A co-worker of yours has shown changes in her behaviour that are impacting patient and client care. She is avoiding cases in the clinic, seems detached from the team, and is complaining of sleep problems at home. Answer: Compassion fatigue Compassion fatigue can affect any individual working in caregiving professions and is characterized by profound emotional and physical exhaustion that impacts a person in and outside of the workplace. Signs at work can range from dissociation and apathy to...

There seem to be more blog posts, articles, and documentaries on organization, clearing clutter, and tidying up living spaces. And with spring right around the corner, cleaning tends to be on people’s minds. Answer: Several studies back the premise that keeping things clean and orderly fosters physical and mental health. In fact, people with clean houses are healthier and more active than people with messy houses. Additionally, people who make their beds every morning are more likely to...

Your colleague goes out of town leaving you to manage one of her long-term patients. You make decisions to the best of your ability, but when your colleague returns, she questions your choices and insists she would have done things differently. You want to discuss this with her but are uncertain how without getting defensive or becoming argumentative. Answer: Information conflict Information conflict occurs when people have different ideas, opinions, or viewpoints, or disagree about a...

Although 2021 is well under way, many of us are still looking to make changes after the trying year that 2020 turned out to be. Resolutions like getting back to exercise, eating more healthfully, and getting finances in order are top of mind among Canadians. Answer: Creating healthy habits Surveys suggest that resolutions set at the beginning of the year rarely last beyond February. On the other hand, if a person can create healthy habits (or conquer unhealthy ones), there is a much higher...

This year, it’s safe to say that we should all prepare for an unconventional holiday season. Along with the usual holiday-related pressures we have to manage, feelings of anxiety and sadness might also surface when deciding whether or not to get together with family and friends to celebrate the festivities. In these especially trying times, it is important now more than ever to focus on ways to preserve mental and physical health. Find out more by watching this video featuring veterinary...

Veterinary professionals are known for taking their work home - whether physically, mentally or both - often spending time thinking about the day’s events, rather than making time for self-care or to enjoy non-work-related activities with loved ones. Although it might not always be possible to avoid talking or thinking about work when at home, there are ways to encourage work-life separation by disengaging from work and fully connecting with family and friends. It’s more than simply creating a...

Mental health has become a relevant and common topic of discussion with Mental Health Awareness Month, Bell Let’s Talk, and other initiatives aiming to educate, raise awareness, break the silence and end the stigma. More than simply ‘hanging in there’ or ‘thinking positively’, it’s about changing the way people see and talk about mental health to strip away the shame and acknowledge how difficult it is to overcome the disease. It is also about encouraging people to seek help and support if and...

Research shows that adults should get a recommended 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night. It is also a well-known fact that over time sleep deprivation can lead to health problems, and that underlying issues, such as sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, or metabolic or hormone disorders, can cause insomnia. Not to mention that getting a restful night's sleep is essential to our physical and mental health. Happily, sleep habits are easy to change, so by choosing one thing to do differently today...

Life would be pretty dull if we all agreed on everything, all the time. Plus, we would never learn anything new. Although conflict can make us feel defensive or push us to run in the opposite direction, what if we simply looked at conflict as a difference of opinion or perspective? What if we saw these situations as opportunities to learn and grow? As hard as it might seem at first, once you try to focus on the benefits of addressing and resolving conflict rather than leaving issues...