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Archive for category: Mental Health

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Recovery from Trauma and the Vital Role of Occupational Therapy

Guest Blogger: Carolyn Rocca, Occupational Therapist

Motor vehicle accidents account for countless injuries annually and are one of the most common traumas individuals experience. Trauma can be understood as one’s unique experience of an extremely stressful event or enduring conditions that overwhelms their ability to cope. These experiences can often disconnect us from our sense of safety, resourcefulness, and coping. As a result, survivors of severe and traumatic motor vehicle accidents are at increased risk for experiencing mental health difficulties, with posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety being the most common.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that can follow a traumatic event involving actual or threatened death, serious injury, or threat to the physical integrity of oneself or others. Although every individual experiences PTSD differently, following a motor vehicle accident PTSD symptoms can involve:

·       Psychologically re-experiencing the trauma through distressing thoughts or dreams about the accident,

·       Avoidance of thoughts or situations associated with the accident, including a reluctance to return to driving,

·       Extremes in emotional responsiveness, by either having greatly reduced or heightened emotions, and

·       Increased physical arousal, such as hypervigilance, exaggerated startle, irritability, and disturbed sleep (Beck & Coffey, 2007).

The symptoms associated with PTSD can leave individuals to feel emotionally, cognitively, and physically overwhelmed. Naturally, this can result in difficulties in one’s daily functioning, including one’s ability to care for themselves and others, as well as their ability to successfully engage in their life roles of being a spouse, parent, employee, student, or volunteer, to name a few. For these reasons it is recommended that those experiencing PTSD seek help from a team of healthcare providers and consider occupational therapy.

Using a trauma-informed care approach, occupational therapists can support clients through the following three Phases of Trauma Recovery:

Phase I – Safety-stabilization:

Since trauma often results in a sense of helplessness, isolation, and loss of control, the aim is to restore a sense of safety and empowerment. Following trauma, creating a sense of safety is the foundation of one’s recovery process.

The first step to building and creating safety is to first identify things that help us feel safer. Occupational therapists can help their clients to identify objects that bring about a personal sense of safety and imbed them into their daily routines. These safety objects may include: special people such as a trusted friend, engaging in certain activities like looking at photographs or making crafts, or being in a certain place, such as being outdoors in the sunlight.

Occupational therapists can also assist in establishing safety through practices such as meditation, mindfulness, deep breathing exercises, yoga, and Thai chi, as these approaches have been shown to be effective at decreasing stress and soothing the nervous system (Manitoba Trauma Information & Education Centre, 2013).

Phase 2 – Remembrance and Mourning:

A traumatic event like a motor vehicle accident is often associated with a form of loss. One might feel they have lost their independence, sense of identity, or purpose following a car accident.

Counselors and occupational therapists are well-equipped to guide individuals on their recovery by allowing them time to grieve and morn their own personal losses. This is often achieved through individual or group-based therapy by processing the trauma, putting words and emotions to it, and making meaning of it.

Phase 3 – Reintegration:

The goal of the third stage of recovery is that the person affected by trauma recognizes the impact of their experience but is now ready to take concrete steps towards a lifestyle that is no longer controlled by the trauma. Recovery and reintegration will look different for everyone, but often involves resuming important life roles and responsibilities, and returning to a lifestyle that is meaningful to them.

Occupational therapists can assist during this phase of recovery by supporting their clients in re-establishing healthy routines, building strong support systems, learning and practicing coping strategies during their day to day activities, and gradually increasing their exposure to anxiety provoking triggers, ultimately enabling them to reintegrate into their communities and preferred lifestyles.

For more information about PTSD, trauma-informed care, and how healthcare professionals can support someone following trauma, be sure to take a look at the Trauma Toolkit or call an Occupational Therapist to start the process of recovery.

 

References & Resources:

Beck, J. G., & Coffey, S. F. (2007). Assessment and treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder after a motor vehicle collision: Empirical findings and clinical observations. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 38(6), 629.

