Beyond a Medical Model: Working with Diversity in Mind

In their work, Culture, Illness, and Care: Clinical Lessons from Anthropologic and Cross-Cultural Research, Kleinman, Eisenberg and Good (1978) used the term ‘explanatory model’ that defines how patients conceptualise and construct their illness.

Conceptualising illness is an important facet of understanding the patient’s point of view, i.e., what their illness means to them. It offers up opportunities to reject a wholly biomedical model and opt for a holistic and person-centred approach that considers broader cultural perspectives. People from different cultures often conceptualise their illnesses and mental health in differing ways and these explanations may be counter to common western thought, thus isolating them from a wholly western model of care.

It would be advisable to not only gain an understanding of cultural conceptualisations of distress, but to understand that ethnic communities may conceptualise their illness in many ways. In fact, ethnic communities should not be treated as a homogenous group with a one-size fits all approach. But rather, a person-centred approach that understands the broader cultural dynamics at play, however, treats the patient as an individual with their own perspective.

Studies on conceptualisations of schizophrenia among four ethnic groups have found a range of formulations, for instance. They found that Bangladeshi and African-Caribbean groups attributed schizophrenia to social causes and the supernatural and this in turn impacted on the treatment they wanted. This also meant that these communities were seen to less likely to have insight into their mental health because their conceptualisation did not fit within the biomedical framework. This in turn meant these communities were more likely to be dissatisfied with treatment.

Help Seeking Behaviours in Ethnic Minority Groups

There have been a number of studies on help seeking behaviours in ethnic minority groups (Cochrane and Stopes-Roe, 1981; Bécares and Das-Munshi, 2013; Sue et al, 1991; Sheikh and Furnham, 2000, to name a few). Because of the number of different ways ethnic minority groups conceptualise their distress, studies have shown a number of help-seeking behaviours. Help-seeking has been linked to levels of satisfaction with services and number of previous hospital admissions, as well as how communities conceptualise their mental health. However, a study in the late 1980s found that African-Caribbean people were in receipt of an inferior level of care in the UK and were less satisfied with mental health services. Further to that, Asian communities were less likely to seek help because they were more likely to seek help within their community. Families of Chinese patients with Schizophrenia either attributed the disorder to internal or external events depending on social class.

Muslims were more likely to attribute their mental illness to the supernatural and found prayer was a way of overcoming distress. Some communities such as Indian migrants were less likely to suffer distress and seek help and other studies found a correlation between an increase in mental health disorders between White Irish people with each ten percent reduction in that community’s density. Problems arise when people from BME communities live in relative isolation and it would be beneficial to have an alternative way of accessing care.

Interventions for the Hard to Reach

Studies show that barriers to accessing care are linked to stigma attached to mental health problems and that some communities do not identify with what services are offering them. Further barriers to accessing care have been previous experiences of care, whether there is a mutual understanding between professional and patient, and language and communication barriers.

Given that there are a number of reasons why people from minority groups do not access care, a more pluralistic approach would be advisable. Firstly, interventions need to be more community-centred, with a wide range of cultural knowledge used to gain a better understanding of the needs of the individual from that community. Acknowledging the diversity within these communities has also been recommended. Further, reaching isolated individuals within communities is suggested because of the paradoxical nature of being a part of a community. The community can be both a site of knowledge of services, yet the place that hinders care through narratives of stigma.

It is important to hear the voices of individuals belonging to these communities. This will ensure that the best possible interventions reach hard to reach communities, who in turn will help improve mental health services and medical care at large.

*References available upon request

Read More…

How To Prevent Tech Neck by An Occupational Physician

Organisations are taking an active role in educating their staff on how to develop and maintain good posture. They are often doing this by showing employees how to use technology correctly. That being said, many of us, in our rush to complete tasks, often bypass the advice and slump at our desks. This, naturally, compromises our wellbeing.

Posture is important to both physical and mental wellbeing.

Bad posture can impact on our mood, causing us to feel worse. Pain can also lead to negative emotional outcomes. Just as there is a psychological feedback loop with facial expressions, there is one with posture. Bad posture leads to low mood and a low mood can result in bad posture. Standing up straight and working on posture can thus result in a better mood.

Bad posture can lead to headaches, stress and tension, and, over time, crippling back pain that needs further medical care. Working on bettering your posture can lead to better health outcomes.

