A must read story for LEOs and Retirement

The Dark Demons of LEO Retirement

 

It has always been one of the most anticipated and peaceful thoughts in life to enjoy the benefits of retirement as it are certainly one of the joys of living. Life as we have known it was always a rat race and life in the fast lane that brought us success and happiness on the journey to having it all and enjoying your retirement in the sun.

There are many success stories of people retiring while prospering and doing what they want to do with their time after working but there are also demons hidden in the living style called retirement. These demons exist in the lives of those retiring from law enforcement and how they cope with the dynamics of no longer being part of what is one of the world’s largest support groups and active lifestyle occupations.

I retired three years ago. I can relate to the disconnection, the withdrawal of camaraderie and being a part of a circle of friends that had before retiring consumed your day and schedule. I would like to hear more from others and share experiences about this withdrawal of my support system and finding a new way to be independent but yet socially connected in some way different but satisfying to me as a retired law enforcement officer.

The fact is that many law enforcement officers (LEO) experience the darkness of suicides in a much higher rate than it should be. A report states it is as high as 40 suicides per year. The sudden disconnection of 20 to 40 years of service to an occupation leaves them in an “out of sight, out of mind” situation that needs to be adjusted through some type of support mechanism rarely available for many of them.  Aside from the fact that some officers poorly plan their retirement with shallow or thin blankets of security there are many other jobs they can perform after retirement in the security management business or loss prevention control departments.  However, many find this type of job unsatisfying and this creates more stress.

It would be surreal to believe that once you retire it is nothing but hunting and fishing and traveling around the country as it just isn’t so in real life. Experiencing this withdrawal is sudden and painful. It comes at the worst times and often accompanied with stress and severe anxiety. Suddenly and unexpectedly the rat race has turned into a snail’s pace and live is different all the way around. The dark demon lurking inside them is the fact there are still too many post-traumatic stress issues unresolved in their heads and mind that keeps them on the edge of life most of the time.

Retirement is often the “quick sign your papers and out of the door” experience. It has no after care or post maintenance program for your body or your mind. Retirement does not include elements of the emotional care you need when you leave your experience and your energy at the back door in this workplace where you entered it with youth and spirit through the front door.

Living the lifestyle of going zero to 60 in nano seconds changes to life in the slow lane overnight. It leads to problems never anticipated or thought of when working and productive. If it wasn’t for friends or family that could relate to my problems it would have been much worse to cope with and likely end up in a severe depression created by the void of things we did when we were working. Hence it is important that you sit down with your family and work out a productive plan to maintain relationships, friendships and find alternative goals to be productive and enjoy life to the fullest and have fun doing it. It is meant to be that way when you work hard all your life to finally enjoy the fruits of your labor.

If you are interested in to see how actual LEO suicide numbers stack up: http://www.badgeoflife.com/retirees.php?goback=%2Egde_151721_member_214342124