Manitoba Trauma Information & Education Centre (2013). Retrieved from http://trauma-recovery.ca/

The Trauma Toolkit: A resource for service organizations and providers to deliver services that are trauma-informed (2013). Retrieved from http://trauma-informed.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Trauma-informed_Toolkit.pdf

 

Previously Posted April 2017

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Technology and Anxiety

Guest Blogger:  Susan Wang, MSc (OT)

Technology has increased access to information, entertainment, and connection with others.  However, it is not without consequences. With the rise of social media and the prevalence of smartphones, people are spending more and more of their lives looking at screens. Teenagers and young adults are particularly susceptible to the negative adverse effects of excessive technology use due to their developing brains and progression into adulthood.

Adolescence is a time of learning, growing, and challenges. Wanting to fit in, developing social relationships, and figuring out your identity are important pillars of adolescence. Social media provides a platform in which adolescents are able to satisfy their need for belonging and social interaction. However, excessive use of social media also increases the risk of several mental health symptoms, including depression and anxiety.

Staying in touch through technology has become a normalized way to connect with each other.  Data indicates that 88% of teens say they spend time with friends through texting, and 55% say they text their friends every day. The numbers are likely higher in 2020. There is increasing evidence supporting a link between social media use and higher levels of anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem amongst adolescents.  These findings can be attributed to a number of factors. For example, anxious adolescents tend to use social media more; this is consistent with previous findings in which adolescents higher in neuroticism prefer social uses of the internet. Furthermore, depressed adolescents may use social media more to regulate their low mood, causing a cyclic reaction that further exacerbates those symptoms. Other studies have found a linear association between the number of social media platforms used and depression and anxiety.  It has been found that individuals who used 7-11 social media platforms had substantially higher odds of having increased levels of depression and anxiety symptoms, compared to those who used 0-2 social media platforms.

Another factor contributing to poor mental health stems from the fact that many adolescents engage in nighttime use of their smartphones, resulting in later bedtimes and poorer sleep quality which also contributes to anxiety and depression.  It has been found that teenagers aged 15-19 who were regular users of mobile phones reported health symptoms such as tiredness, stress, headache, anxiety, concentration difficulties, and sleep disturbances more often than less frequent users.  Additionally, studies show that nighttime social media use was a predictor for poorer sleep quality.

There are several components of social media that cause stress and anxiety, including:

  • Seeing friends posting about events you weren’t invited to
  • Comparing your life/appearance to that of others you see on social media
  • Feeling pressured to post positive content about your life
  • Anxiety associated with getting comments and likes on your posts

FOMO

Fomo is defined as apprehension that others might be having rewarding experiences from which one is absent and a desire to stay continually connected with what others are doing. 

The term FOMO is associated with the first component of social-media induced stressors. For adolescents, being invited to events and having social interactions is extremely important to satisfy their sense of social connectedness and a sense of belonging. Seeing posts of their peers engaged in activities which they weren’t invited to causes FOMO. Why wasn’t I invited? Is it because they don’t consider me a good friend? What if everyone’s talking about this party on Monday and I can’t contribute?

Adolescents with predispositions of psychopathological problems (especially anxiety and depression) could develop higher FOMO because of their existing perceived social deficits. Individuals with poor emotional state and life satisfaction are also more likely to confront FOMO. Research has shown that social media users with high FOMO are more likely to spend more time on social media and suffer from depressive and anxious feelings. They may feel compelled to check their social media more often to keep up to date with their friends’ plans and activities, further feeding into a cyclic cycle of social media usage and symptom exacerbation.

“As being connected is of utmost importance in adolescents, young teens use social media prominently more in order to achieve greater levels of social involvement. By using social media, adolescents may satisfy their need to belong, but they also have greater risk of suffering from anxiety when they feel they are missing out on important shared experiences, or feel that they do not belong” (Oberst et al., 2017).