Tech Neck and Using Gadgets

Tech (or text) neck is the name given when we tilt our neck while using gadgets like mobile phones, tablets, and so forth, in an unnatural position. Over time, this tilting of the head can lead to bad posture and cause headaches, back, neck, and shoulder aches. The tilting can also cause a change in the position of our necks because we are looking down at technology all the time.

More and more people are working longer ours and not switching off. They may sit all day at their desks and then sit on the couch catching up on work emails when they get home. Not switching off and taking time to exercise and stretch can further heighten the risk of developing tech neck.

Stretches You Can Do At Home

Taking time out of your working day to do some stretches and exercises is key to helping maintain good posture. You should also check on posture, ensuring you’re not slumping at your desk. Doing stretches, such as the exaggerated nod, can help prevent tech neck from developing.

Pilates techniques are also great at helping maintain good posture. The downward dog pose can be very useful and there are plenty of free video guides on YouTube. A simple walk outside and mindfulness can help you become aware of any slumping of the back and shoulders. Holding your phone up higher instead of looking down will also help prevent the tilting of your neck. Lifting it up to eye level will be incredibly useful in preventing slumping.

Just remember, prevention is better than cure. Doing simple stretches and making small changes will go a long way in helping you maintain good posture.

 

Read More…

SMART Goals and Organisational Leadership

Leaders and managers in the workplace can use the SMART model (setting specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound goals) to set direction and identify their goals. It is important that management and leaders have a strategy to identify what they would like to achieve. The SMART model is a time-tested way to do this.
In order for managers to utilise the SMART model, they need to think about what exactly it is they would like to accomplish. A vague idea can be given structure through the use of the SMART criteria.

Examples of how SMART can be used to help leaders
Managers and leaders should lead by example. They are in a position of influence over their workforce and therefore need to follow time-tested methods that work. These examples help set the culture of the workforce and ensure their subordinates follow suit.
A leader must lead by example and have goals that are clearly defined. SMART allows for leaders to set their intentions and values and showcase these to their team.
An example of this is the first part of the acronym, specific. Leaders and managers need to set specific intentions. They should have a yes be yes and a no means no approach to leading, showing consistency in their intent and objectives. An example of setting a specific goal or intention is for leaders to offer their team more feedback. Constructive feedback, according to Gallup, produces significantly higher engagement at work.
Measurable goals can help leaders and managers quantify their success. If we revert back to the last example, leaders that wish to offer more feedback can quantify the amount of feedback they offer and the outcomes achieved from this effort. Quantifying also allows leaders to place a cap on how much they do achieve, meaning their goals are realistic. Offering more feedback to employees may be the goal, but how much more feedback can they realistically offer?
When setting workplace goals, SMART helps managers and leaders stay relevant to their organisation’s needs. They need to ask questions about the overall vision and mission of the organisation and the key aims and objectives. Is their goal relevant to the organisation’s overall strategy and vision, for instance?
Lastly, managers and leaders need to set a fixed time to achieve the goals that they set. They need to show that they can manage their time effectively, which is the hallmark of a great leader, and achieve their goals in a realistic time frame. SMART can also be used alongside a SWOT analysis to check for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that may hinder or provide opportunities to achieve these goals.
SMART Goals and Motivation
Setting goals and achieving goals excites us. We get a hit of dopamine (a neurotransmitter linked to positive emotion) when we achieve a worthwhile pursuit. Motivation comes from creating and achieving a goal that we are excited about. Seeing our goals on paper can help motivate us to achieve them.
One such tactic is to have your SMART goals visible around your room, in the kitchen, your study, or bathroom, where you can be reminded of what you set out to achieve. A new body of research that focuses on the neuroscience of leadership identifies how people can set and achieve their goals with ease. These studies have shown that we can use our brain to our advantage and harness its power to rewire our neural pathways in a process called neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is linked to habit-formation and can influence and change the way we think about life. We can use the power of the brain through utilising whole-brain thinking, imagination and neuroplasticity to improve success in our own lives, as well as the lives of our clients.

Dark Triads: Working With Bad People

The dark triad of personalities are as the name suggests; bad. They can be particularly challenging within the workforce. They are the personality traits of narcissism, Machiavellian, and psychopathy. These are the people that do great harm in the world. They lack empathy, seek power, and control, and manipulate for personal gain. They can cause terror and damaged self-esteem in their wake, but also fatalities. These are the people that you find in positions of power, or in prisons. They seek power and control and will manipulate to get what they want. There are three key personality types within the Dark Triad; narcissists, Machiavellian types, and psychopaths.

