10 tips to deal with Driving Anxiety
Many people avoid driving or being a passenger in a car because of Driving Anxiety.
Driving anxiety is intense fear, phobia, or distress at the possibility of driving or being a passenger in a car. These feelings can also appear in specific situations, such as driving over a bridge, at night, during winter, or being a front-seat passenger. In many cases, people are afraid because they think that something bad can happen to them.
Strategies to help
The good news is that there are tips and strategies to help you manage your symptoms and fear of driving. Here are 10 tips to help you:
1. Recognize signs of anxiety in yourself
Signs of driving anxiety include:
- Stopping the activity (e.g., you’ve ceased driving)
- Physical reactions (e.g., sweating, headaches, chest pains, dry throat, etc.)
- Plan driving routes that are very elaborate and longer than necessary, to avoid certain roads
2. Recognize what specifically triggers your anxiety (e.g., certain intersections, loud sirens, car screeching)
3. Plan your trip in advance:
- Know what route you will take
- Anticipate what challenges might arise and be prepared to deal with them
4. Avoid black and white, or absolutist, thinking.
- Being in a car does not mean you will be in an accident
- Accept that there are always risks with driving; cut those risks by driving responsibly (be alert, know your own limitations, don’t drink and drive, etc.)
5. Realistic thinking
It is important for your mind to stay focused on the task of driving and that your internal thoughts are positive and helpful for the goal of returning to driving. You can use Calming/Realistic Thinking anytime that you notice worry or doubt thoughts coming into your mind. When you recognize a worry or doubt thought, counter that thought. Here are some sample questions you can counter the thought with to help your thinking be more calm or realistic:
- Would most people agree with this thought? If not, what would most people think?
- What would I say to a friend if a friend was in a similar situation?
- What will happen if I continue to think this way?
- What is a more encouraging or useful way of thinking?
6. Learn to reduce your tension when at the wheel.
- Relax before, during, and after you drive
- When you are aware of yourself becoming tense, engage in the stress reduction management strategies that work best for you, such as playing music and breathing techniques
7. Return to driving in a graduated fashion
- Start small and slow
- Gradually increase the driving time (duration), frequency, and environmental stimulus (how busy the streets are)
8. Use affirmations to confirm that you’re doing the right thing while driving.
Reassure yourself that you are ok! Such as:
- I am driving carefully and within the speed limit. Careful driving is safe driving.
- Driving is a common, everyday activity. I am an alert driver participating in a common activity with care.
- I do not have to drive fast, I can drive in the right-hand lane if I want to travel slower than other cars.
- I have power and control over what happens to me.
9. “Safety Sack”
Prepare a bag or collection of objects that make you feel safe. This “sack” is something that you can then carry around with you when you travel in a vehicle to help you feel safe wherever you go.
10. Seek professional help
Seeing a counsellor, psychologist or Occupational Therapist might be helpful to manage your driving anxiety.
An OT can help
Together, you and your OT can identify triggers, develop calming techniques, create checklists and prompts, and develop a gradual plan to resume this important activity. Your OT can also help you practice driving – they can ride as a passenger in your car while you practice your strategies and build up confidence as a driver.
Occupational Therapists at OT Works! have experience with driving desensitization and can help you overcome your driving anxiety and get back to being a successful driver or passenger.
Contact us
If you or someone you know is looking for support with driving anxiety, contact us today.
Email: referrals@ot-works.com
Phone: 604.696.1066 ext. 1000.
October 27th is World OT Day
Today, OT Works! celebrates World OT Day! Every October, we also celebrate OT Month in Canada.
World Occupational Therapy Day was first launched on 27th October 2010. Since then, it has become an important date in the occupational therapy calendar to promote and celebrate the profession internationally.
The theme for this year’s event is ‘Opportunity + Choice = Justice’.
This year’s theme promotes how occupational therapy affords greater opportunity and choice to promote a more open and just society.
At OT Works! we rely on our values of Quality, Respect, Objectivity, Promptness, Creativity and Empathy to provide client-centered and meaningful care.
Occupational Therapists make a difference in the lives of many people around the world.
Today, we celebrate our team and reaffirm our commitment to helping people on their rehabilitation journeys.
To our OT Works! team and to all OTs we say Thank You!
Contact us and get started with an OT today. #worldotday
Find out more:
October 20 is Purple Thursday
Brain Injury Canada is supporting a new initiative from the Canadian Royale Purple Society – Purple Thursday.