Common Symptoms of Social Media Anxiety

  • Interrupting conversations to check your social media accounts
  • Lying to others about how much time you spend on social media
  • Withdrawal from friends and family
  • Trying to stop or reduce your use of social media more than once before without being successful
  • Loss of interest in other activities
  • Neglecting work or school to comment on a social media account
  • Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when you are not able to access social media
  • Spending over six hours per day on social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram
  • An overwhelming need to share things with others on social media sites
  • Having your phone with you 24 hours a day to check your social media sites
  • Using social media more often than you planned
  • Severe nervousness or anxiety when you are not able to check your notifications
  • Negative impacts in your personal or professional life due to social media usage

Tips to Help With Social Media Anxiety: for Teens and Parents

  • Think critically about the accounts you choose to follow and unfollow accounts you are comparing yourself to, or that make you feel anxious or self-conscious
  • Recognize that everything on social media is highly orchestrated and not reflective of reality.
    • Think back to moments from your own life that you’ve omitted from social media
    • The “perfect” people you follow likely have the same negative experiences that they are not posting for everyone to see
  • Screen Time on your iPhone allows you to track how much time you are spending on your phone as well as on each app.
    • Set a limit on your phone to how much time you spend on each app.
    • When you reach the daily limit, your phone will automatically stop those apps and display a message indicating you have reached your daily limit
  • Set screen-free times where you put your phone away completely and spend time doing other activities.
    • This can be a goal set together as a family, for example, at night for an hour before bed, turn off all phones and spend time together as a family watching a movie.
  • When you start to feel anxious or experience negative thoughts about yourself, put your phone down.
    • Find another activity to keep your hands busy instead (adult colouring books, knitting, painting, exercising, etc)
  • Practice mindfulness to become aware of your surroundings
  • Spend more time outside with friends
  • Participate in a social anxiety group to relate to others with similar issues

References

Duggan, M., & Smith, A. (2013). Demographics of key social networking platforms. Pew Internet & American Life Project. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/12/30/demographics-of-key-social-networking-platforms/

Oberst, U., Wegmann, E., Stoft, B., Brand, M., & Chamarro, A. (2017). Negative consequences from heavy social networking in adolescents: The mediating role of fear of missing out. Journal of Adolescence, 55, 51-60.

Hamburger, Y.A., & Ben-Artzi, E. The relationship between extraversion and neuroticism and the different uses of the Internet. Computers in Human Behaviour, 16 (4), 441-449.

Van Der Goot, M., Beentjes, J. J., & Van Selm, M. (2012). Meanings of television in older adults’ lives: an analysis of change and continuity in television viewing. Ageing & Society, 32(1). 147-168

Primack, B,A., Shensa, A., Escobar-Veira, C.G., Barrett, E.L., Sidani, J,E,, Colditz, J,B,, & Everette-James, A. (2017) Use of multiple social media platforms and symptoms of depression and anxiety: A nationally-representative study among U.S. young adults. Computers in Human
Behavior, 69 , 1-9.

Woods, H.C., & Scott, H. (2016). #Sleepyteens: Social media use in adolescence is associated with poor sleep quality, anxiety, depression and low self-esteem. Journal of Adolescence, 51. 41-49.)

Jackson, ML, Sztendur, EM, Diamond, NT, Byles, JE, & Bruck, D. (2014). Sleep difficulties and the development of depression and anxiety: a longitudinal study of young Australian women. Arch Women’s Men Health, 17 (3), 189-198.

Dhir, A., Yossatorn, Y., Kaur, P., Chen, S. (2018). Online social media fatigue and psychological wellbeing—A study of compulsive use, fear of missing out, fatigue, anxiety and depression.  International Journal of Information Management, 40 , 141-152.

Desjarlais, M,, & Willoughby, T. (2010). A longitudinal study of the relation between adolescent boys and girls’ computer use with friends and friendship quality: Support for the social compensation or the rich-get-richer hypothesis? Computers in Human Behaviour, 26 (5), 896-905.

University of British Columbia (2019). Social Media Anxiety Disorder. Retrieved from http://etec.ctlt.ubc.ca/510wiki/Social_Media_Anxiety_Disorder

Fader, S. (2018) Anxiety and Depression Association of American – Social Media Obsession and Anxiety. Retrieved from https://adaa.org/social-media-obsession

Cuncic, A. (2019) Very Well Mind – Social Media and Social Anxiety Disorder. Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/social-network-use-and-social-anxiety-disorder-4117143

Shafer, L. (2017). Harvard Graduate School of Education – Usable Research. Social Media and Teen Anxiety . Retrieved from https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/17/12/social-media-and-teen-anxiety

Soderqvist, F., Carlberg, M., & Hardell, L. (2008). Use of wireless telephones and self-reported health symptoms: a population-based study among Swedish adolescents aged 15–19 years.  Environ Health, 7: 18-10.1186/1476-069X-7-18.

