WORCESTER — When traumatic events are part of your daily routine, the emotional burden can build up over time and emerge in unexpected ways. That’s why Will Mosley, the district chief of the Worcester Fire Department and President of Firefighters Local 1009, isn’t too “bashful” to seek therapy and maintains open communication with his wife and co-workers.
Preventive measures like the ones Chief Mosley have taken to maintain mental wellness are essential to holistic living. Health is more than merely the absence of disease, it’s a state of complete physical and emotional wellbeing, and maintaining this state is itself a practice of conscious awareness.
News Link Live’s Editor-in-Chief Genevieve DiNatale sat down with Chief Mosley to see just how he has been able to maintain his overall wellbeing given the emotional and physical rigors of his job.
Genevieve DiNatale: Can you share your typical fitness routine or physical activities that help keep you in shape for the demands of firefighting?
Will Mosley: I think my physical demands kind of cover everything. I do my best to get in the gym, three or four days a week. I try to walk regularly, a lot of strength training. It’s something I have been doing most of my life anyway, so it kind of falls in line. I haven’t had to make any real changes to adjust to firefighting.
Genevieve DiNatale: Do you engage in any specific activities during your free time that are aimed at supporting your mental well-being?
Will Mosley: Meditation; I’m not bashful about saying I do take advantage of mental health services via therapists just for my general mental wellbeing. I think the life of a first responder, in general, we are the sum of our choices, and our experiences, and as a first responder, you encounter experiences that most people don’t, and those experiences they can stick, particularly the more unsettling or drastic calls or responses we go to. Overtime, when I was younger in my career I thought I had no problem dealing with this stuff, but later on I realized that you start your career with a cup and everything that you encounter, that might amount to some level of trauma adds to that cup and you don’t even know it. So one day that one incident causes an overflow and you are trying to figure out what happened. So I definitely think that just that part of the job compelled me to be more mindful of my mental health.
Genevieve DiNatale: How important is community or peer support in your line of work, and what role does it play in maintaining your mental and physical well-being?
Will Mosley: I think peer support is extremely important because it’s really the first level of support we have; and working in the fire services where you are in a group setting, you are in a team environment, you are around the same people on a regular basis, the people close to you being able to check in and offer you support or help has been extremely helpful to myself personally and our members. We do stress among our members how important it is to check in on each other and make sure we are all okay.
Genevieve DiNatale: Can you describe a time when you felt overwhelmed by the emotional or physical demands of your job? What strategies or resources did you use to overcome these challenges?
Will Mosley: There have been a few times where I have felt overwhelmed by the emotional toll of an incident or a call and I found that it was really important to talk to the people who were around me – or with me – at that incident. Another very important part is I talk to my wife pretty regularly about some of these things. I know there’s a couple different schools of thought about you don’t take certain things home, but no one knows you better than your partner/your spouse and you can’t really sit on those things. So, we made an agreement to be open about that and just having the people around me and good support at home has been very crucial in dealing with those moments when the emotional toll has been overwhelming.
This article is sponsored by Wellpoint, formerly UniCare. UniCare has rebranded to Wellpoint to emphasize its commitment to whole health rather than traditional “sick care.” This shift reflects a broader understanding that whole health encompasses not just physical health, but mental, emotional, and social well-being and a comprehensive approach to living well, something Sergeant Gordon exemplifies in his daily life.
What is Wellpoint (formerly UniCare)?
For almost four decades, Wellpoint has exclusively served the Massachusetts Group Insurance Commission, supporting the health needs of state and municipal employees, retirees, and their families who receive health coverage through the GIC. Wellpoint’s dedicated indemnity model, the only one offered through the GIC, gives members the freedom to access care without referrals. Under its new Wellpoint name, Wellpoint will continue to serve GIC members exclusively. Learn more at wellpointmass.com.
