I heard of a study that was done some time ago that revealed something surprising about stress. It involved three groups of rats. The first group was kept stress-free. They had everything a rat could want: plenty of space, food, companionship, toys, and so forth. Life was good in Rat Land for Group One.

The second group was subjected to stress in the form of an electric shock. It did not damage them, but it was unpleasant and distressed them. It was random; they could not predict when it would happen. It varied in duration, so once it began there was no telling how long it would last. It ran through the floor of the entire cage, so they couldn't escape it. Their life was stressful.

The third group was subjected to the same stress, but was given the means to stop the shock. There was a red button in the cage. The rats were trained to hit the button when the current started, which interrupted the circuit. Life was stressful for Group Three, but they had control that Group Two lacked.

After a certain amount of time living under these conditions, the rats were examined and their physical health measured. To no one's surprise, the stressed rats were the unhealthiest. The surprise of the study lay in which were the healthiest. It was not the stress-free group, but the group trained to use the red button. The researchers concluded that it is not stress that diminishes health, but helplessness in the face of stress.

This is an important finding! How many stressors are there in police work? You never know, when you begin your shift, if you are going to be holding a dead baby before your work day is through, or if you or a colleague is going to be the target of some violence, or be involved in a traffic accident. You must deal with the politics of your community and your department. You often must deal with the ignorance of those who have believed the false portrayal of cops put forth in the media. You do not know when you are going to be served with papers informing you that you are being sued for some action you took professionally. Police work is full of stressors. It is essential for you to find the "red button" in your cage! The good news is there are some very important aspects of your life that are under your control, if you will take control of them and not let them slide.