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Every year, as the calendar turns, many of us feel a renewed sense of hope. The New Year seems to offer a clean slate—a symbolic reset button for habits we want to change and goals we want to achieve. We promise ourselves that  this  will be the year things are different. Yet for many people, those New Year’s resolutions fade quickly. If you’ve ever made a resolution that didn’t work out, you’re far from alone.  Why Do We Look to the New Year for Change?  The New Year represe

By Brad Arleth M.S. for Responder Heath Back pain affects nearly 80% of first responders at some point in their careers, with studies showing that police officers experience lower back problems at rates significantly higher than the general population. Firefighters report chronic hip and back issues at alarming rates, often linked to the physical demands of the job combined with something seemingly innocuous: sitting. Whether it's hours in a patrol car, manning a station desk

By Medina Baumgart, Psy.D., ABPP for Responder Health First responder relationships are uniquely challenging. The nature of the work requires a constant state of alertness, emotional containment, and a protective stance. Additional occupational stressors such as shift work, sleep deprivation, trauma exposure, and organizational pressure often spillover at home. Not because you are broken, but because you are human. While first responders are thoroughly trained to execute thei

By Brad Arleth, M.S. for Responder Health The Hidden Crisis Among Our Protectors Let's get candid about something most first responders don't like to talk about: the mental and physical toll of the job. The constant exposure to trauma, irregular schedules, and high-stress environments create a perfect storm for anxiety and depression. But there's another crisis quietly affecting those who serve—the epidemic of obesity and its direct connection to behavioral health problems. R