Wellness Archives

The Shrinking World of Work

Our world has shrunk. Before the shift to remote and hybrid work models, daily life meant moving around, driving, using public transport, being in traffic… whatever your mode of commute is. At the office or workplace, there was constant navigation between different spaces. You moved from your desk to a meeting room, cafeteria, bathroom, someone else’s desk, another meeting room, kitchen, printer, etc. The reality is that there was constant visual- (seeing) and auditory (hearing) variety while your body was physically (moving) between these spaces, regardless of your type of work or your working environment. The current reality looks quite different: your working world is now about the size of your computer screen and its immediate surrounding space… and it is pretty small. Your eyes are in another kind of lockdown on your screen, particularly when you are in digital meetings. And your ears are trying to contest with the distractions of your screaming toddler, a hungry teenager (in my case), a barking dog, an irritable spouse, etc. This is happening while you are seated for much longer times than usual and your body is just not moving as much as it used to.

The Toll on Body and Mind

The obvious result is a higher level of fatigue, headaches, joint strains and other physical body complaints. Not to even mention the stress, irritation, mental pressure and anxiety coupled with it. Our bodies are taking physical strain and our minds are taking mental strain. That is an unfortunate fact.

Making Your Digital World Less Stressful

As sensory beings, we interact through our 7 senses in a dynamic way with our world. This constant navigation helps us to obtain a modulated response in how we focus, behave and emotionally respond. We need the ebb and flow of daily living through varied sensory stimulation to be our best. With this in mind, we are using our specialist knowledge of neuroscience and sensory processing to add some practical insights into how you can make your digital world less stressful… and continue being your best:

1. Lower Your Expectations

Lower your expectations and don’t try to be the best at everything. We are all trying to juggle homeworking, managing our kids in a whole new way, homeschooling (and we are parents, not teachers), living in restricted and limited environments while trying to keep ourselves and our families together in one piece. We are experiencing an influx of information and technology overload.

2. Listen To Your Body

Listen to your body and be mindful of the signals it is sending you. Are you feeling dizzy, lethargic, or tired? Do you have a headache? Are you feeling anxious? Your body will provide you with signals to show you if something is wrong. Make a note, write down how you are feeling, the time of day and what you were busy doing before it happened. It helps to be more in tune with what is going on, reading your own signals and making the necessary adjustments before it turns bad.

3. Maximizing Auditory Processing

For meetings, use a headset or earphones, particularly when you don’t have a quiet, designated workspace. It will reduce distractions for you as well as your online colleagues or audience. Sounds get amplified in online meetings and you might be conveying a different message than what you intended.
Test your microphone and sound prior to meetings. Set a volume that is comfortable for you. Navigate between sound muted or unmuted where necessary. Mute your microphone particularly when there is an increase in background noise and if you are sneezing, coughing or drinking water. And obviously don’t eat anything when on a call. Not even gum… it looks and sounds dreadful.
Disable any sound notifications to reduce noise levels. It is extremely irritating to hear another person’s constant ping. And although intended to be background noise, the sound will be amplified for the others on the call. It will help everyone to be more focused and less distracted. Have designated times when you check your email and messages to avoid constant interference while on calls or working on a task.
You can also revert to using the chat box instead of speaking when your microphone isn’t working when there are too many distractions or if you just don’t trust your voice at any given time. It does interfere with the level of human interaction but will reduce auditory overload.

4. Maximizing Visual Processing

Check your positioning in the room for maximum use of light. Be mindful that the light should not be from behind as it will be difficult for others to see you clearly. It is ideal to have incoming light from your front, i.e. sit in front of an open window. An alternative is to have a side lamp on your desk shining on your face. Light will help you work better but also make you more visible and easier to see for your colleagues and thus improve human interaction.
Make sure your desktop and screen(s) are cleaned up and tidy. Clean your screen, reduce your icons and/or group them. Work with as little on-screen clutter as possible. Limit the number of tabs you have open. Set bookmarks for quick and easy access to your most-used apps or websites.
Set your screen brightness and type of background to your liking. An image that provides joy and calmness is ideal. Some people prefer to have a single colour as a desktop background.
Having meetings without video is very impersonal and reduces human interaction. If WiFi connectivity is an issue then videos are disabled but it is always a pity and preferable to have it enabled. We have to work much harder to be “human” through our digital channels to make it as real as possible help. That includes showing off your face and your voice. So make sure you are dressed and groomed properly. No pyjamas, no bed head, no beach clothing…

5. Maximizing Movement and Self-Regulation

Movement breaks will be your number one priority to save your energy and lower your fatigue. The brain is designed to tap into movement brain breaks in order to function and focus optimally. A water bottle next to you helps to hydrate you and then increases the need for bathroom breaks. The best and most effective self-regulation tool!
Having movement breaks between meetings is non-negotiable. If you go from meeting to meeting you are going to start talking rubbish as your brain will dip into fatigue. Even a quick leg stretch (2-5 minutes) can help. You can always negotiate with your meeting members to all have a quick stretch in longer meetings and return at a designated time.
Don’t have a movement break while you are on a call and move around excessively. You will make the other people seasick, particularly if they are visually sensitive and in sensory overload. You can shift your body or move your position but don’t walk around with your phone or laptop while talking. If you do need to display anything to your group, make sure to keep your phone or laptop as steady as possible.

