What it can feel like
Feeling like no one outside the job could possibly understand, pulling back from family, and not wanting to burden the crew who are carrying their own weight. Isolation even in a busy house.
Why it happens
The nature of the work, shift schedules that miss family life, and a culture of not showing struggle all push responders toward isolation — exactly when connection matters most.
What can help
Peer support is built for this: other responders who have walked it and get it without explanation. Reaching out is not weakness or burdening — it is what the brotherhood and sisterhood is for.