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Tag Archive for: mental health

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Tackling Tough Transitions: Strategies to Find the Silver Linings

Julie Entwistle, MBA, BHSc (OT), BSc (Health / Gerontology)
Co-written with Lindsay Sinclair, Occupational Therapist

Throughout our lives we all experience transitions. Whether it is a new job, retirement, the loss of a relationship, change in function due to injury or illness, or a change in environment, transitions are inevitable.  Although transitions can be exciting, positive experiences, there is also a sense of anxiety and fear that is associated with the loss of the past and fear of the future. While feelings of nervousness and pessimism are common during life-change, there are strategies that can make transitions easier, helpings us recognize the silver linings in difficult situations, and transition into a brighter future.

The first important thing to realize about a transition, is that it is different than change. Change is something that happens to people in their lives, whereas a transition is the mental process that occurs as they go through that change. Put this way, change is somewhat out of our control, whereas we have the ability to control transitions through our thoughts and actions.

When it comes to controlling our thoughts about change, there are many strategies that can help turn negative rumination into positive hopes and dreams. First, it is important to accept change. When we play the “what if” game it is similar to trying to row a boat upstream (we won’t be going anywhere and it takes a lot of energy). If we can accept the change, and let the river take us where it is intending, we can enjoy the ride and get to our destination more smoothly. To accept change we can take comfort in the fact that there are elements of our lives that will stay the same, and at the end of the day, no matter what situation we are in, we are fundamentally the same person, regardless of the changes we will encounter.

One strategy to use to think more positively is to recognize when we are having negative thoughts and replace them with positive ones. For example, “What could be good about this change?”, “What new opportunities has this change brought me?”, “What am I thankful for in my life?”, “How has this change been a learning and growing experience?” Although on the surface some changes may seem to be only negative, the truth is that every change does bring something positive to someone’s life.

Reflecting can be an activity that helps foster positive thoughts during a transition. Whether it is journaling, blogging, or just thinking during a long walk, it is important to process emotions and deal with change. During reflection, we can think about all the times in our life we have been through a change, note the strategies that helped us through change in the past, and remind ourselves that we have successfully been through change before.

trans2Another strategy that helps during a change is to engage in behaviours that will facilitate a positive transition. During change, take things one step at a time; set small attainable goals, and connect these to long term goals for the future. Goal setting allows us to take back control over a situation and work towards something meaningful, which can help alleviate the anxiety of change caused by lack of control.

To make transitions easier, engage in meaningful activity. When we isolate ourselves and become inactive, our physical and emotional health are affected, as we are left with too much time to ruminate. Participating in activities we enjoy can help make us feel more connected to who we truly are. For example, engaging in active exercise can boost positive feelings. Furthermore, by engaging in meaningful activities, we can connect with a new community, school, or group, which can help us integrate into a new environment.

Connecting with a social support system, or building a new social support system, is an important step in navigating transition. Finding a mentor who has been through a similar change, and seeking their advice on how they navigated change may be a helpful step to work through difficult times.

A useful quote for thinking about change is: “A ship is safe in a harbor, but that’s not what ships are for.” This quote serves as a reminder that safety is not productive but is merely a resting point, and we had to get to the harbor in the first place.  So, if you are “in the harbor” get the rest you need before leaving port and venturing to another destination.

In the end, change is part of life and it helps people to grow and strengthen. Change is inevitable, and often times, uncontrollable, but transitions are not. We are in control of our own transition process, and we have the power to turn negative and suffocating experiences into a positive learning experience that enables our boat to sail onward.

If you are struggling with a change, or transition, and seem to be stuck in port, considering the services of an occupational therapist for helping you to become “unstuck” in a place that is likely not functional or productive for you.

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Improve Mental Health On The Job

Mental health issues due to workplace stress and illness are on the rise.  We have provided many articles in our Healthy Workplace series on ways to overcome these issues.  Check out the following article from one of our consultants, Jennifer Holmes Beamer who is currently working in New Zealand, on great ways to combat stress and improve mental health at work.

