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The question:
I count every calorie that I consume. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that – I just don’t ever want to be overweight. My parents/friends think it’s unhealthy and could lead to an eating disorder. What’s your stance? The answer: Issues around shape, weight and eating behaviours exist on a continuum. On one end, people may be completely unconcerned about their shape or weight, and eat with little concern or worry for what they are eating or how many calories they are consuming. On the other extreme, individuals may meet criteria for a bona fide eating disorder. The two most common types of eating disorders are: – Anorexia nervosa, which has the hallmark features of lower than average body weight (lower than 85 per cent of expected body weight) and an intense fear of weight gain. There is often significant restriction of food intake and excessive exercise. Misuse of laxatives, diuretics or enemas may occur. There may occasionally be elements of binge-eating or purging. – Bulimia nervosa, which has the hallmark features of recurrent binge-eating behaviours (i.e., eating a markedly high quantity of food during discrete periods of time, with an associated lack of control during the binge) as well as purging behaviours to prevent weight gain (e.g., self-induced vomiting, fasting, excessive exercise, or use of diuretics, laxatives or enemas). Calorie counting can be a feature of both of these types of eating disorders, but is often more characteristic of anorexia. In my opinion, excessive focus on calorie counting could certainly be a possible (but not necessary) precursor to more significant problems. That being said, being mindful of what you are eating, staying within recommended health guidelines for caloric intake, and wanting to maintain a healthy body weight are all positive health behaviours. There are a few things that I would wonder about: first, you say that you count “every calorie” that you consume. This sounds a bit worrisome if only for the rigidity around it. If you were forced to not count every calorie (but rather just approximate intake) would this create distress? Could you, rather than focusing on calorie counting, simply focus on ensuring that you are eating in moderation and eating healthy foods? Perhaps allow a change in your weight (e.g., more than a 5 pound gain) to serve as an indicator that you may need to slightly modify your eating behaviours (rather than excessively focusing on every calorie)? If any of these things sound difficult to do, I would wonder if there is perhaps an over-focus on calories, and if shape/weight plays a more significant role for you beyond just a normal, healthy focus on weight. I also wonder what leads your friends and family to be concerned: are there indications of other behaviours (extreme fluctuations in weight, emotional distress, over focus on food, shape or weight, excessive exercise, etc.) that they are concerned about? If the answer is yes I would suggest you think about at least having an initial consultation with a trained mental health professional with expertise in eating disorders that could help you to identify whether there is anything to be concerned about. Excerpted from Dr. Joti Samra’s “Ask the Psychologist” weekly column in The Globe and Mail. By Dr. Joti Samra, CEO & Founder of the Psychological Health & Safety (PH&S) Clinic and MyWorkplaceHealth  How to be a good LGBTQ+ Ally
LGBTQ+ individuals experience discrimination and harassment; this directly and negatively impacts their mental health, and LGBTQ+ adults are more than twice as likely to experience mental health conditions and are at higher risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviour. Homophobic/queerphobic slurs are the biggest contributor to the harassment of LGBTQ+ people at work, and in general. Most of the time these slurs are used unconsciously and are not intended to be harmful. Though regardless of the intent these words do cause harm. So here are some tips on how to be a good LGBTQ+ ally: 1) Educate yourself on the LGBTQ+ community.Knowledge is power, this not only helps you to have the information you need to approach LGBTQ+ people with respect, but it gives you the opportunity to support them through starting to educate others as with some of the examples below.
2) Don’t make assumptions. Assumptions are typically based on stereotypes as well as conflate heterosexuality as the ‘norm’. A simple change we can make to be more inclusive of LGBTQ+ people is to not make assumptions about gender identity based on the way someone looks as well as not assuming the gender of someone’s partner. 3) Don’t ever out someone. If someone comes out to you that means they trust you, so don’t break that trust by outing them to others. 4) Be conscious of your language. We form habits around the use of some words or phrases and sometimes forget the intent behind those words. For example; ‘that’s so gay’. Although this phrase is becoming less common it used to be used to describe something that was seen as negative. Take a moment to think about how using phrases such as this could have a negative impact on people in the LGBTQ+ community. 5) Don’t let slurs slide. Addressing others’ use of slurs can be a bit more challenging. When addressing problematic language consider the context of the situation, it may make more sense to bring it up with the person later rather than confronting them in public or in front of friends or colleagues for example. Consider whether or not they’re using the slur intentionally. If you are unsure assume they’re not, approach the situation calmly and explain that their use of language is offensive. Consider asking them questions regarding the reasoning behind the use of this language. 6) Don’t allow others to make queerphobic jokes. Simply asking someone to explain the punchline of a problematic joke can help them to understand why it is problematic. 7) Stand up for others. This may look like standing up against harassment or bullying, this is particularly important in the workplace. But it can also mean ensuring that everyone is treated equally, for example; making sure that people are using the correct name and pronouns for someone. 8) Make space for LGBTQ+ voices. Final Thoughts When you first start to learn about the LGBTQ+ community and how to be an advocate for your friends and co-workers it can feel a bit daunting. Don’t worry, that’s normal. There is a lot of diversity in the LGBTQ+ community and you are not going to gain a comprehensive understanding of the community overnight. But we all have to start somewhere, educating ourselves on the basics and being able to recognize problematic language and behaviour is a great place to start. Know that you don’t have to be an expert to stand up and let someone know that their words or behaviours are problematic. The first step in being a good LGBTQ+ ally is your intention to do so. By Dr. Joti Samra, CEO & Founder of the Psychological Health & Safety (PH&S) Clinic and MyWorkplaceHealth The question:
