An Occupational Therapy Guide I March 2020

Normal life
has been
disrupted
Managing the disruption
caused by COVID-19

Lorrae Mynard

Normal life hasbeen disrupted
COVID-19 is causing widespread disruption
to daily life for people across the world. While
supporting social distancing recommendations
and movement restrictions to keep ourcommunities safe from the virus, we also need
to be mindful of how disruption can affect ourmental health, fitness and occupational health.

2Introduction

What can we do?
Many people will be spending much more time in theirhome, so let’s rethink how to adapt our daily lives bylooking at:

Productivity
Self-care
LeisureYour SpaceRoutines
Roles

3

Productivity
This includes everything you do for your paid or
voluntary work, learning or studying, caring andanything that contributes to your family and community.
The current restrictions may affect people very
differently depending upon what you usually
do throughout your week.

4

Productivity

Office Workers
For people who work in an officeenvironment it may be relatively
straightforward to undertake the sameor similar work tasks from home. Somepeople may need to become familiar
with online meeting platforms to keep
the work going.

Customer Service
Those who are used to working in
more direct customer service may bereassigned to completing desk-basedtasks to support other aspects of theorganisation’s business.

Students
Students who usually attend classes
at school and on campus may need toadjust to learning in an online format orwith parental input.

5Productivity

Set up your workstation
If you are going to be doing a lot of work or study from
home, it is important to aim for a well set-up workstation,as this may become your main place of work for theimmediate future.
Look into whether you can access equipment such as adesk chair, desk of suitable height, keyboard, mouse andmonitor if you are using a laptop.
There are lots existing resources and advice for working
from home. Now is a good time to check them out.
Be deliberate about keeping in touch with colleagues,
fellow students or peers. Phone, Skype or FaceTime tocheck in that people are doing OK.

6

Productivity

Business As Usual?
Some people will continue going to theirworkplace, but the ways of doing things
may change and/or the pace may
become very pressured in responding to
the COVID-19 situation (e.g. healthcare
and emergency workers, government
leaders, delivery workers).
It’s super important to make sure you
still eat, drink and take breaks to getthrough your shift and that you support
colleagues by checking in with eachother regularly.
Reach out if you need support dealing
with new and difficult situations. Your
contribution to the work will be reduced
if you become physically or emotionallydepleted.

7Productivity

Move into something new
For others who work in industries that provide direct
customer service and are decreasing services, closing
temporarily or permanently, this may be a very
frightening time.
Depending on your skills, experience and location there
may be an opportunity to move into a new role within
industries that are taking on more staff to support theirpandemic response, such as:
••••
•
•

healthcarecleaning
delivering for online shopping
government, biotechnology
pharmaceutical companies
web-based communications

8Productivity

If you can’t find work
Not everyone will be able to readily find new employment.
It will be important to seek early advice about entitlements
and supports that may be available through Centrelink.
If you’re out of work, consider what else you can do tostay productive. While securing an income is essential,
you may still be able to do things that give you a senseof achievement and satisfaction through making acontribution. This is really important for supporting
mental health and wellbeing.
•Take an online course. There are many free andlow-cost courses available through platforms likeCoursera, FutureLearn and EdX,

•Get some spring cleaning or maintenance tasks donearound the home or garden,•

Support others – provide childcare so that friends
or family members who work in essential services
can continue attending work in the event of school
closures, or offer to shop or collect prescriptions for
elderly family members or neighbours,

9Self-Care
Looking after yourself and your space.

10

Self-Care

Personal Care
Most personal care tasks shouldn’t be
disrupted by the current situation, but
do make sure to reach out for help if
you don’t have the things you needto support health and hygiene, like
medicine and soap.

Health Support
Many people see health professionals
as part of their regular self-care.
Check with clinics you attend whether
it is still possible to come in forappointments. Other clinics may beable to offer home visits or telehealthor online appointments.

Mental Health Support
Be aware of your own mental healthin this distressing time. Reach out toyour usual care providers, telephone oruse online support services if you needmental health support .

