Our bodies and brains are connected. Emotional stress can take a toll on our physical wellbeing, while physical activities can also emotional stress into our lives (Carnethon et al., 2009). With the overwhelming demands of today’s life reducing general principles of health and wellness, people have been subjected to conflicting demands at workplace and in their households. This way of life has consequently led to drastic implications on health and wellness at individual, work and social levels. Our behavioural and environmental influences can also affect our stress levels and subsequently the likelihood of developing stress-related illnesses. The worst and most common sources of stress are financial and work-related stress as seen in the case of Mr Jason.
Main issues arising from the case study
Jason is going through a financial stress phase. Being the financial provider– and the sole breadwinner at that, he does not have much of a choice, especially in the situation where his wife had to lay off work and stay at home to take care of their three-year old son. The practicality of having his partner stay at home and care for their child has contributed majorly to their household having a single source of income and it has been tough trying to provide and still come up with satisfactory savings. Jason is faced with a series of financial responsibilities such as paying all kinds of utility bills, providing the family’s necessities on a daily basis, making major payments like mortgage and school fees (as his son is about to begin school), not forgetting dishing out some good amount to cater for unexpected costs should sickness or injury occur to a member of his household.
Not long ago, Jason was involved in a work-related car accident. Although the accident was not life-threatening, resulted in a whiplash injury which caused aching and discomfort to his neck while he was working therefore affecting productivity. Unfortunately, Jason has a callous supervisor who does not understand the seriousness of the situation and downplays it as a minor accident and demands higher productivity from him. Consequently, he feels the overwhelming pressure of work-related stress that may be harmful to both his physical and emotional wellbeing.
Jason has expressed his uncertainty about the insurer’s willingness to compensate him for lost wages and medical costs associated with the injury. The accident was work-related, thus meaning that the WorkCover insurance policy should reimburse Jason for any significant expenses incurred, directly and indirectly, relating to the injury. Denial of compensation would be rubbing salt to their financial wound and would have drastic implications for his single-income household.
Critical analysis of the impact of the issues
Money, workplace pressure from supervisor and insurer’s hesitancy to compensate make potential threats to Jason’s physical and emotional wellbeing. According to a Stress and wellbeing survey in Australia, 2014, the worst and most common kind of stress is financial stress. The study discovered that men assume the role of sole financial providers in their households are more likely to face mental and health impediments. Such kind of stress seems to be inevitable, particularly because Jason’s financial security, and that of his family, is tied to his payslip. His psychological well-being and health status is likely to decline as he tends to take up more financial obligations after marriage, making him prone to chronic illnesses.
Stress may result in hyper-arousal, a biological condition which is commonly referred to as insomnia (King, 2008). The condition makes one not to feel sleepy and may cause an individual to stay awake even for quite a number of days and nights which may consequently give way to chronic stress including sleep disorders. The condition may frequently cause occupational burnout and loss of mental energy, a state characterized by emotional exhaustion and adverse sceptical attitudes towards self and others. Burnout may lead to depression, which in turn has is associated with a number of other health concerns like stroke and heart conditions, weight problems and eating disorders, diabetes and various forms of cancer (Arena et al., 2013).
Along with its emotional toll caused by financial stress, Jason suffers prolonged job-related stress that may further deteriorate his physical and mental health. Work is the second most common source of stress among adults, just behind money (Coombs, 2005). He finds himself straining to operate with a neck injury with little control over his job environment. Constant occupation with job responsibilities, not enough physiotherapy for his neck injury and lack of body exercise may lead to obesity and poor eating habits, resulting to elevated cholesterol levels and high blood pressure. Such levels of stress may give Jason more than just occasional tension headaches or a few sleepless nights – it may actually reduce his life expectancy.
Wellness wheel and assessment
Wellness is not just the ability to manage illness and stress – it involves working towards positive physical, psychological and social well-being (Biddle " Mutrie, 2007). Therefore, I will work with Jason so we may draft a wellness wheel through a process that will enable him to make decisions that compliment a healthy lifestyle to enable him to maximize his potential.
Emotional wellness – We will employ mind-body tools and programs so he may learn to cultivate an awareness of thoughts and emotions and acquire relaxation and stress management techniques. I will teach Jason how to understand his own feelings and how express his emotions in a constructive manner that he may be able to manage stress and cope with life's challenges.
