Lifeworks Occupational Therapy Blog

There are so many times in our lives where we feel panicked and overwhelmed. It’s hard to feel balanced when life ‘gets on top of us’. With each small, but life-altering crisis we can pause and question – is this anxiety fitting with the initial reason? Am I ok, right now? Unfortunately anxiety can become a serious health problem once it becomes a habit, something that is part of our everyday. The root of the word “anxious” is the same as the root of the word “anger,” the Indo-German word “angh,” which means “to constrict”. The signs of anxiety include short or holding of breath, tightness in the chest/muscles, irritability with others or ourselves, rapid heart beat, restlessness, feeling tense or wound up, amongst others. Let’s face it, sometimes we don’t even know we are stressed until someone else points it out. But there are some things you can do to break the habit of the Serial Worrier. Here’s some ideas to try. 1. Define...

What is yoga? The foundation of yoga lies in Patanjali’s eight limbs or stages of yoga; which offers strategies or tools to help you achieve a more meaningful life, something we aim for with our occupational therapy goals, almost always. They are as follows; Yama: your ethical standards, your sense of integrity and how you conduct yourself through life. Niyama: self-discipline and personal observances. Asana: taking care of your body (the body postures practiced in yoga). Pranayama: breath control. Pratyahara: deep awareness and control of your senses. Dharana: concentration, learning how to slow down your thinking process and shift your focus. Dhyana: being aware without focus, or meditation. Samadhi: enlightenment. Without going into too much detail about the Sanskrit or the intricacies of yoga, it is essentially the practice of mindfulness and learning to listen to your body while breathing and moving to stimulate your body and mind. There have been countless studies showing that th...

If you have developed an aversion to certain everyday activities due to ongoing pain e.g. bending down, picking up a child, walking or sitting for long periods it is most likely due to the fact that the brain has retained the information previously experienced in the acute phase of the injury and remembers these activities as being “dangerous” and remains in a hyper protective state. The brain then sends the same protective messages to prevent you from engaging in the said tasks. This leads to a cycle of fear and avoidance and reinforcing the “danger” message. In recent years elite athletes have been using their imagination to improve their performance without actually physically engaging in the said activity. This is based on the knowledge of neuroscience and has had great success. There is some evidence to show that the brain’s activation is greater when visualising yourself performing a movement than if you are actually performing. (Graded Motor Imagery G. Lorimer Moseley; David S.B...