6. Scheduling and Time Management

Scheduling and time management for online working will depend on the amount of control you have over your schedule. Where possible keep 1-1 online meetings to a maximum of 30 minutes, group meetings to a maximum of 60 minutes and webinars or training to a maximum of 90 minutes. When the group is bigger, there will be less focus on one particular individual which makes it easier to go for longer periods of time. If you can negotiate schedules with your work colleagues, family and children that is ideal. Sticking to a routine for homeschooling your children will not only make their lives but also yours much easier. Kids need and love routine. Therefore try and create a clear routine at home during the lockdown. And write it down or draw simple pictures so it makes it easier for them to follow.

7. Sensory Styles

Sensory styles are a great way to help us understand our environments and navigate best. We are all unique and different. We process the world differently. What works for some won’t work for others. Sensory sensitivity and avoiding behaviours occur for 25% of the population: this group will most likely get overloaded faster by their digital environment. They will take more care and effort to reduce overload. Sensory-seeking behaviours occur for 36% of the population: they take longer to get overloaded. However, they usually realize it too late and they are more likely to crash “unexpectedly”. For 39% of the population, the environment has a neutral impact: they can navigate fairly easily and are flexible within their work- and online environments. This is the beauty of human genes and makeup. Completing your Sensory Matrix™ will help you to be more in tune with your needs and make your accommodations personalized.

“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.” – Alan Watts

I am Amanda Oosthuizen, a registered Occupational Therapist with a special interest in Health and Wellness, Mental Health, and Sensory Intelligence®.

I arrived on earth on a cold winter’s day in a small rural town in South Africa, being born as the fourth of five daughters in our family. What I can remember from my early childhood days, was the extreme cold I experienced as a child (not that I wasn’t properly clothed or that our home didn’t have a few fireplaces, we even bathed with a gas heater in the bathroom during winter). Temperature is one of the things that caused me a lot of discomfort until I learned about my sensory thresholds and how to self-regulate during the Sensory Intelligence® Practitioners Course.

As a child, I was very clumsy and did not engage in a lot of sports activities. In those days, it was expected that everyone at school participate, whether they were able to or not. I found it extremely humiliating because I struggled with it. My task completion was slow, I had poor attention and lacked concentration. The class environment was quite overwhelming for me on a sensory level. I often felt overloaded and out of control. This had a huge impact on my confidence and self-esteem.

All of these factors contributed to the start of my unhealthy relationship with food: I used food to self-regulate (only learning many years later through Sensory Intelligence® that sipping/sucking was one of the ways in which to regulate your nervous system). Fortunately, I was blessed with intelligence, so I graduated from school and entered university where I obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Occupational Therapy.

My career started off at a hospital for Tuberculosis patients. I enjoyed working in the pediatric ward with children who were long-term patients. My next appointment was at a school for deaf learners. There I worked with children with developmental delays and my journey with sensory integration started. With deaf learners, you have to gesture, demonstrate, and sign your instructions, so by doing this, my balance and coordination improved! I started to feel more comfortable in my body. I always had an interest in mental health and was fortunate to work at a private mental health facility for the next 20 years of my career, doing individual and group therapy.

In 2021 I signed up for the Sensory Intelligence® Practitioners Course with Dr. Annemarie Lombard, founder, and CEO of Sensory Intelligence®. I was interested in sensory integration and how it could be utilized to help improve the physical and mental health of adolescent and adult clients.

A few weeks before the course started, my mother passed away, after a short illness at the age of 91. I was devastated, not knowing how I would manage going to work every day and doing this online course for 6 weeks. Grief puts you in a place where you are not able to function properly on a daily basis, let alone try to learn a new approach!

Thankfully I persevered, completing my own Sensory Matrix™ as part of the course. I was totally fascinated by learning about my own and others’ sensory styles. At last, I realized there was nothing wrong with me – it was just my own unique sensory style, something I had to understand, accept, and learn to manage.

“Sensory Intelligence® is embedded in neuroscience; the results and strategies are based on your unique sensory needs determined by your DNA. Its aim is to guide people towards individualized strategies to cope better with daily home and work environment demands.” – Dr. Annemarie Lombard

I started implementing my recommended sensory snacks and sensory diet, based on my Sensory Matrix™ results, and after a few weeks realized… that I was losing weight! Although I was eating my usual diet (not always very healthy… ), I was still losing weight. Baffled, I wondered what was going on and then realized… by implementing sensory strategies, I was self-regulating, in a more healthy and non-food way. My stress levels dropped significantly. I felt less irritable. I was able to do more things and was more productive. Suddenly I was very aware of the role my environment played in my state of well-being and the impact it had on my senses. I will never look back and am grateful to have discovered my own sensory intelligence®. It has changed my life.

I believe that we can all discover our authentic selves through knowing our own unique sensory thresholds (something which is different for all of us). When thinking of self-regulation, the image of painting on a canvas comes to mind: in my view, self-regulation can be seen as preparing the canvas, ensuring you, the artist, can create your masterpiece which is your life. The quality of your life will be enhanced by learning how to self-regulate throughout each day, especially during difficult situations.

If you are on a journey of self-discovery, health and weight-loss, and would like me to accompany and assist you, send an email to Sensory Intelligence® and they will put us in contact.

If you are a health care provider searching for a revolutionary, effective, neuroscientific way to empower your clients towards improved health and well-being, join the Sensory Intelligence® learning journey by signing up to receive updates about their next Practitioners Course.

Category: Wellness

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