Decrease stress, prioritize mental health, and get the most out of time off.

It’s not easy to take time off work especially when we are under stress to perform. Taking time off can be extra hard when it’s for mental health.

In past few years, there has been increasing awareness and chatter about taking mental health days. Near the end of May, Nadia Whittome, one of the youngest members of Britain’s Parliament, reveled she had been diagnosed with PTSD, and was going to take several weeks off under the guidance of her mental health provider.

On her website she wrote, “Through being open about my own mental health struggle, I hope that others will also feel able to talk about theirs.”

Whittome is not alone in her choice to take time away from demands to tend to her mental health needs. Teachers and healthcare workers are leaving their positions reporting burnout from the covid-19 stress.

There seems to be a wave of optimism with COVID-19 restrictions being lifted. However, there may be a second wave of COVID-19 related mental health challenges yet to come. Some of these challenges are related to post COVID adjustments. Other aspects are likely related to the prolonged experience of anxiety, depression, stress and isolation countless Americans faced over the past year.

Given the nations prolonged exposure to stress and trauma it is not surprising that many people are choosing to take time off from work. Research has supported that taking time off has some significant benefits including less stress when returning to work and a decrease in stress while taking time off.

According to a 2020 report from the Commonwealth Fund, Americans suffered more mental health consequences from the Covid-19 crisis than people in nine other high-income countries. Thirty-three percent of respondents reported experiencing stress, anxiety or major sadness that was difficult to cope with alone. These are feelings that shouldn’t be ignored. Unfortunately, taking time off of work isn’t an option for everyone, however as a nation we would likely benefit if more were granted more opportunities to prioritize mental wellbeing over personal productivity.

Make sure you check in with feelings

Taking on work tasks can use up a lot of our time in a week. Taking time off can leave some significant voids in the schedule. These voids provide an opportunity to check in with ourselves and see what if any feelings or thoughts bubble up to fill the voids. Without planned effort we can accidently fill all of the voids out of reflex. Sitting with sadness, grief, anger, fear, depression ect. can be uncomfortable however, I am going to suggest these feelings can be the jump on point to heal and grow again in life. It is pretty normal to want to avoid discomfort when taking time off. However, moving into this paradox, where we welcome what bubbles up and process it during times of break can provide a significant long term reduction in discomfort. The saying “there is never a good time” to feel these feelings probably rings true here. I mean, you finally get time off work, and I am suggesting we can benefit from looking out for bad feelings can feel so counter intuitive. However, I am suggesting that doing just this can be very powerful.

Have a plan for reentry

It is easy to hit the ground running when we return to work, things to get caught up on, and we can easily return to the same patterns. Taking some time to define new healthy behaviors can be a powerful way to continue change. It is suggested to make one behavioral change at a time. Take 2 weeks to implement each behavior. Once it is set add another one. For example, when returning to work it is easy to have a desk lunch while getting caught up on tasks and projects. However, a more adaptive behavior would be to leave the office to be outside and clear your mind or going to lunch with colleagues.

Grateful soothes Stress

In the current era this one can sound a bit burnt out. However, practicing gratitude has been found to correlate to improved relationship and happiness in those around us. After this stressful year with COVID-19, we have so much to potentially feel grateful for.

Even the suffering of the past year could be seen as a opportunity to see where we need to take better care of our own mental health. If we do not take care of ourselves, we will not be able to do our best on other tasks. Again the paradox here, some times working less lets us do more. We have to be able to take a long term approach to see the benefit. When we are stressed we are not as able to play things out as well in the long term. A great example of this is the message on air planes: “if you are traveling with small children please put your oxygen mask on first.” In the short run this can seem selfish even counter intuitive to parenting. However, if you do not put your mask on first, you will not be be able to do your best to help to others.

If you or someone you love is dealing with too much stress or having mental health difficulties call Dr. Davenport today for counseling and therapy services in Sarasota, FL 941-321-1971.

Take a sick day for mental health?

Madalyn Parker, a 26 year-old web developer for Olark, in Ann Arbor, MI took a sick day for mental health and news of her day off went viral.

Madalyn wrote “I’am taking today and tomorrow to focus on my mental health.” She reported some anxiety and depression that has not consistently responded to medication.  The CEO of Olark responded with support which touched Parker.