Intellectual wellness – We will engage in creative and thought-provoking activities where he should be able to listen and reflect on the others’ ideas to improve critical thinking. I will encourage him to stay open minded, expand his horizons and learn what to say or how to react in a case of abuse from his superior and also how to best deal with problematic situations.
Occupational wellness – He will learn to find contentment from his work and how to identify and reduce occupational-stress.
Physical wellness – He will learn how to include physical activity in his schedules, learn healthy eating habits, get enough sleep and seek medical attention when necessary. I will teach him the importance of practicing behaviours that support the immune system and avert sicknesses.
Social wellness – He should learn to appreciate the importance of the healthy relationships with co-workers, family members and friends. He should also be able to reflect on personal conflicts and identify areas of improvement and act on them.
Spiritual wellness – He will learn how to self-reflect have beliefs that provide a sense of purpose and meaning to his life, behave in ways that correspond with his principles and beliefs.
Biopsychosocial factors in the case study
According to Anderson’s Journal of Medical Association (2004), biopsychological elements contribute to virtually every single cause of illness and death. The biopsychosocial elements include factors that may have an impact on one’s health and are significant, thus should be addressed thoroughly when treating a patient. The biopsychosocial approach incorporates four major factors that are addressed when preserving health and well-being, namely; environmental, behavioural, psychological and biological factors (Sarafino " Smith, 2014). However, in Jason’s case we address the environmental and psychological factors.
Environmental factor: At his workplace, Jason is operating under an insensitive supervisor who does not realize the impact the car accident had on him. The supervisor queries Jason’s claim for a week off after the accident and probes the ten half days he has lost making doctor and physiotherapist appointments. This may deteriorate his emotional and physical health and cause reduced productivity in his life as well as in his career.
Psychological factor: The fact that Jason is the sole breadwinner of his household stresses his financial responsibility. Furthermore, his WorkCover may not compensate him for the financial drawbacks he has suffered from the accident which only makes their financial situation worse. These serve as contributing factors that are likely to increase the risk of depression and consequently be prone to serious medical illnesses.
Action plan to respond to the issues
In order to improve Jason’s wellbeing and support recovery, I designed an evidence-based tool that was aimed at managing his physical and mental health. The system, better known as a wellness action plan, acted as a framework with which would enable to Jason gain better control over the challenges he was facing. A wellness action plan will shift focus from reactive management of stress and physical health to a more proactive approach of prevention through promoting wellbeing and improving Jason’s understanding of his own wellbeing (Bakker, Schaufeli, Leiter, " Taris, 2008).
Designing an action plan will assist Jason to dynamically promote his own psychological wellness by contemplating on the reasons for poor mental health, and by taking control of steps to aid reflect these causes. It will also facilitate direct discussions around his mental health with his supervisor and consequently he will have better command over his work-related stress.
The Guide for Jason’s Wellness Action Plans read as follows;
What helps you stay mentally healthy?
How might experiencing prolonged financial stress impact your physical and mental wellbeing?
What warning signs might you notice when you are beginning to feel mentally unwell?
Should you notice the early warning signs set out in 3 above, what should be done? For example: talk to someone discreetly or contact somebody that you ask to be contacted.
What actions can you take if you feel mentally unwell?
What can others do to promote your mental health?
Psychology is playing, and is hoped to continue playing, the role of creating psychological consciousness that only Jason has control over the results. I hope to continually work collaboratively with him to realize physical and psychological wellness and career productivity that we will be proud of. We expect to explore a series of factors that relate to his emotional, physical, and spiritual health, as well as proven methods to improve his overall way of life. In the long run, we hope the programme will provide Jason with a comprehensive approach to and understanding of psychological health promotion and disease preclusion, and to allow him to acquire the awareness he needs for realize optimum wellness.
References
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Casey, L., " Liang, R. P.-T. (2014). Stress and wellbeing in Australia survey 2014. Australian Psychological Society.
Coombs, T. (2005). Australian Mental Health Outcomes and Classification Network. Kessler-10 Training Manual. NSW Institute of Psychiatry, Sydney.
King, L. A. (2008). The science of psychology: An appreciative view. McGraw-Hill Higher Education Boston.
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