I recently had a panic attack for the first time, after a period of severe stress. It’s only happened once but now I’m worried that it could happen again. Do you have any tips on coping with panic attacks? How do I fight off stress so that it doesn’t get to that point? The answer: A panic (or anxiety) attack can be one of the most terrifying events a person can experience. These attacks are associated with a number of emotional and behavioural symptoms that may include:
There are effective steps you can take to help shorten the length and intensity of a panic attack, and in some cases prevent it from happening at all. First, make sure that what you are having is in fact a panic attack and not some other physical health issue, such as a thyroid or heart problem. Speak to your family doctor about your symptoms. Once you know that what you’re experiencing is a true panic attack, the most effective approach is to first reduce your general stress and then identify and challenge anxiety-provoking thoughts. Start by listing all the things you feel some stress about right now. Organize these by common areas of your life:
Once you have this list, ask yourself what you can do about each of these problems. Think about all of the possible solutions (remember, you are just brainstorming, so list every possible solution). Write down the pros and cons of each solution, then choose (and take!) some action. Taking action will help reduce your stress. When you are feeling anxious, it can be helpful to pay attention to your thoughts and ask yourself, “What specifically am I predicting will happen?” In the midst of a panic attack, people tend to have exaggerated, unrealistic thoughts. Challenging this faulty way of thinking can help tremendously. You may, for example, have the fear that you will pass out. Ask yourself how likely this is to happen, how often it has actually happened in the past year and if it were to actually happen, how would you deal with it. Asking yourself these questions when you start to feel a panic attack coming on can help reduce the intensity of that attack. One of the most effective treatments for panic attacks is cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), typically delivered by a clinical psychologist. Most people experience significant improvement from eight to 12 sessions of CBT. Contact your provincial psychological association and ask for a list of registered psychologists with expertise in CBT. By Dr. Joti Samra, CEO & Founder of the Psychological Health & Safety (PH&S) Clinic and MyWorkplaceHealth. Originally published for LifeSpeak in 2010. About 30% of employed Canadians, approximately 3 million, work shift—non-standard work hours that cover a wide variety of work schedules. Shift work can consist of fixed shifts or shifts that rotate or change according to a set schedule. The length of shifts can vary between 8 to 12 hours. Shift work is critical to our economy due to our society’s need for around-the-clock provision of medical, transportation, and protection services. Shift work is also common in industrial work, mines, and in workplaces where technical processes cannot be interrupted without affecting the product and/or where expensive equipment is used more profitably when in constant operation.
Although shift work is a job requirement for many employees, there are a number of workers who choose shift work because it allows for more free time or enables their families to manage child care needs. Interest in the effects of shift work on people has grown because many experts have pointed to rotating or extended shifts for the “human error” connected with nuclear power plant incidents, air crashes, and other catastrophic incidents. While shift work is essential to the economy and may be a necessary choice for some, researchers have found compelling evidence that working shift takes a physical and psychological toll on workers. Many workers find that shift work disrupts their family and personal life, limiting their ability to participate in leisure and family activities and making it difficult to find or maintain long-term relationships with a spouse. This fact is important because of the correlation between amounts and quality of social interaction and physical and mental health. People who do shift work report fatigue as the most common health complaint. Dr. Joti Samra, Clinical Psychologist and Researcher and member of LifeSpeak’s Vancouver roster of expert speakers, points out that 1/3 of shift workers experience a severe clinical disturbance in their sleep in the form of shift work sleep disorder. Dr. Samra explains that this is a clinically recognized condition where a constant or recurrent pattern of sleep disruption results in insomnia or fatigue. Shift work has also been associated with cardiovascular disease, hypertension and gastrointestinal disorders, and for women, reproductive health problems and breast cancer. Researchers have identified three interrelated factors that contribute to the association of shift work and health issues:
Since it is not a practical possibility to eliminate shift work, employers can implement some strategies to reduce the effects of shift work on employees. The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety recommends two levels where improvements can be made:
The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety recommends several organizational strategies for reducing the effects of shift work.
By supporting employees through strategies that mitigate some of the very serious physical and mental health concerns brought on by shift work, organizations can lay the foundation for workers to address, on the individual level, the difficulties they face from the changes in eating, sleeping, and working patterns. Resources:
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