2020 has hit us hard. The pandemic alongside the bushfires, has unexpectedly restricted our lives, completely changing our normal. Our usual everyday activities, going to work, meeting with friends, care giving, can no longer be done the way we’ve always done them; disrupting habits, routines and relationships. Not to mention the kids in our lives, with schooling from home and changes to play with their friends. Overall, the pandemic has not just restricted us to our homes, but also confined and restricted us in carrying out our everyday activities.
You may find yourself worrying more about the future, with more unknowns around employment, return to “normality” and potential reappearance of virus peaks. Experiencing anxiety, low mood or reduced ability to cope with stress, as you attempt to navigate this changed life.
As there is an increase in things out of our control, being resilient – the individual capacity for wellbeing throughout stressful situations – has become more important than ever.
The good news is that resilience is a life-long learning journey. An occupational therapist can join you in boosting your resilience by giving you the tools to create a meaningful life, that creates purpose and balance.
Why do I need to build resilience?
Building resilience is important to continue to enjoy healthy relationships with family and friends, and promote wellbeing, in spite of stressful situations.
When you build resilience, you gain:
- Greater life balance and adaptability
- Increase in longevity
- Greater life satisfaction
- Less mental health issues
How can an Occupational Therapist help me boost my resilience?
Your occupational therapist is equipped and experienced in using proven therapies to help you analyse routines, promote participation and help formulate an approach to boost resilience. Creating innovative strategies and therapeutic interventions to facilitate engagement in chosen activities. Thereby preventing the negative effects of diseases and disability, and ultimately promoting the positive impact of participation in activities on an individual’s health and resilience.
Boost your resilience with an occupational therapist via the following examples.
Health and Wellbeing
Occupational therapists work towards creating a balanced routine doing things you enjoy, socialising, resting, eating well, sleep, and exercising. These activities help your brain become more resilient to stress, helping you to feel more alert, productive and present.
Improve your mindfulness
Practicing being mindful, or intensely aware of everything you are feeling and experiencing, can help improve your stress reaction, and improve your resilience. This a helpful skill to have both for children and adults. An occupational therapist will teach you how to grow more aware of your thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations
Build a resilient mind
How we feel is often a consequence of how we think. Utilising approaches to promote positive thought patterns, not unhelpful ones increases resilience. An occupational therapist uses evidenced based interventions such as Cognitive Behaviour Therapy or Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Guiding a recognition of unhelpful thinking patterns and the impacts on our behaviours. Working with you to problem solve skills to cope with difficult situations and creating a greater sense of confidence in your own abilities to cope.
Sustainable relationship
Holding meaningful relationships can lead to increased satisfaction in life, bringing feelings of confidence, self worth and a sense of belonging. An occupational therapist builds skills for sustaining relationships such as communication, reading body language, interpreting social cues and managing emotions.
Focusing on strengths
All people hold strengths that can be a resource and nurtured, to bring the best out of you as an individual. Strength based approaches adopted by occupational therapists, will focus on your abilities to lead your own best life and foster individual resilience.
Rebuild, Recover and Reengage
In summary, occupational therapists focus on rebuilding, recovering and reengaging, focusing on your individual journey, to boost resilience and wellbeing.
Get in touch with an occupational therapist at Allay today to start working on building your resilience.