Tens of thousands of people responded to Parkers post bring attention to the importance of seeing mental health problems as equally important as physical health problems. It is widely accepted that mental health issues, if left unchecked, leave us at greater risk for a number of physical health issues. If we treat both equally we will be in the best position to be as effective as possible in our lives.

Clare Miller, director of the partnership for workplace mental health at the American Psychiatric Association Foundation, said “We know from literature that there is a huge amount of calling in sick because of mental health issues” many of which are due to depression. Many times employees take sick days with complaints like “I don’t feel well.”

Many employers do not respond as Olark did. A 2016 Work and Well-being survey of 1,501 workers by the American Psychological Association suggested that less than one-half felt their employer supported employee well-being. One third felt chronically stressed on the job.

Charles R. Davenport, Psy.D., LLC. provides counseling services and therapy for individuals in Sarasota, FL and Venice, FL. If you struggle with depression, career stress, or anxiety call 941-321-1971 to talk to Licensed Psychologist Dr. Charles R. Davenport.

Living with regret?

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Regret, and emotion most people are familiar with and one most of us don’t care for. Regret has been defined as the experience we have when we realize we may have had a better outcome  if we chose differently. Many times having more opportunities  can create a greater opportunity  for regret (Roese, N & Summerville, A.). This doesn’t mean  that we should live lives striving for less opportunity. It does suggest that as our lives have become increasingly more complex, potentially as a result of more opportunity, successfully managing regret could be a powerful benefit.

There are several common ways regret presents itself in our lives:

1. Opportunities lost– When we feel that we missed opportunities we are at greater risk for feeling regret. The more opportunities we think we lost the more regret we are likely to feel.
2. Belief that we can make a difference– Feeling that we can make a difference in our world is generally good. If something doesn’t turn out as we would like and we feel that we should have been able to influence it we are more likely to feel regret in how we proceeded.
3. Close but not exactly what we expect– When we take on a task or challenge and get close to our goal we are more likely to feel regret than if we are nowhere our goal. The proximity to our goal without completely reaching seems to enhance the likelihood of regret. It might service better to reward ourselves for working toward a goal independent of the outcome.
4. Having the opportunity to change our mind– If we take a plan of action and are not able to revisit or redo any steps of it we are more likely to move forward without regret. it is possible this is allowing us to focus on what we can do next or how we can learn from the past rather than getting caught in uncertainty surrounding making the “best decision.” for example, shoppers are happier when they can’t get a refund rather than wondering if they should seek a refund.

Charles R Davenport, Psy.D., LLC.  provides therapy and counseling services in Venice, Florida and Sarasota, Florida. Dr. Charles R Davenport is a Licensed Psychologist who works with individuals and couples to find change in their lives. If you or someone you know is struggling with regret please feel free to contact the office at 941-321-1971.

Charles R. Davenport, Psy.D., LLC. Licensed Psychologist- Dr. Charles R. Davenport

Communication in politics, conflict and relationships

Whether it be in politics, and our children to schools, or in our own relationships communication can be difficult. Once emotions are charged or we are discussing a passionate topic it can be more difficult for us to hear other people’s side or viewpoint. Sometimes this can go so far as to activate our fight or flight response which makes it even more difficult to use higher order thinking. Higher order thinking is what the frontal cortex does and it is required for empathy and thinking outside of our own mind. fight or flight has been helpful in ensuring our survival. As human beings when we are threatened our mind breaks things down into black and white with the hope of keeping us safe. However, this backfires in intimate relationships where there may not be the same threat to safety. The part of our mind response to these threats does not know the difference between the physical threat and emotional threat. so the skills that could help us stay physically safe can isolate us from the other person or even lead us to attack their viewpoint. If we wind up attacking their viewpoint we are likely to ensure that we activate their fight or flight response which may in turn leave them trying to convince us of their viewpoint.

