Anyone else struggle with the transition out of corrections?

I worked in corrections in Nebraska for years. Loved parts of it — the camaraderie, the feeling that you were doing something most people couldn't handle. But the toll it takes on you mentally is something nobody really prepares you for.

I've been out for a while now and I still catch myself doing things from the job. Scanning rooms when I walk in. Sitting with my back to the wall. The hypervigilance doesn't just shut off when you turn in your badge.

The hardest part for me was that nobody on the outside really gets it. Your family sees you come home different but they can't understand why. Friends stop asking about work because your stories make them uncomfortable.

I ended up channeling a lot of it into writing — started putting some of those experiences into fiction as a way to process it. It actually helped more than I expected.

Curious if anyone else here has gone through something similar. How did you handle the transition? Did it get easier with time?