Narcissists

Narcissists are those that are incredibly self-absorbed, need constant affirmation, seek out strokes whether positive or negative, and engage
people to gain narcissistic supply. The term narcissist is quite ubiquitous, but few people actually fit the diagnostic term for narcissism.

Narcissists obsess about themselves. They focus on materialism and even their looks. They will often use people for personal gain before discarding them; they seek out people for narcissistic supply, emptying the person of emotions and leaving them feeling like a shadow of their former selves.

Machiavellian Personality Traits

Machiavellians are a scary bunch. This personality is based on Machiavelli himself. You may have read the book, Power. It was based on the ability to manipulate for control. Machiavelli’s, The Prince, was based on using immoral suggestions to maintain power. In The Prince, Machiavelli stated that it is the father that owns his children, and therefore, the father can choose whether he keeps them alive.

Machiavellians crave power and they don’t care about the means to which they gain it. They only care about themselves and their own goals and dreams. They prioritise money and power, lie and deceive others for personal gain, and lack a moral compass. Machiavellians, like narcissists, often come across as flattering and charming, with many saying that
they “have the gift of the gab.” Despite this, Machiavellians may be difficult to get to know, they will often be cynical of goodness and morality, questioning those that display these traits, and will have low levels of empathy.

We know a lot more about narcissism and psychopathy than we do Machiavellianism. However, the consequences of this personality are just as grave.

Psychopathy

Psychopathy is probably the most famous of the dark triad personalities. It is one that frequently appears in the media. Psychopaths have no empathy or remorse. They are often without feeling, which is the scary part, as
it means that nothing disturbs them. They are prone to pathological lying, are extremely charming, need stimulation, have poor impulse control, are callous, are grandiose, manipulative, and live a parasitic lifestyle.

Psychopaths, if they are not in prison, often rise to the top of the ranks in the business, finance, political, legal or medical professions. Their craving for power, and lack of sensitivity and empathy, makes them particularly frightening. They are the ones that are in prison for murder, whose modus operandi is to hide the bodies of their victim so that they are continuously on a power trip. When they aren’t overt criminals, they can wreak havoc in senior positions in the workforce, crushing subordinates in their desire for control.

Those with a dark triad personality are great at superficial relationships due to their charm. The following characteristics are normal:

  1. Love bombing: this is when the person with a dark triad personality will throw out all the stops. They may be overtly affectionate, often making the other person feel so loved, like they have never felt so before. As they do not feel empathy, the love bombing is a way to
    get their ego stroked and fed.
  2. Mimicking: people that have the dark triad personality traits will often mimic other people’s emotions as they do not know how to show and feel empathy.
  3. Gaslighting: this is when the person with a dark triad personality will deny the reality of a situation. It has their victims questioning their reality, often feeling like they are going insane. They do this to damage the person’s self-esteem so that they feel like they are going crazy.
  4. Exhausting victims: dealing with somebody with a dark triad personality is exhausting as it often feels like you are jumping through hoops.
  5. Rage: while the person with the dark triad will often feel emotionless, if their ego is not stroked, they may fly into rage.
  6. Repetitive behaviour: a person who has a dark triad personality will repeat their style of behaviour with others. Without help, they will continue charming and then discarding their victims.

The Light Triad

Wherever you see a need for power and personal gain, the dark triad personality is at work. While there has been so much focus on the dark triads, more recent research is focusing on the light triads. These are the people like the mother Theresas of the world. These people are the
humanitarians. They display love, warmth, compassion, curiosity, zest, kindness, forgiveness, collaboration and gratitude. The Light Triad is a newer form of research. One thing it tells us that these traits, whether good or bad, are on a spectrum.

Read More… 

Knowing Your Macros from Your Micros: A Healthy Diet for Energy and Vitality

A healthy diet is a diet that is nutritionally balanced and contains all of the essential vitamins and minerals, as well as the macro nutrients in the required portions. Macro nutrients include protein, the building blocks of tissue; carbohydrates that provide energy; and fats, which can be split into saturated, unsaturated, trans, polyunsaturated, and monounsaturated. Focusing on eating healthy fats from oily fish, nuts and avocadoes is important, and avoiding trans fats found in pastries and cakes, is key to getting the essential fatty acids that we need, while avoiding upping our cholesterol.