Lenhart, A. (2015). Pew Research Center – Report: Teens, Technology and Friendships. Retrieved from  https://www.pewinternet.org/2015/08/06/teens-technology-and-friendships/

 

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Coping with COVID — Finding the New Normal

In the following video, the team at FunctionAbility discusses the emotions of COVID and provides helpful strategies to help people cope through uncertain times.

For more helpful information check out our Coping with COVID video series on our YouTube channel.

About the Experts:

Brenda Power Ahmad, BSc(OT), BSc(Hons Psych), OT Reg.(Ont.), – Brenda obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in 1999 in Occupational Therapy from Dalhousie University and a Bachelor of Science (Honors) degree in Psychology in 1996 from Memorial University of Newfoundland. Brenda also completed post-secondary education in the fields of Criminology and Linguistics. Brenda has been practicing occupational therapy since 1999 in the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador, and Ontario. She has extensive experience working with people of all ages with a variety of developmental and physical disabilities and works mainly with clients who have complex orthopedic, psychological and brain injuries. Brenda is trained in administration of the AMPS and the PGAP program and is a Canadian Certified Canadian Life Care Planner. She has completed additional training in catastrophic assessment through the Canadian Society of Medical Evaluators and has successfully completed the C-CAT Certification exam. Brenda sits on the Board of Directors for the Hamilton Brain Injury Association. As Vice President of Clinical and Community Partnerships in one the largest rehabilitation firms in Ontario, Brenda is responsible for training and mentoring other therapists and also leads the Catastrophic Assessment (CAT) program at FunctionAbility. Brenda maintains an active social media presence and co-hosts an educational video series called OT-V which aims at educating the public about the various roles of her profession.

Lynne Harford, BA, MSW, RSW, D.VATI is a Registered Social Worker, Director of Pediatrics and a Clinical Supervisor with The Social Work Consulting Group. She obtained a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Glendon College-York University. Prior to her university studies, Lynne pursued a career in business and received a Marketing Administration Diploma from Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology. In 2013, Lynne achieved her designation of Art Therapist graduating with an advanced diploma in Art Therapy from the Vancouver Art Therapy Institute.

Emma Fogel, MSW, RSW is a Registered Social Worker with a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Toronto. Emma’s true passion is working with youth and families whereby she draws upon an eclectic framework to provide client-centered counseling support, which includes Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Dialectical Behavioural Therapy, Mindfulness-Based Therapy, Solution Focused Therapy and Play. Wendy Gage MSW, RSW is a registered social worker with a Master of Social Work Degree from the University of Toronto. She received her Honours Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at the University of Western Ontario with a focus on child development. Wendy is a certified Emotionally Focused Couples Therapist (EFT) with advanced training in EFT for families, individuals and trauma. Wendy has training in child-led play therapy (Watch, Wait and Wonder) for children ages 6 months to 6 years. Wendy joined The Social Work Consulting Group with 18 years’ experience practicing clinical social work on the Neurology Program at The Hospital for Sick Children. At Sick Kids, she developed expertise in child and family adjustment to illness, loss and trauma. Wendy has participated in research, teaching and speaking events related to pain management for headaches, managing behavior in children with neurological conditions, and long-term family functioning and adjustment to children’s neurological conditions. She was invited to provide input to the provincial government on gaps in service to children with mental health conditions arising from neurological illness and injury.

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COPING WITH COVID– Staying Active

FunctionAbility’s Elly Baker and Lynne Harford discuss staying active while working from home and review some helpful exercises to help keep you moving.


About the Expert:

Elly Baker is the Director of Physiotherapy Services at FunctionAbility. Previously to this role, Elly spent many years in the role of Physiotherapy Practice Leader at Toronto Rehab, University Health Network, as well as a physiotherapist on the inpatient, Acquired Brain Injury program. She has extensive experience helping individuals living with mild to complex neurological and orthopedic injuries and has special interests in concussion management and higher-level balance re-training post-traumatic brain injury.