Acknowledging and Improving Mental Health in the Workplace

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Mental Health Resources For Seniors

Across Canada new resources for seniors facing mental health concerns are available.  The Canadian Coalition for Seniors’ Mental Health and Shoppers Drug Mart have teamed up on the Seniors Mental Health Initiative to create and distribute these valuable resources to seniors and their families.  Take a look at the following article from Newswire for more information about this great initiative.

Newswire.ca:  Government of Canada Launches Seniors’ Mental Health Initiative

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Change Your Habits, Change Your Mood

A habit is defined as “a settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up.”  Habits can sometimes become something we do without even realizing it, until someone points it out.  Recently Time Magazine published an article on 12 habits that are bad for your mental health.  Check them out to see if you are doing any of the following, and if so, how you can change to live a happier life.

Time Magazine:  The 12 Worst Habits for Your Mental Health

 

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The State of Mental Health at Work

21% of working Canadians report they currently struggle with mental health illness and issues.  This is a problem that is affecting the economy, individual businesses, and more importantly, the health of our Canadian population.

Check out the following infographic created by the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety which delves deeper into the issues and suggests ways both employers and employees can work to to reduce stress and improve this growing problem.

mentalHealth

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“Stressed or Depressed” – Man Therapy

Is it me, or is there a rise in gender discussions of recent? The ongoing, and now vastly publicized, fight for work equality between men and women, gender in sport, mom-preneurs, daddy day cares.   It is no secret that women and men look, think, act, behave, communicate, and logic differently.  So how do these gender differences relate to mental health and the processing of mental health problems?  Consider the following:

Husband comes home from another long work day.  Deadlines are looming, the boss is out of town, promotional opportunities are forthcoming, and someone called in sick.  His wife expects him to do a few dishes, play with the kids, maybe get the dog out.  She asks for his help with a few things, and he explodes (or retreats, or grumbles, or will begrudgingly oblige).  “I had another long day, I just want to…(go to bed, watch the game, zone out in the basement, eat in peace..).”  She probably had a long day too – working or home, the demands and tasks don’t seem to end.  Both go to bed frustrated, sad, angry or feeling isolated and alone.  The next day the cycle repeats and onward things go…she might ask about how he is doing, and he might respond with “I am just stressed”.

Familiar? But when you look at how men and women process emotion differently, “stressed” for men, might actually mean “depressed”.

When you imagine a person who is depressed you may think of them as tired or sad, maybe they are neglecting their hygiene, have a reduced appetite or poor sleep, and these are all very valid symptoms of depression. However the American Psychological Association reports that depression signs can differ greatly between men and women, and the reason for this remains unexplained. Many professionals speculate it could be from our ‘macho-man-ideal’ society, in which men are encouraged to ‘suck it up’ and to show their ‘strength’ or self-control by not expressing emotions. This ideal is unfortunately also rubbing off on Canadian children, and boys between the ages of 13-17 are severely underrepresented in the statistics of youth that call the Kids Help Phone, and when they do call they rarely talk about mental health.

Symptoms that are often not recognized as depression, especially in men, include:

●     Being irritable, short-tempered, or inappropriately angry
●     Spending a lot of time on work (they may be trying to escape their feelings by keeping busy)
●     Reckless driving, extreme sports, or other risky behaviour
●     Excessive controlling behavior
●     Alcohol or substance abuse (men are far more likely to abuse substances)

These behaviours are untraditional of typical depressive symptoms, but mean that men who may benefit from emotional aid are often slipping under the radar for health professionals, and this can lead to disastrous consequences including poor quality of life and higher rates of suicide.

Recent studies by organizations that specialize in mental health say that they need to approach the topic of depression differently with men. Often men will not admit any possible feelings of ‘depression’, but will quickly agree to feeling ‘stressed.’

Women, on the other hand, might use the word “stress” differently.  Women may use stress to describe a point in time, a set of demands, or something that is expected to pass, while men may relate this to a state of being, a new “normal”.

Based on these revelations, men may require a different marketing strategy for addressing mental health than women. Mental health agencies including the Colorado Office of Suicide Prevention and Carson J. Spencer Foundation collaborated with Cactus to come up with a unique way to entice men to explore their mental wellness.  According to Dr. Spencer-Thomas and J. Hindman (MS):

“The goal of Man Therapy is to show working age men that talking about their problems, getting help and fixing themselves is masculine. The campaign strength is its innovative and humorous approach through a fictional “therapist” named Dr. Rich Mahogany, who is a no-nonsense man’s-man that lets men know honest talk about life’s problems is how they will start to solve them. At the center of the campaign is a web portal that allows men to interact with Dr. Mahogany, do a “head inspection” (self-assessment), and get “manly mental health tips.” When men indicate high levels of distress, Dr. Mahogany refers them to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or “the Pros.” Check out this resource for Man Therapy.