It’s so important to eat a varied diet. We need variety because we need to ensure we get a wide variety of vitamins and minerals (micronutrients) and the 3 macronutrients. Without a varied diet, we risk being under nourished. For instance, vegetarians may need to supplement their iron intake due to a lack of iron. It’s also important to look into having omega 3, 6, and 9 if you’re not eating oily fish.

A nutrient simply nourishes the body. Nutrients are vitamins and minerals that we need. Some are stored in the body and some are needed daily. There are fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins. Fat-soluble vitamins are stored in the body, whereas water-soluble are needed on a daily basis. Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat soluble, whereas vitamins B (all of the B vitamins) and C are water-soluble. There can also be too much of a good thing. Too much vitamin A can be dangerous, whereas too much vitamin C is simply excreted. In terms of minerals, we need selenium, iron, iodine, phosphorous, manganese, magnesium, sodium, potassium, zinc, cobalt, molybdenum and copper to function effectively. When we under nourish, we may feel fatigued and unable to perform optimally.

Fruit and vegetables are a good source of nutrients. They contain a lot of plant sources of vitamins and minerals. Meat (organic especially), oily fish, and fortified milks and yoghurts can contain calcium. Nuts and seeds are good sources of omega and selenium too. These are good for giving us a more youthful glow.

The main factors that affect our nutritional needs are age, sex and activity. A pregnant woman will need to up her folic acid levels even while trying to conceive and throughout her pregnancy. Men need zinc for good quality sperm. Sedentary lifestyles will need different nutrient levels to that of an active person. If a person is sick, they may wish to up their nutrient levels to aid healing. Vitamin C is especially good for this.

Macronutrients, or macros, are the three types of food molecules the body can break down for energy:

  • Protein, which has 4 calories per gram.
  • Carbohydrates, which have 4 calories per gram.
  • Fat, which has 9 calories per gram.

Aiming for a healthy diet is a good form of self-care meaning we can avoid unnecessary illness and fatigue. We may also help the body recover in a swifter manner.

Read More…

A Doctor’s Tips on How to Increase Fertility

Many women are facing infertility problems. It is a problem that effects at least 186 million people worldwide, with an estimated 15.5% of women in the USA experiencing infertility. Medical advances such as In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) have increased the medical and alternative health community’s interest in understanding the causes and effects of infertility.

Functional medicine, a preventative strategy that takes a wholistic approach to managing wellbeing has looked at the role of nutrition in female fertility. Nutritional status has been found to play an important role in male and female fertility alongside pre-existing ovulation problems, spermatogenesis, presence of disease, age, weight and certain lifestyle choices (eg. smoking, alcohol, stress and sleep) which all play a vital role. Those that drink or smoke significantly reduce their chances of conception.

Before fertilisation even occurs the sperm and the ovum need to exist within a healthy and well-nourished parent environment. This is done by looking at reducing stress and eating well. Nutritional deficiencies during pregnancy can also contribute to risk factors around miscarriage and birth defects, so the emphasis on nutritional optimisation is essential at this stage.

There are several dietary changes that women and men alike can make to boost their fertility. Studies have shown that the most fertile women eat a nutritionally balanced diet devoid of trans-fats and sugars (including high fructose drinks and alcohol), consume more vegetable protein, have an increased multi-vitamin intake, increased iron intake and maintain an optimal weight. Weight has been shown to be a key factor in optimising fertility. Those women that are underweight are at risk of anovulation (cessation of ovulation) and in overweight women fertility decreases by 5% for each unit increase in the Body Mass Index (BMI) exceeding 29.

Studies have shown that adopting a Mediterranean diet can improve a person’s chances of conception, enhance foetal health and reduce the risk of preterm birth. Increasing evidence also shows that a balanced ratio of Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids can also improve reproductive success. Taking a supplement, upping your fatty fish or egg yolk intake or eating flaxseed can help with this.

In addition to making dietary adjustments, men and women are advised to ensure they are taking the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of multi vitamins and minerals. These essential micronutrients should be prescribed if necessary. A blood test can indicate a deficiency if you are not sure.