Given current events in our society, it seems we may all benefit from being curious about this process and how it may play out our own lives, state, country, and world. When we find ourselves for the other repeating the same thing multiple times in an argument it might be an opportunity to wonder if we’re feeling unheard and if our fight or flight response is activated. If it is sometimes just being aware of this process can allow us to activate higher order thinking. Many times by telling the other which you hear them say, confirming that your understanding them correctly, and letting them know that you can understand how it may seem that way to them can be a powerful opportunity for them to hear what you are saying. Unfortunately, this is frequently counterintuitive. The suggestion here is that to be heard be must first let the other person know we are hearing them. Perhaps to have space for us we also need to make space for them. Sometimes we can wind up in a standoff waiting to see who is going to make the space first. We may not always be able to both take the step at the same time but certainly this could be a powerful aspiration.

Dr. Charles R Davenport is a Licensed Psychologist who works with organizations, businesses, couples, and individuals to address difficulties in communication and leadership. Services are provided in Sarasota Florida and Venice Florida.

Powerball lottery… are we Optimistic?

With all of the interest around Powerball lottery the American Psychological Association (APA) has chimed in.

A question many of us may find in our mind, should we by Powerball ticket or not? Is it a wise choice, worthwhile investment, evidence of being gullible, a sign of being hopeful, or proof of weakness? Well, in all honesty, there’s good likelihood the answer may be yes to all of the above. imagining winning the lottery is frequently accompanied by thoughts of having change in her life, quitting jobs, buying homes, or paying off debt. using imagination can be a wonderful thing frequently lost childhood. As adults it can be powerful to have imagination in our life which is tempered with our adult experiences. Imagining things being different is not a far leap from optimism which, I might suggest, is a critical component of us being able to imagine that things can be different and in turn grow or find change in our life.

So why do we buy lottery tickets?

It might be a built-in component of our survival, optimism, imagining that things can be better and working to make that happen.

If we stopped really didn’t think things were possible, as humans, we would be losing opportunities to grow and see what we might not be aware of. There is vulnerability in this however, we may hope for a particular kind of change that never happens. Does this mean that we failed or were wrong? It might not have to be the case… if we are able to glean something that we use in the future to accomplish a goal or avoid a pitfall to venture into hope or optimism might have been very helpful.

Venice Florida psychologist, Dr. Charles R Davenport, provides counseling and therapy services at Dr. Charles R Davenport PsyD LLC.

He works with patients to help them find change and deal with career stress, anxiety, depression, and communication difficulties. Please feel free to contact Charles  R. Davenport, Psy.D. , LLC at 941-321-1971.

Teacher Burnout: Depression too?

A new study suggests a significant connection between depression and burnout among primary school teachers. Many of the signs of burnout such as, being more cynical, lacking energy, lacking interest, needing to work harder to accomplish less, or changes in sleep or eating, are also seen in the early onset of depression. This study offers some evidence to support an implied, long standing, qualitative correlation.

Drs. Irvin S. Schonfeld of the City College of New York’s Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership and Renzo Bianchi of the Institute of Work and Organizational Psychology, University of Neuchatel, Switzerland, discovered a significant overlap between burn out and depression.

Their findings looked at survey results from 1,386 pre-k to 12th grade US teachers that were assessing for burn out. they found that 86% of the burnout group met criteria for depression whereas less than 1% of the no burnout group met criteria for depression. Teachers in the burnout group are also found to be more than two times as likely to have history of anxiety. This supports another long-standing correlation between depression and anxiety. This article appears in the Journal of Clinical Psychology. Charles R Davenport Psy.D. LLC provides counseling and therapy services to help teachers and other professionals be aware of burnout, worked to overcome it when it does interfere, and to strive toward avoiding burnout where possible.

Career Stress: When You Really Need a Vacation.

If we are really sick many of us comfortably “use the sick day” and take off of work. However the same idea of taking care of our health does intend to apply the same way in relation to our emotional well-being. Many times we don’t have external markers that “justify” taking care of ourselves until the problem becomes much bigger. Once the problem reaches this point is more likely to interfere with her functioning and this could have been avoided by taking action earlier.

Keeping busy can even be a way to avoid things that are uncomfortable. which can be very helpful in the short run and that we get more things done and do not become overwhelmed immediately. However, we can wind up feeling stuck in keeping busy. If we stop being busy we are susceptible to being overwhelmed by things that we may not see his being easily addressed in the short run. On the other side, if we continue to be busy we will not likely get to the point where we can make headway with the things that overwhelm us.

This is where taking a break from the regular pattern can be helpful and even insightful.

