Put Out Your Emotional Dumpster Fires Before They Burn You Out

WIn uniform, we were trained to stay calm under pressure, to “embrace the suck,” and to never leave a teammate behind. But many of us were never taught what to do after the mission ends — when the silence replaces the chaos, and the weight of unspoken emotions starts to pile up.

We’ve all seen it — the veteran who always seems on edge, the firefighter who never talks about what they’ve seen, the medic who jokes through pain, or the officer who bottles it all up until it explodes. These aren’t just personality quirks. They’re emotional dumpster fires — slow-burning collections of unprocessed trauma, stress, and grief that eventually catch up and combust.

It Doesn’t Just Go Away — It Builds

When we ignore what’s bothering us, we’re not making it disappear — we’re feeding the flame. According to Veterans Affairs Canada, untreated operational stress injuries (OSIs) can lead to broken families, addictions, depression, and even suicidal thoughts. These outcomes are all too common among both veterans and first responders. And they’re preventable.

Studies from the National Institutes of Health show that emotional suppression increases cortisol levels, disrupts sleep, worsens physical health, and reduces overall lifespan. In short, ignoring your emotions is like ignoring a fire alarm. You wouldn’t walk away from a burning building. Don’t walk away from yourself.

What Veterans and First Responders Carry

We carry more than just gear — we carry memories. Sounds, smells, moments, names. But the same discipline and sense of duty that made us good at the job can also become a trap if we never learn to drop the pack and tend to what’s inside.

Here’s the truth: you can still be strong and seek help. You can still be a leader and lean on others. Those who confront their internal battles are the strongest among us. You’re not weak for feeling. You’re human. And if you’re reading this, you’re strong enough to take that next step.

What You Can Do Today

Talk to someone. A friend, a therapist, a peer support line. Just start.
Move your body. Physical exercise helps regulate stress and emotion.
Create or join a mission. Service after service is one of the best tools for long-term well-being.
Build something. Whether it’s a business, a team, or a community — creating gives you purpose.

At SupportOurHeroes.Directory, we’ve built a growing community of veteran- and responder-owned businesses who are thriving not in spite of their experience, but because of it.

This is the mission now: to live well, stay on purpose, and help others do the same.

The Role of Community: Red Friday Talks and SupportOurHeroes.Directory

That’s why Red Friday Talks and SupportOurHeroes.Directory exist — to keep us connected to purpose, to help each other build something meaningful, and to remind us we’re never alone.

If you’re a veteran or first responder with a story, a skill, or a service — there’s a place for you. If you’re a supporter, thank you — your involvement fuels our ability to offer support, visibility, and real opportunity to those who’ve served.

When you support a veteran-owned or first responder business, you're doing more than buying a product.

You're helping someone stay on mission. You're showing that their next chapter matters just as much as their first one.

Final Word: It’s Okay to Struggle. It’s Not Okay to Stay There.

You don’t have to do this alone. You never did.

Start the conversation. Empty the emotional dumpster. Reconnect with your team, your mission, and your worth. And if you don’t know where to start — reach out. If I don’t know the answer, I probably know someone who does.

Congratulations for showing up — even when it's hard.

Sources:
Veterans Affairs Canada – Mental Health and OSIs
Mental Health Research Canada – Public Safety Study
NIH: Suppression and Cortisol

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