The bottom line is that depression can manifest itself differently in different people, and men are constantly under-represented in the list of people seeking help. Occupational Therapists assess and treat people with mental health problems, and some even have the additional training and experience necessary to provide Psychotherapy.  The core approach of the OT profession is to encourage successful function in all life roles regardless of the reasons why function is impaired.  OT intervention may help the men in our lives to reduce some of that “stress” (aka depression), so they can resume enjoyment in life roles.

 

Resources

CTV News, www.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=454539
Mayo Clinic, http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/in-depth/male-depression/art-20046216

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Nurture The Mental Health of Your Employees

Nearly half of all Canadians experience some form of mental health concerns at work. Mental health issues are the number one cause of short term and long term disability leave.  So what can be done to create happier, healthier employees who are more productive and miss less time off work?

In Episode 5 of our Occupational Therapy Video (OT-V) Series we discuss how employers, employees, Occupational Therapists and medical teams can help employees overcome mental health stressors and other stressors at work.

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Your Brain at Work: The Cognitive Job Demands Analysis

Many employers know that a Physical Job Demands Analysis involves a health professional outlining the physical aspects of a specific job position.  These are common in manufacturing or production industries where jobs can be heavy, repetitive, or require high physical demands.  But these reports are seldom helpful if an employee suffers a brain injury, cognitive or emotional impairment and their return to work issues relate to cognitive or psychological changes and not necessarily physical impairment.

A Cognitive Job Demands Analysis is an objective evaluation of the specific cognitive, emotional and psychological skills required to perform the essential job duties of a given position. As mentioned, traditional Job Demands Analysis typically address only the physical components of the essential job duties.  Yet, jobs are multifaceted and performance at work depends on the interplay of human physical, cognitive, emotional, behavioral and environmental factors.  As such, having a cognitive job demands analysis in conjunction with a physical job demands analysis is ideal, or these can be completed as a standalone assessment if required.

Cognitive job demands analyses can be helpful in providing a baseline measurement tool against which an individual’s cognitive and psychological capacities may be compared, such as when hiring new employees, developing and implementing training programs, or to assist in return to work post injury or illness. These comprehensive and detailed assessments can be utilized when any health condition (cognitive, physical, or emotional) impacts an employee’s thinking, cognition and/or their interpersonal processes and abilities.

Much like with a physical job demands analysis, a cognitive job demands analysis involves an on-site observation of a worker(s) completing the job in question and usually includes objective measurements, and sometimes interviews with employers and co-workers. Some of the more specific aspects examined include:

·         Hearing, vision and perception

·         Reading, writing and speech

·         Memory, attention, and higher level cognitive abilities, like problem solving, insight and judgement

·         Safety awareness

·         Work pace

·         Self-supervision

·         Deadlines and work pressure

·         Interpersonal skills required for the job

·         Self-regulation and the need to work independently, with supervision, or in a group

A comprehensive job demands analysis should include comparisons of the information obtained to standardized classification data related to occupations, such as those outlined by the National Occupational Classification 2011 proposed by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada. After a report is generated, recommendations and interventions for consideration can be developed.

Do you feel that your organization has positions that need to be outlined via a cognitive job demands analysis? Do you have more questions on how a cognitive job demands analysis can be used in the return to work process? If so, seek out the services of an Occupational Therapist, or contact Entwistle Power for a free consultation.

For additional informative posts on workplace health and wellness please refer to our Healthy Workplace page.

Resources

Haruko Ha, D., Page, J.J., Wietlisbach, C.M. (2013). Work evaluations and work programs. In H. McHugh Pendleton and W. Schultz-Krohn (Eds.) Pedretti’s Occupational Therapy Practice Skills for Physical Dysfunction (337-380), St. Louis, Missouri: Elsevier Mosby.