Vitamins D, E, C should be supplemented to enhance optimal nutrition and help maximise fertility. Supplementation of Vitamin D where exposure to sunlight is limited or where long periods of time are spent indoors is advisable. Supplementation is also beneficial in improving neonatal well-being and can be useful as a preventative for pre-eclampsia. Research also shows that folic acid enhances fertility and is recommended when a woman decides she would like to try for a baby. Other micronutrients such as B6 , B12, lipoic acid, selenium, zinc, essential fatty acids and Omega 3 are all important. A diet containing Coenzyme Q10 can increase sperm motility in males and increase fertility in ageing females.

Whilst infertility research is mainly focused on female health, much more attention is being paid recently to male fertility and semen health. Sperm quality is also affected by lifestyle factors and general nutrition so an optimal diet is also essential for men.

The role of soy in the diet is controversial. Research shows that the isoflavones contained in soy mimic natural oestrogen and can act as an endocrine disruptor. Comprehensive research on soy and its links with fertility is still lacking so couples trying to conceive are advised to avoid soy products.

A recent study has shown that there is increasing evidence linking male infertility to exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals and that exposure could start as early as conception. Opting for organic foods, reducing plastic and canned foods in everyday life and washing hands regularly are a few ways to decrease your exposure.

When the body is under acute stress, cortisol levels rise, compromising the body’s immunity. A weakened immune system can affect fertility. A study conducted by the National Institute of Health has shown that women who have higher levels of alpha-amylase (an enzyme produced when the body is stressed) found it more difficult to conceive. Stress also affects male fertility by lowering the quality of sperm and semen. Both men and women need to manage stress effectively to increase the likelihood of conception.

Sleep deprivation also has detrimental effects on the body, including the menstrual cycle, so a good night’s rest enhances fertility. Research suggests that lack of sleep causes activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and abnormal circadian rhythms that are linked to infertility.

Optimising nutrition and cellular micronutrients is a fundamental starting point for maximising fertility. The most important advice for couples trying to conceive is to maintain a well-balanced diet focused on increasing vegetable protein, optimising vitamin intake (especially D, E and C) and ensuring that the diet contains sufficient iron, fibre and other useful micronutrients such as Omega 3, Coenzyme Q10 and folic acid. Eating organic where possible to reduce chemical exposure and opting for a Mediterranean diet is also recommended.

In summary, lifestyle and nutrition play a fundamental role in maximising fertility. They are amongst the most promising interventions and strategies for improving fertility for both men and women.

Read More…

Epigenetics and Trauma

The word ‘epigenetics’ may be a new one for you, but the term has been around for quite some time, making traction in the last decade. Epigenetics is the study of how experience, thoughts, and words can modify our DNA. These changes can be passed on from one generation to the next. We can change the structure of our genes, and this can have lasting consequences on both our physical and mental health.

The Biology

A genome is a double helix code that is uniquely you, unless, of course, you have an identical twin. Added to this is another layer of complexity called the epigenome. The epigenome sits in your cells with your genome and is the instruction manual that decides which parts of your DNA are activated and which genes are switched on or off. Every cell in your body contains its own epigenome. This is impressive stuff because it is the epigenome that decides the actions of a cell.

Your DNA stays consistent throughout your life, but the epigenomes are fluid. They change as we grow (i.e. throughout adolescence), and the experiences we have in life impact on them. Epigenetic changes affect our body, both positively and negatively, and impact on the health of our bodies. Experiences, such as trauma, can have an adverse impact on our cell health. But not only that, it can also impact on our children and grandchildren’s development. This is the same as the experiences of our grandparents and parents on our own lives.

In a study conducted by Professor Yehuda Bauer, the impact of traumatic experiences on war veterans, Holocaust survivors, and the September 11th attacks were considered. The study aimed to understand the impact this had on the survivor’s children. Professor Yehuda found that children whose parents had suffered from post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) displayed PTSD and depressive symptoms, too. The children also shared epigenetic markers with their parents, meaning they were more reactive to stress.

The good news is that we can rewire and reverse these changes through our personal experiences. We can also do this using powerful words, thinking positively, seeking out joyful and enriching experiences, and keeping our focus on the here and now. Our words are powerful and can influence health at a cellular level. It is estimated that between 75 and 98% of mental and physical health problems come from the mind.

Read More…

What is Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy and How Can It Help You?

Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally. It’s about knowing what is on your mind.”

Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) combines both Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and mindfulness techniques to help individuals manage thoughts and emotions.

MBCT was originally developed by Zindel Segal, Mark Williams, and John Teasdale. It works to help people learn how to use cognitive methods and mindfulness meditation to interrupt automatic processes that lead to depression and/ or anxiety. In depression, an individual will feel both mental and physical symptoms, such as weariness, sluggishness, and so forth. Even when the depression subsides, if a low mood hits the individual this may, by way of triggering automated body and mind patterns, create another episode of depression by triggering negative memories and anxious thoughts about the future.

Feelings are not facts. MBCT helps clients to separate themselves from their thoughts and moods. By focusing on the now, individuals can stop the cycle of rumination where negative thoughts are replayed over and over again. They, essentially, can remind themselves that thoughts and feelings are not facts.

One of the main techniques in MBCT is the three-minute breathing space. This is a technique that can be incorporated anywhere and essentially focuses on what is going on at that very moment in time. It brings an awareness to the mind and body, in which the person can then stop any negative thoughts that may be happening too. It also allows for relaxation and the ability of just being present.

There are several issues treated with MBCT, and these include anxiety and depression. It is also an extremely useful tool to help manage stress and anger. It may also be an effective tool in treating eating disorders, bipolar and other psychiatric illnesses.

Mindfulness and Positive Psychology

Mindfulness has played a significant role in positive psychology, which is an emerging field of psychology that focuses on the science of happiness. MBCT and MBSR are used by clinical practitioners as additional tools in their

Read Article

Managing mental health at work

AS MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES GET DISCUSSED MORE, IT’S PART OF A HEALTH CHECK-IN AT THE WORKSITE. SARAH DAVIES-ROBERTSON AND DR. FARHAN SHAHZAD LOOK AT WAYS YOU CAN CHECK IN AT WORK.

Once upon a time, mental health at work was overlooked. We often ignored issues in the workplace, seeing a person as weak and unable to cope with the demands placed upon them. Nowadays, we are much more sympathetic. We understand that work can cause all kinds of illnesses due to stress. There are musculoskeletal disorders due to lack of ergonomics; burnout and brownout due to stress; and anxiety and depression due to lack of compatibility with your job. That said, organisations can be the source of stress, but individual employees are multifaceted and complex. Perhaps an employee is predisposed to a psychiatric disorder, or maybe they even have one already. Workplaces cannot always be the source of blame, but if a person already has a diagnosis of a mental health disorder, then it is imperative that they are treated with kindness and supported through their journey. Treating someone with a mental health disorder requires knowledge, just as we do with those with physical health problems. A psychiatric disorder may look invisible, it’s not as obvious as physical illness, but it, nevertheless, requires care and compassion. So, how can organisations help those with mental health problems? Firstly, they can learn to identify what they are. Then, they can work with individuals to tailor a support plan. Just as you would give someone time off who had chemotherapy appointments, you would also need to give a person time to visit their therapist. Working with each employee on an individual basis is key.

What can organisations do to promote staff well-being?

It is imperative for organisations to understand the individual nature of each employee. Each worker brings a unique life history, their own psychological make-up, characteristics and traits to the workplace, and therefore needs to be treated as such. Treating staff as individuals is key to harnessing their talents. In organisational psychological research, we see that employees are multifaceted individuals. And while it is not expected that each manager will be a master psychologist when working with their subordinates, generating psychological and self-awareness is a must. Treating everyone the same is where many managers fall short. Building rapport and providing ongoing support to employees is a mediating factor in safeguarding against stress and burnout. Furthermore, organisations can promote wellbeing by establishing a healthy routine. Encouraging employees to take their lunch away from their desks will be a welcoming break that boosts overall productivity. It’s also important that, wherever possible, employees leave on time. Workers have responsibilities outside of the office, so they must attend to these needs. Neglecting family and social affairs can breed resentment and disengagement at work. Encouraging staff to take their holiday time, leave when they should and take regular breaks will boost their overall productivity at work. Finally, employers must actively focus on reducing the organisational factors contributing to occupational stress and burnout. Office bullying, scapegoating, bureaucracy and politics cause unnecessary work stress. Organisations can do well to listen to their staff’s needs and create an opendoor policy where employees can readily express their worries candidly. Tackling structural level stressors should be a priority for organisations – not least because it is the organisation that will suffer most if not.