Lynne Harford, BA, MSW, RSW, D.VATI is a Registered Social Worker, Director of Pediatrics and a Clinical Supervisor with The Social Work Consulting Group. She obtained a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Glendon College-York University. Prior to her university studies, Lynne pursued a career in business and received a Marketing Administration Diploma from Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology. In 2013, Lynne achieved her designation of Art Therapist graduating with an advanced diploma in Art Therapy from the Vancouver Art Therapy Institute.

Lynne has had an extensive work history in both the private and public sectors. Prior to joining The Social Work Consulting Group in 2008, she was employed at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) where she spent five years providing clinical social work services to children and their families in the Trauma Program. Throughout her career, Lynne has been an active member in the larger community participating in various committees as well as presenting at a number of community-based, insurance and legal conferences. Other areas of specialization in which Lynne has focused and devoted her practice to include, acquired brain injury in children and youth, acute and chronic illness, domestic violence, separation/divorce and issues related to grief and loss. Lynne is both a therapist and advocate who is committed to enriching the lives of children and adults in the aftermath of physical and emotional trauma.

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COPING WITH COVID — Youth and Teen Mental Health

 

Social Work Consulting Group’s Emma Fogel MSW, RSW and Lynne Harford, MSW, RSW discuss strategies to help teens and youth cope with “the new normal” with COVID-19.

About the Expert:
Emma Fogel, MSW, RSW is a Registered Social Worker with a Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Toronto.

In 2016, Emma joined The Social Work Consulting Group, a large community-based clinical social work practice within the Greater Toronto Area established in 2006. In 2017, Emma co-created MindCALM, a therapeutic counseling service within The Social Work Consulting Group, specifically designed to assist youth and their families through the provision of counseling/psychotherapy, psychoeducation and the implementation of effective strategies to promote emotional regulation, increase resilience, coping capacity and overall emotional well-being. The program aims to help improve children/adolescents’ experience of varying psychoemotional challenges such as stress, anxiety, sadness, and navigating social/family relationships.

MindCALM offers both in-home or in-clinic counseling to youth and families within the GTA in addition to offering a variety of educational training and presentations to schools and camps across Ontario.

MindCALM is proud to be a preferred vendor the Ontario Camp Association (OCA). Emma provides camps throughout the OCA with mental health training for both staff and campers to ensure happy and healthy summer experiences at camp.

Emma’s true passion is in working with youth and families whereby she draws upon an eclectic framework to provide client-centered counseling support, which includes Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Dialectical Behavioural Therapy, Mindfulness-Based Therapy, Solution Focused Therapy, and Play.

Lynne Harford, BA, MSW, RSW, D.VATI is a Registered Social Worker, Director of Pediatrics and a Clinical Supervisor with The Social Work Consulting Group. She obtained a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Glendon College-York University. Prior to her university studies, Lynne pursued a career in business and received a Marketing Administration Diploma from Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology. In 2013, Lynne achieved her designation of Art Therapist graduating with an advanced diploma in Art Therapy from the Vancouver Art Therapy Institute.

Lynne has had an extensive work history in both the private and public sectors. Prior to joining The Social Work Consulting Group in 2008, she was employed at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) where she spent five years providing clinical social work services to children and their families in the Trauma Program. Throughout her career, Lynne has been an active member in the larger community participating in various committees as well as presenting at a number of community-based, insurance and legal conferences. Other areas of specialization in which Lynne has focused and devoted her practice to include, acquired brain injury in children and youth, acute and chronic illness, domestic violence, separation/divorce and issues related to grief and loss. Lynne is both a therapist and advocate who is committed to enriching the lives of children and adults in the aftermath of physical and emotional trauma.

Links to resources:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/talking-with-children.html

https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/helping-children-cope-with-stress-print.pdf?sfvrsn=f3a063ff_2

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COPING WITH COVID – Emotional Well-Being

COVID-19 has had a major impact on almost everyone. FunctionAbility, Solutions for Living and Social Work Consulting Group social work experts Wendy Gage, MSW, RSW, and Lynne Harford, MSW discuss practical strategies for coping with the new reality many of us face on a daily basis.