11Self-Care

Shopping & Food
Shopping for food and household essentials may radicallychange. Keep an eye on what is happening in your local
area and consider whether it is still possible or advisable
to shop in person. (It might be good to have an outing).
If you were already using online shopping, adapting thistask may be easy for you, if you weren’t and you haveinternet access then now is the time to ask someone toshow you how to make an online order.
Don’t rely solely on takeaway or Uber Eats. Over a period
this will be financially costly and a less healthy option.
Aim to prepare balanced, nutritious meals. They don’t
need to be fancy. Pull out a recipe book or watch an
online video to develop your skills in the kitchen.

12

Self-Care

Exercise
Exercise is very important for
maintaining physical and mental
health.
Be deliberate about including
exercise in your day. Perhaps you
could try a Zumba class on Youtube,
download instructions for stretchingor bodyweight exercises or dust off
that exercise bike, trampoline ortreadmill and hop on.
Get some incidental exercise whengardening, cleaning the windows or
sweeping the driveway.
And if it’s possible to leave yourhome, you could enjoy a change ofscenery by taking the dog for a run,visiting a park or doing a walking
tour of the neighbourhood.

13

Self-Care

Sleep
Sleep is also really important foryour health!
When you don’t have to be
somewhere the next day it can be
hard to get to bed on time and easy
to sleep through your usual alarm.
Be disciplined, (which is also being
kind to yourself) and keep regularbedtimes and waking times.
If you’re having trouble getting tosleep, tune out of devices in thehour before bedtime. Try having a
hot drink (not caffeinated), take awarm bath, listen to relaxing music,
or do something that helps you towind down.

14

LeisureIt’s really important to make sure we still pursue those
things that can recharge us and bring pleasure.
Don’t fall into just bingeing on movies and TV series.
Be deliberate about substituting activities
that you would usually do.

15

Leisure

Leisure ideas to try•

Listen to your favourite album, livestream a concert orwatch a movie simultaneously with a friend and talkabout it on the phone,•Go to a virtual exhibition by looking through a coffee
table book or browsing a gallery’s online collection,•Do some armchair travel by watching a documentary,•

Subscribe to a pay TV service to continue watching
your team,•Plan and stage your own household concert: sharejokes, skits, magic tricks or musical performances,•Jump online and learn how to use your local library’s
electronic resources. There’s books, magazines,
audiobooks, movies and more — all for free.

•Take a drive and admire the scenery, or visitsomewhere you can enjoy some fresh air and a newview without mixing with other people .

16

Leisure

Personal Projects
It looks like we’ll all be spending a whole lot more time
at home over the next few months so this could be theperfect time to start or complete a personal project.
Do something you’ve long been putting off:•

Reimagine your garden layout•

Put together a photo album•

Master a new skill in the kitchen or workshop•

Organise cupboards, sheds, garage•

Learn to play a new piece on the piano or guitar•Finish that quilting project17

Setting up
your space
Our lives occur in the context of an environment andmaking changes to our space or objects can support
our engagement and comfort.

18

Your Space

What can you source?
Consider whether there are any things you can bring
into your environment to help you during this time ofmore restricted community movement e.g. source items
like books, office or exercise equipment and materials toparticipate in hobbies or maintenance tasks.

Nourishing your senses
Sounds, taste, fragrance, visual surroundings - whatmakes you feel comfortable and engaged?
Put on music to lift your mood. Open a window for fresh
air or to have some background noise. Or you may needearplugs to enable you to focus on work.
Listen to talkback radio to feel less isolated. Use herbal
tea or essential oils. Put a bunch of flowers or a small
branch of leaves in a vase to brighten your space.

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<INSERT HEADING HERE>

Routines
Routines provide the pattern for our daily lives andgenerally support us in being able to do the things
we need to do, when we need to do them. Having apredictable routine can give us a sense of stability.

20

Routines

Keep as much routine as you canFor many people, usual routines may be seriously
disrupted by extreme social distancing measures andindustry shut-downs.
It’s really important to try to maintain as usual a routine
as possible or to create a routine that can become the‘new normal’ for you and your household during thisperiod.
Try to maintain a similar daily routine, although thelocation of activities may change.
•If you’re working from home, work during the samehours that you would in your usual workplace,•

If you have school aged children at home, try tomaintain the same sort of pattern as the usual schoolday, doing school tasks during usual class times,
taking meal and play breaks at their usual times,•Get up and go to bed at your usual times.