American culture doesn’t seem to place the same way on the need for vacation and recharging as other cultures. In fact, taking time off can be viewed as a weakness with fear of retribution. This is unfortunate, since it is accepted that being fully healthy and recharged allows us to be most effective. Taking time off can allow us to produce more and be more diverse and creative in our responses to challenges. Once we begin to get worn down these problems can compound making it harder and harder to get back to our peak performance. A 2011 review by researchers at the University of South Florida found that high stress at work can also contribute to difficulty sleeping, headaches, stomach issues and more.

As related to work burnout there are some signs that you may be nearing burnout or at least benefit from some time off.

1. Little annoyances seemed are more annoying than they used to be
2. People are asking you if everything is okay or noting that you look fatigued.
3. You notice making more mistakes on routine tasks.
4. You’re more negative about things… pessimistic
5. You start doing things at work that you know you shouldn’t ‘borrowing’ a stapler or not returning calls.
6. More headaches, muscular pain, or overall physical discomfort. Stressful situations cause more inflammation and sensitivity to pain.
7. Stomach upset.
8. Difficulty falling asleep and or staying asleep.
9. Drinking more alcohol or increased substance use frequently coupled with decreased exercise.
10. Having a hard time remembering why you like work or your career.

Stress can be a positive contributor to our working at peak performance however there is a point of decline which is not frequently appreciated in our culture or workplace. If we are not mindful of when we get close to this point we set ourselves up to be susceptible to burn out or at least working harder with less return.

Dr. Charles R Davenport is a Licensed Psychologist who provides counseling and therapy services in Venice Florida in Sarasota Florida with Charles R Davenport Psy.D. LLC. He works with students and professionals around career stress to identify signs of burnout and aid them in using their strengths to overcome areas of difficulty.

Harder exercise helps reduce stress more

It is well accepted, in both the field of psychology and medicine, that there is a powerful link between exercise and stress.

The federal government suggests a minimum of 150 min. of movement a week to maintain optimal health. However, you probably need more to most effectively combat stress.

Dr. Edward Phillips, director of the Institute of Lifestyle Medicine at the Joslin Diabetes Center, says that people who spend more time exercising are less likely to be depressed or anxious.

Despite there being a powerful pull to be told what is best for you, there is no exact science about how much exercise is best for beating stress. Frequently is powerful to find a balance between what we know is effective than others and listening to one’s own body for more personal feedback. one challenge in this is that when we feel depressed and is frequently hard to be motivated to do more. However, this can be overcome by scheduling days and times to be active while being mindful of how our body feels after the exercise and the day following.

Additionally, it can be helpful to integrate a variety of exercises to maintain diversity and interest in the activities. In a study published earlier this year, Stanford University researchers found that people who walked in a natural setting for 90 min. or less likely to obsess over negative thoughts than those who walked for a similar amount of time in a metropolitan area.

Job stress might be killing you and what you can do about it…

Many times stress can be a motivator however frequently it serves more of a negative function in our lives. When stress occurs in the workplace, know as job stress or career stress, intensity can increase because our performance is likely tied to our financial security.

According to a 2014 Stress in America survey by the American Psychological Association work is the second most common source of stress among US adults ranking only behind financial stress. In addition, 60% of adults described their jobs as a somewhat significant or very significant source of stress. Experts suggest that workplace stress affects us differently than other forms of stress.

Since performing well at work can be correlated with making enough money we are more susceptible to agreeing to things we would not otherwise agree to the work environment. Another way of saying this is that it is easier to say no to a spouse or a child than to your boss. However, if we wind up saying yes when we “should” be saying no or if our saying no is not respected the impact on her health can be hazardous.

Another powerful exercise can be making an inventory of what we spent most of our day doing and comparing it to an inventory of what we love most. This exercise is simple but can be powerful in assessing opportunities to make change in our life.

Dr. Charles R Davenport is a Licensed Psychologist who provides services through Charles R. Davenport, Psy.D., LLC. with offices in Sarasota and Venice, Florida. One of his areas of clinical focus is working with professionals in high stress careers to thrive and best cope with job stress.

For more information on stress and its impact on our health check out Charles R. Davenport, Psy.D., LLC. fact sheet on stress.