Going Crazy ? You Must Be Sane !
By. Rev. Robert A. Crutchfield

Years ago while studying in junior college, I had a conversation with one of our psychology professors that has stuck with me to this day.
It went something like this.....

ME: I must be going crazy ! HIM: Impossible. ME: HUH ! ?

He went on to explain that first of all there was not such term as crazy, the term was insane. The definition of insane as we talked about in class was the breakdown of logical thought. Determining yourself or anybody else to be insane is a logical conclusion. Therefore if you decide that you or anybody else is crazy, you must be sane. Of course being a trained professional he could tell I was not in any immediate distress. I was only letting the “fast pace” of college life get to me .He was only trying to properly guide my thoughts on my feelings. He also very ably provided me with a learning experience I have used many times for over two decades. The way he explained it, my thinking I was crazy was only my healthy reaction to all the insanity in this imperfect world. Put a different way I was fine, the world was crazy !

First responders are put in "crazy" situations everyday. Is it any wonder the world can seem as if it is spinning out of control ? It may be helpful at times to remind yourself that the circumstances around you are what have gone wild, and you are only having a normal reaction to that fact. First responders are in the business of controlling the circumstances around them. But that does not mean that you are immune, to normal human reactions to what you encounter. Learn what you can about the range of reactions that result from the situations you regularly face. Work to understand your feelings, and what they truly mean. Your stress and anxiety levels may just go down in the process.