21

Routines

Keep as much routine as you canConsider ways to simulate your usual weekly activities toprevent becoming disconnected. Aim to do these at thesame time they would normally occur in your week. e.g.
•Follow along with dancing videos when you can’t go todancing lessons,•Shoot hoops and do drills in the driveway instead ofbasketball,•Do a dog training session in the hallway instead of atobedience school.

If active transport is part of your usual routine still getout for that walk, run, skate, blade, scoot or cycle in yourlocality.

22

Routines

Write up a timetable
If you’re working from home you might find it hard to
put clear boundaries on ‘home’ tasks and ‘work’ tasks,
so keeping a structured routine may help to clearly
differentiate each to avoid distraction.
It will be important to negotiate between the adults in thehome about how work-from-home needs and child carecan be managed, being clear about who is available atany given time to respond to childrens’ needs. Writing out
a timetable might help.
It might sound crazy, but some adults and kids may feel
more connected to their usual routines by wearing clothesor accessories that identify the activity you are focussed
on – such as wearing a work lanyard or putting on school
uniform.

23

Routines

Finding Balance
It’s really important to aim for a balance of self-care,productivity and leisure occupations in your routine.
Think about balancing your routine in terms of the spaces
and objects you use. Avoid spending all of your time using
devices or sitting in one space. Variety is important. Try
gentle stretching exercises during online lectures. Standup during phone calls or sit on the couch when reading
documents.
Manage the risk of feeling socially isolated by building
social interactions into your day.
Be careful about how much time you spend consuming
the news. Not only can this amp up anxiety, it might alsobe a distraction from other things you need to be doing.

24RolesRoles describe the things we do and how we relate
to people around us. These include things likebeing a student, a worker, a club-member,a hobbyist, a parent, sibling, or friend.

25

RolesWhat are your usual roles?
Think about the roles that you identify with and consider
how you can maintain and even develop these during thistime of social distancing and isolation.
What are your local community groups, clubs andchurches doing to provide creative and online methods
for meeting? Take advantage of these to maintainengagement in your usual networks and ask for help ifyou’re not familiar with using online platforms.
Online tools can help you stay in touch with friends andfamily. Play a web-based boardgame with a friend or
sibling or read a book to your grandchildren over Skype.
Try an old-fashioned way of relating to people – pick up
the phone and have a long chat. Write a letter or card.
Make something to post to someone.
This is a good opportunity to revive the role of beinga neighbour. Check in with, and even get to know, thepeople who live nearest to you.

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Look for hidden
treasure...
We’re all experiencing some level of life
disruption. It’s unpleasant and nobody would
sign up for it voluntarily. But it’s also possiblethat some unexpected good may emerge fromthe experience. Maybe the enforced slowing
down or spending more time with family will bereally beneficial. Let’s look for hidden treasure.
The COVID-19 situation means that we may all
be living in geographically smaller circles for awhile but that doesn’t have to stop us living life
to the full.

27So what do
Occupational
Therapists do?
Occupational therapists (OTs) are health professionals
who support health and wellbeing for people at all life
stages. They have a broad understanding of the word
‘occupation’ – using it to describe everything that people
need to do (like looking after themselves), want to do(like going to the movies) or are expected to do (likegoing to work or handing in assignments).
Illness, injury or developmental challenges can impact
peoples’ abilities to participate in occupation, so OTs
work with people to explore whether making a change
to the person, the occupation or the environment mightenable occupational participation. Making a change tothe person might involve learning new skills or ways of
doing things. Making a change to the occupation might
be involve doing the same occupation in a different way,or finding a substitute occupation, and changing theenvironment might involve bringing in new objects orrearranging objects within the space.

28

This is general information intended to support you inmanaging the present pandemic-related occupational
disruption. Please contact a health professional for
specific advice.
Consider any suggestions in line with the current
government and health department recommendations
and restrictions as these are updated regularly. It may bethat something suggested becomes no longer possible.
This guide has been compiled by Lorrae Mynard. Lorrae
is a Melbourne-based occupational therapist and PhD
candidate with Monash University. She has worked ina variety of adult mental health settings in Australia,
Canada and the UK.
This guide may be shared freely.

www.otaus.com.au
www.aboutoccupationaltherapy.com.au© Lorrae Mynard, March 202029