel financially secure, have a great
sense of fulfillment from work, get to physically push myself through fitness and the stresses
of emergency incidents, and have a vast social circle of firefighters and their families. It's
very easy for me to find complete solace in only maintaining the social circles I have at work
and to neglect or fail to pursue relationships outside of work and my immediate family. I
relate very well with my coworkers, due to our professions and similar interests away from
work (ie sports, fitness, homeownership) and most of us are aligned on our perspectives of
the outside world. We live together at work, so it's easy enough to hang out and do things
with each other outside of work together.
My wife constantly reminds me of the importance of maintaining relationships with people
who come from various walks of life. It assists the individual in continuing to grow and
helps deliver fresh perspectives on endless topics. For the last two or three years I've worked
hard to keep up with relationships away from work and it has certainly made me aware of the
biases I carry and view the world through because of the all-encompassing nature of my job.
Naturally, a group of individuals who spend loads of time together and lead similar lives can
fall victim to group think, so stepping away from the group and conversing with friends and
family from different backgrounds helps break those biases.
I am completely aware my social dimension of wellness is most well-rounded when I am able
to step away from my work circle from time to time and take inventory of my morals and
values as an individual. Staying in touch with who I am and what I stand for, building
relationships with people away from work, and not letting the biases of a group hyper-
influence me all help keep my wellness levels high. Doing something dangerous for a
profession requires some indoctrination of thought and a bias that there's purpose and
meaning to the work being performed, but keeping perspective of people outside of the
profession helps me be the best member of society I can be.
References:
Garcia, C. (2015). What are the Eight Dimensions of Wellness in Your Life?Colorado
Nurse,115(1), 6.
