Self and Buddy Aid: A Missing Piece of Workplace Wellness

Most workplaces have gotten pretty good at giving people wellness resources.

An app.

An EAP number.

A breathing technique.

Maybe a presentation on resilience, stress, sleep, or mindfulness.

All potentially useful.

I think many initiatives are missing something between “Here are some things you can do to take care of yourself” and “Here’s where to go when things get really bad.”

What happens in the middle?

What happens when I’m not in crisis, but I’m clearly not doing well?

What happens when the person working beside me isn’t acting like themselves?

Do I recognize it?

Do I know how to have the conversation?

Do I know something useful I can do right now?

And do I know when the situation is beyond me and it’s time to bring in someone better equipped to help?

I learned to think about this differently in the Army. We called it self and buddy aid. Be ready to take care of yourself so you remain capable of taking care of the person beside you.

Not Peer Support. The Peer Role.

The FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin recently published an article advocating for what the authors call Universal Peer Support.

I was glad to see it.

But I also don’t think the underlying idea is particularly new.

When I was with First H.E.L.P., we developed the four-hour Responder Readiness Workshop Series around many of these same principles.

We didn’t want another wellness class where someone taught a collection of disconnected techniques.

Instead, we tried to put the tools into context.

What does stress actually do to us?

What might I notice physically, emotionally, cognitively, or behaviorally?

What options do I have depending on what’s happening?

When might something as simple as controlled breathing be useful?

When is active recovery appropriate?

How do I have a results-oriented conversation when there’s an elephant in the room?

And what is my responsibility when I notice that someone beside me may not be doing well?

A big part of that became the distinction between peer support and the peer role.

Formal peer-support programs can be incredibly valuable. So can EAPs, clinicians, coaches, chaplains, supervisors, and other resources.

But most of us aren’t peer supporters.

We’re peers.

Coworkers.

Friends.

Leaders.

Teammates.

Human beings who spend an enormous amount of our lives around other human beings.

There ought to be some basic capability that comes with that.

Wellness Tools Need Context

This is one of my frustrations with the way wellness and resilience have sometimes been taught.

Take breathing.

There are useful breathing techniques that can help influence physiological arousal. But teaching someone a breathing technique without helping them understand when they might use it, why they might use it, what problem they’re trying to solve, and what it cannot solve can turn a legitimate tool into a gimmick.

The same is true of exercise.

Sleep.

Meditation.

Nutrition.

Social connection.

Recovery.

These aren’t bad interventions.

But they’re often taught in isolation from the life in which they’re supposed to be used.

We shouldn’t just give people a bigger toolbox.

We should help them become better at recognizing what is happening and selecting an appropriate response.

That’s capability.

Self and Buddy Aid

I keep coming back to the analogy of first aid.

Knowing first aid doesn’t make me a physician.

Knowing CPR doesn’t make me a cardiologist.

The expectation isn’t that I provide definitive care.

The expectation is that I can recognize a problem, do something useful within my capabilities, and know when more help is needed.

Why wouldn’t we think similarly about everyday wellbeing?

Self aid: Can I recognize what’s happening with me and make an appropriate First Right Move?

Maybe that’s taking a walk, slowing my breathing, getting some sleep, calling someone, eating something, stepping away for a few minutes, changing my workload, or seeking professional help.

Buddy aid: Can I recognize that something may be happening with someone around me?

Can I ask a better question?

Can I listen?

Can I have the uncomfortable conversation?

Can I resist the urge to diagnose or fix them?

Can I recognize when the most helpful thing I can do is connect them with someone who has greater expertise?

That isn’t therapy.

It’s capability.

From Resilience Training to Readiness

I’ve carried much of what we learned developing Responder Readiness forward into my work with Comprehensive Fitness, particularly the Relentless program.

The context is broader now because the issue is broader.

You don’t need to be a police officer, firefighter, paramedic, or member of the military to experience stress.

Work changes.

Relationships struggle.

People get sick.

Finances tighten.

Parents age.

Kids have problems.

Careers end.

People lose sleep.

Sometimes several of those things happen at once.

That’s why I increasingly think resilience training has to be about more than bouncing back from adversity.

It should develop readiness.

The capability to recognize what is happening, understand what resources are available, make an appropriate response, adapt when necessary, and help the people around us do the same.

Not perfectly.

Not clinically.

Just competently.

Put It Into Practice

Try a simple two-part readiness check this week.

First, ask yourself:

If I started struggling today, would I recognize it early enough to do something useful about it?

Then look outward:

Would I recognize meaningful changes in someone I work with closely, and would I be comfortable enough to ask about them?

You don’t need to diagnose anyone.

You don’t need to fix them.

You don’t need to become the office therapist.

But maybe workplace wellness should help us become a little more capable of taking care of ourselves and each other.

The FBI article calls that Universal Peer Support.

I’ve thought of it for years as self and buddy aid.

Whatever we call it, I think it’s a piece of workplace wellness we’ve been missing.

Do Better.

Sources

Amundson, G. J., & Drew, J. M. (2026). Resilience Spotlight: Universal Peer Support. FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, September 8, 2026. The authors advocate expanding foundational peer-support competencies across law-enforcement organizations while retaining formal peer-support specialists. The article is an evidence-informed professional recommendation, not an experimental evaluation of universal peer-support training.

https://leb.fbi.gov/spotlights/resilience-spotlight-universal-peer-support