About the Experts:

Lynne Harford, BA, MSW, RSW, D.VATI is a Registered Social Worker, Director of Pediatrics and a Clinical Supervisor with The Social Work Consulting Group. She obtained a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Glendon College-York University. Prior to her university studies, Lynne pursued a career in business and received a Marketing Administration Diploma from Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology.  In 2013, Lynne achieved her designation of Art Therapist graduating with an advanced diploma in Art Therapy from the Vancouver Art Therapy Institute.

Lynne has had an extensive work history in both the private and public sectors. Prior to joining The Social Work Consulting Group in 2008, she was employed at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) where she spent five years providing clinical social work services to children and their families in the Trauma Program. Throughout her career, Lynne has been an active member in the larger community participating in various committees as well as presenting at a number of community-based, insurance and legal conferences. Other areas of specialization in which Lynne has focused and devoted her practice to include, acquired brain injury in children and youth, acute and chronic illness, domestic violence, separation/divorce and issues related to grief and loss. Lynne is both a therapist and advocate who is committed to enriching the lives of children and adults in the aftermath of physical and emotional trauma.

Link to Canada’s economic plan: https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/economic-response-plan.html

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Self-Esteem Boosting Tips

We all seem to have a tendency to look in the mirror and focus on the negative; however, it is known that the power of positivity can help boost self-esteem.  The following article from Today’s Parent discusses the importance of building self-esteem in children from a young age and tips on how to boost their confidence so they can happily look themselves in the mirror every day.

Today’s Parent:  How To Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem

These tips aren’t just great for boosting self-esteem in kids, but can work for adults too!

 

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How Emotionally Intelligent Are You?

Julie Entwistle, MBA, BHSc (OT), BSc (Health / Gerontology)

I have four daughters – three in high school and one in University.  That is a lot of estrogen in our house.  Yet it is an interesting time for our family – as our girls are navigating the perils of adolescence, I too am finding myself in a stage I am calling “adultescence” whereby my thoughts, feelings, and emotions are changing as theirs are.  This creates an interesting ebb and flow of all of us learning together what it all means as a teen girl to “grow up” and as an adult to start “letting go”.

I had one of those adultescent “aha” moments the other day with one of my teen daughters.  She is very socially driven and relationships are very important to her.  Over the last few months, as school has resumed, she has been struggling with some of her friendships.  One girl just suddenly stopped responding to messages, one takes pleasure in forwarding hurtful messages, and another treats my daughter as the weekend “last resort”.  In talking to my daughter about these events, my “aha” moment came when I realized that my daughter, already, is highly emotionally intelligent.  She has the ability to put herself in the position of others and regulates her own behavior (so far) on how she would feel as the recipient.  This is a gift for her but puts her at a relationship disadvantage as many of her peers are not there yet.   She “feels” in a relationship like she is 25, but is trying to rationalize the emotional behavior of kids 16 and 17.

According to psychology today, Emotional Intelligence includes three skills:

1. Emotional awareness, including the ability to identify your own emotions and those of others;

2. The ability to harness emotions and apply them to tasks like thinking and problem solving;

3. The ability to manage emotions, including the ability to regulate your own emotions, and the ability to cheer up or calm down another person.

Emotional intelligence then includes:  self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills.  It can affect: personal relationships, workplace (or school) performance, physical and mental health, and how you deal with situations such as loss or disability.

The good news is that experts believe that emotional intelligence can be learned, even in adults.  How do you know if you are emotionally intelligent?  Perhaps reflect on your relationships – are you able to sustain positive and loving bonds with others?  Can you empathize and relate to people during their struggles, and do they know that you “get it” and are emotionally available to them?  Do you regulate your own behavior based on how others might feel if you act a certain way, or say certain things?  Before sending that text, email or calling someone in anger do you consider how you want them to “feel” following your interaction?  Do you take pleasure in being right even if that makes others feel bad?  If you want to test your level of emotional intelligence, or raise your emotional IQ, take a quiz to see where you’re at:  Emotional Intelligence Quotient Quiz.