How does this impact tradies?

The physical aspect of being a tradesperson is often overlooked. Manual labour and physical stress can cause chronic disorders that lead to psychological stress. Back pain, for instance, is an active stressor that comes with a psychological cost. If you are experiencing pain, get it checked out so that it does not lead to a chronic backache. If you are waking up at night and worried about the days ahead, speak to your GP for a possible referral. Low mood, anxiety and stress can be helped and the sooner you speak to someone, the better. While it can be difficult to speak out about unfair treatment, there are options if you’re being harassed and bullied at work. Consider making a complaint to human resources or speaking to FairWork Australia about any organisational issues. Remember, you are never alone and speaking up can help save your mental health.

Download Now

What individuals and organisations can do about musculoskeletal disorders

POSTURE AND MUSCULOSKELETAL WELLNESS ARE OFTEN-FORGOTTEN ELEMENTS OF THE WORKFORCE. DR FARHAN SHAHZAD LOOKS AT WHAT EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYEES CAN DO TO STAY ON TOP OF THEIR PHYSICAL HEALTH.

Many of us have been working from home. With COVID-19 lockdowns not long gone, the issues of working behind an ergonomically unfriendly set-up may be catching up with us. Prior to COVID-19, organisations may have put a lot of effort into educating staff about good posture and good use of technology, manual handling, and picking up machinery, but without HR hovering over you, back pain may be the result of long working days stuck to a desk without a good chair to support you. Musculoskeletal disorders can be the result of bad posture and ergonomics. The most common of these, which is characterised as diseases of the connective tissue, is joint pain and bad backs are one of the most prevalent symptoms. Perhaps you haven’t worked behind a computer screen. Maybe you’re out in the field, but back pain and musculoskeletal issues may still be a problem. Tradies are at particular risk of aches and pains because of the physical nature of their jobs. Posture is an important facet of not only physical but emotional well-being. Just like facial expressions have a psychological feedback loop that feeds into our emotional well-being, so does posture. When we are crouched, shoulders and head forward, and our posture stooped, our mood can be altered to reflect this. Likewise, when we are standing or sitting tall, head and neck straight, we feel a lot better. One of the issues with bad posture is that it can lead to more headaches, tension and stress. When our body is under stress, we feel tense, and this alters our mood, meaning we feel more angst than if we were relaxed. ‘Tech Neck’ and musculoskeletal aches You may think that heavy lifting and bad posture are the root causes of musculoskeletal disorders, but things like using technology wrongly can cause issues such as Tech Neck.

Tech Neck is the name given to the tilting of the neck into an unnatural position with overuse of mobile technology, or any technology for that matter. You may think you’re exempt as a tradie but think about how you use your phone daily but constantly facing down and tilting the neck can cause strain and back pain over time.

Things that you can do to prevent musculoskeletal disorders There are some things that you can do to protect your back and prevent Tech Neck and pain during your time at home. This includes doing stretches such as the exaggerated nod; simply counteract the forward tilting by tilting your head and neck back and squeezing your shoulders. The very common Pilates pose, the downward dog, is also very useful. There are lots of YouTube clips to help you perform this stretch safely at home.

Remember, it is far better for organisations to invest in the health of their staff than to face lengthy legal consequences.

Holding your phone at eye level can also help ensure that you are not straining your neck. Ensuring that you’re carrying out work tasks properly is also imperative. When lifting machinery or doing any heavy lifting, ensure that you do so safely. Organisations should have strict manual handling procedures and ensure that these are implemented and observed by everyone. Repetitive motions can lead to musculoskeletal disorders, so break up tasks where possible and ensure that you do things slowly and correctly. Cutting corners is unsafe, especially when there are clear safety guidelines in place. Likewise, where machinery can be used instead of human labour, opt for machinery and have people managing it. It is better and more cost-effective than ill health. Team building activities such as exercise, Pilates classes and stretching can also be a great way for staff to bond and protect their health. Buddying up can also offer greater accountability. Prevention is better than cure, so ensure you do some simple exercises and stretches to help prevent back pain and getting a sore neck. Remember, it is far better for organisations to invest in the health of staff than to face legal consequences. It is also better for employees to manage their health, ensuring greater longevity in the workplace.

Download Now