Guest Blog from Lesya Dyk Board of Directors Ontario Society of Occupational Therapists Canada

AUGUST IN FRANCE OR DEALING WITH OCCUPATIONAL STRESS

August in France…

Did I get your attention? Did for a moment your mind go there or anywhere away from work? Are you summer dreaming? If so, summer is the time that we in Canada take a few days off when we can to enjoy the nice weather, or if time and resources allow, a vacation.
I chose this title, August in France, because it is a common truth that much of France shuts down in August as people take vacation to escape the heat of the sun. And, when you know that France has 30 days of legislated vacation annually, it is clear that taking time to reboot, to refresh and to have a work/life balance is a priority for the French.

Did you know…

Canada ranks the 3rd worst in regulated vacation/holiday in the industrial world with 10 days vacation and 9 statutory holidays (statutory holidays vary by province). The only countries that fare worse are Japan which has no statutory holidays, and the US which has no regulated guaranteed vacation requirement for full-time workers.

The countries that have the most regulated time off? France legislates 30 days vacation, but when you add statutory holidays, that rises to 31 days. Using the same formula, Austria and Portugal jump ahead at 35 days, followed by Germany and the Scandinavian countries at 34 days, and Italy at 31 days.

There can be debates about productivity and cost to the economy, but it is clear that many countries in the industrialized world value the ability for their workers to have time to “recreate” – to manage their stress and to work towards a work/life balance.

Occupational Stress is…

Job stress, or the more correct term occupational stress, is defined by the World Health Organization as:

“…The response people may have when presented with work demands and pressures that are not matched to their resources, knowledge and abilities which challenges their ability to cope”

In a very popular TEDtalk on Vulnerability, Brene Brown, a social researcher, talks about the myth that we “can do it all”. We often measure ourselves against others, and are harder on ourselves than we are on our family and colleagues. This is especially true for health professionals who are in the business of helping, and not comfortable being the ones requiring the help.

From an OSOT Board Perspective?

Sitting on the Board or Directors at OSOT, we often hear of the challenges that are facing our profession and in turn our membership. There are cuts to funding in all sectors resulting in job cuts or less stable, permanent or full-time jobs, and therapists often working harder to provide basic services to their clients. There are more requirements for education and more expected by our regulators and the government. And, with changing management models, OTs are often isolated from one another and must look hard or outside their jobs or institutions for mentorship and support. Occupational stress is not an excuse – it comes from organizations, at both the macro and micro level, failing to provide the structures their staff need to succeed at their job and preserve a work/life balance.

What can we do to deal with Occupational Stress?

Isn’t it ironic that we, the profession that is centred around work/life balance and great at giving our clients advice about it, often struggle to achieve it ourselves?

What can you do? Here are some strategies that will remind you what to do because, as we all know, we already know these strategies as we give this advice to our clients.

This list is not exhaustive and is a compilation of several strategies or approaches that are most commonly cited in the literature.

Track your stressors – Or, if you can’t track yet another thing, just be aware of them. This will take you only a moment – like when you pull up to a Dairy Queen drive-thru (like I did last week) and think to yourself – why am I needing to do this? If you are so inclined, keep a journal for a week or two to identify which situations create the most stress and how you respond to them. Do I run to the bathroom, do I want to eat, do I need a glass of wine at the end of the day to take the edge off…?
Develop healthy responses – We know this! Take a moment, take a deep breath, think through this, use all that CBT that you know or at least learned – when you realize that going for a short walk makes you feel better, you may be more inclined to do this more often.
Establish boundaries – What does this mean? Make some rules about usage of your electronic devices, taking work home at night, taking work home on the weekend, taking work to the cottage, taking messages from work outside of work hours etc. Stick to them. And if you are a business owner or private practitioner, plan your vacations for the year if you can, so there can be no excuse and you can plan the rest of your work around this.
Take time to recharge – Everybody has a happy place – a walk by the lake, the chair on the porch, a gym or a yoga studio. Figure out what your happy place is and take time to recharge there.
Learn how to relax – This may be obvious, but you have to give yourself permission to relax once you are in your happy place. We all know the benefits of progressive muscular relaxation, or visualization and deep breathing. Use it when you need to during the day to manage your stress, but don’t forget to do it when you are supposed to be recharging.
Talk to your supervisor – Some say risky, but if you have a well founded and well thought out issue related to your work stress, there may be some ways that your supervisor can be supportive. Change can only take place when people speak up.
Get some support – You can’t do this alone and you cannot be perfect. Reach out to people who can empathize with you. The only thing is, sometimes you think that people who should be supportive are not. Recently a colleague told me of a relative, who is also an occupational therapist, not being supportive, and perhaps being the exact opposite because she is a practice owner, and there was a perception that she was “living the dream”. The “dream” however really requires 14 hours days and some sleepless nights. Don’t dwell on the negative, move on and find someone that can empathize and support.
One final thing…

Have a great summer, take some time for yourself, recharge, reflect and remember this…
Nobody said on their deathbed,
“gee, I wish I spent more time at the office”.
I would like to hear what you think so don’t hesitate to be in touch!
Lesya Dyk

osot@osot.on.ca.

OSOT.on.ca * OTOntario.ca