Do you think you need to improve in this area?  Some suggestions include:

·    practice mindfulness – in social situations, at work, at home with family relationships.

·    Stay in touch with your feelings through journaling or meditation “check-ins”.

·    Connect your feelings to the situation and try to separate the person from their behavior.

·    Check your thoughts – how you think can become how you feel, and the good news is you can change how you think!

·    Communicate with others and don’t be afraid to be vulnerable to those close to you to help sort through feelings, thoughts and emotions.

·    And if you can, don’t take the comments of others personally.  Their thoughts about you do not need to become the thoughts you have about yourself.

 

Originally posted November 2016

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Tips to Survive the Winter Blues and Put a Stop to SAD

Julie Entwistle, C.Dir. (c), MBA, BHSc (OT), BSc (Health / Gerontology)

Research suggests that up to 15% of people in Ontario experience the “winter blues”. These leave you feeling tired, groggy, and maybe even sad or irritable.  While this causes discomfort, it is not incapacitating.  However, a more serious form of the winter blues, known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), can be.  While occurring less frequently at 2-3% of the population, the symptoms can prevent individuals from leading a normal life.  If you feel this is you, talk to your doctor and have your symptoms investigated.

While the winter months can be long, dark, and cold, ultimately how we adapt to the seasonal change is up to us.  If moving or going south is not an option, consider some of the tips in our infographic below to make the winter bearable, or dare I say, even enjoyable?

 

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Change is Constant – Why Resist It?

Julie Entwistle, C.Dir. (c), MBA, BHSc (OT), BSc (Health / Gerontology)

A few years ago I volunteered at a chronic pain program by assisting with an after-program book study.  This involved a group of program graduates getting together weekly to read and discuss the book A New Earth, by Eckhart Tolle.  I was amazed at the transformations in attitude, beliefs, and thoughts that came from people reading and discussing this very impactful novel.  In fact, some of the benefits we witnessed, and the things people discussed were revolutionary, and I would even argue evolutionary.

Recently I picked up this book again.  Despite some heavy content, some of the examples are life-changing and the messaging vital.  In one section of the book, Eckhart talks about the need to “evolve or die”.  How true.  In fact, this is always our choice when faced with any change, uncertainty, or interruption in how we manage.  People seem to so strongly fight change, but change is both constant and inevitable.  Why resist? 

I have witnessed hundreds of people in my career that were faced with this same challenge – evolve or die.  The ones that were able to overcome adversity, who could find, cherish and expand on ability, who were open to suggestions, coaching, and change, faired far better than those that resisted, clung to the past, and refused to adapt.  I remember one client, many years after her accident, talking to me about her chronic pain, depression, and physical appearance.  She said, “I used to be a gymnast”.  My response was, “So was I – 30 years ago”.  She laughed.  Identifying that she continued to live in the very distant past helped me (and her) to understand where she was getting stuck, and explained why she was not progressing in the rehabilitation process.  Once she could accept her new “normal”, she started to make significant progress in resuming things she used to enjoy, while also finding new meaningful and productive activities she never imagined trying. 

Here is an example that relates strongly to my role as an OT who works with people who are suddenly and significantly injured in an auto accident (page 57):

“whenever tragic loss occurs, you either resist or you yield.  Some people become bitter or deeply resentful; others become compassionate, wise and loving.  Yielding means inner acceptance of what is.  You are open to life.  Resistance is an inner contraction, a hardening of the shell of the ego.  You are closed.  Whatever action you take in a state of inner resistance (which we could also call negativity) will create more outer resistance, and the universe will not be on your side; life will not be helpful.  If the shutters are closed, the sunlight cannot come in”. 

So, given the choice between evolve or die, let’s not only choose “evolve” but let’s also make an effort to live that way.  Evolution is difficult – it requires an open mind, hard work, and a positive and accepting attitude.  It often needs people to accept new opinions, ideas and even help.  This is not our nature, but if we can wrap our head around the fact that we are “evolving”, it makes challenges seem surmountable.  It can let the light in.

 

Previously posted September 2013