On October 20, 2022, the Canadian Royal Purple Society is asking Canadians to wear purple to raise awareness of the intersection of intimate partner violence (IPV) and brain injury.
Information about IPV & brain injury
According to the World Health Organization, one in three women will experience intimate partner violence in her lifetime. Most may also suffer one or more brain injuries as a result, since IPV often involves blows to the face, head, and neck. Brain injury in IPV can also happen from a loss of oxygen to the brain caused by strangulation. Often times, these injuries result from repetitive episodes of IPV occurring over many months or years.
Intimate partner violence (IPV) tends to happen behind closed doors, and there may not be signs obvious to people outside the household. Brain injury is often just as invisible, causing lifelong symptoms and challenges, but with no outward signs of disability. Clinicians may also not ask about intimate partner violence in their practice.
IPV is also extremely underreported. This happens for a variety of reasons, including:
• Shame and stigma associated with IPV;
• Fear of not being believed;
• Desire to keep the family together, and;
• A lack of recognition as to what constitutes abuse, causing victims to think it’s normal
Support for survivors
The following are some available supports for individuals who may need it.
• Shelter Safe – an online resource to help women and their children seeking safety from violence and abuse
• Women’s Shelters Canada – Shelters and Transition Houses United to End Violence Against Women
• Advocacy information about intimate partner violence and brain injury in Canada
• Facts about intimate partner violence from the Government of Canada’s Department of Justice
• SOAR’s HELPS Brain Injury Screening Tool
• SOAR’s Moving Ahead: Worker’s Guide to Brain Injury in Intimate Partner Violence
• SOAR’s Moving Ahead: Survivor’s Guide to Brain Injury in Intimate Partner Violence
Resources
• SOAR’s HELPS Brain Injury Screening Tool
• SOAR’s Moving Ahead: Worker’s Guide to Brain Injury in Intimate Partner Violence
• SOAR’s Moving Ahead: Survivor’s Guide to Brain Injury in Intimate Partner Violence
• Brain Injury 101: the ABI toolkit on brain injury caused by intimate partner violence
• Assessing Knowledge of Traumatic Brain Injury Among Intimate Partner Violence Service Providers
• Intimate partner violence and concussion/brain injury
Learn more about #PurpleThursday
https://www.canadianroyalpurplesociety.org/
Contact Us
If you or someone you know is looking for support with brain injury, contact us today.
Email: referrals@ot-works.com
Phone: 604.696.1066 ext. 1000.
October is OT Month!
Every October, OT Works! celebrate our incredible team of Occupational Therapists and the difference they make in their clients’ lives!
The theme proposed for OT Month by the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT) this year is I ❤️ OT! Join us in celebrating!
Here’s why Pamela Russell, OT Works! Clinical Director, loves being an OT:
“I love OT because it truly facilitates a connection between people; by being client centred, we hear their stories, we share experiences at a time they often feel vulnerable or alone, and together we develop tangible, practical, creative ways to regain meaningful occupations and quality of life.”
Our Occupational Therapists at OT Works! provide individualized, community-based rehabilitation to clients in their homes, workplaces and communities.
Our approach combines an understanding of our client’s experience with objective, functional information and medical opinion, to facilitate a meaningful and successful recovery. We provide active-based, goal-driven, client-centered therapy that considers the whole person.
Our values of Quality, Respect, Objectivity, Promptness, Creativity and Empathy guide our OT and business practices.
Aging in Place
One way to celebrate OT month is by providing more information to the public about the importance of OT.
Occupational Therapists provide a holistic approach to clients in their recovery, allowing them to get back to the activities they love.
OTs also play an essential role in aging in place. If you or your loved ones want to age safely at home, an Occupational Therapist can help.
Read more about how an occupational therapist can help you with aging in place: https://www.oteveryday.ca/aging-in-place
Occupational Therapy at OT Works!
All of our therapists at OT Works! are certified with the College of Occupational Therapists of British Columbia (COTBC) and are skilled in treating clients with physical injuries, mental health, and brain injuries.
Our OTs serve the Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley, Sea-to-Sky and Vancouver Island. To learn more about our services, contact us.
How OTs can help clients with Sensory Processing Disorder
Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) affects how the brain processes sensory information. People with SPD have difficulties taking in, interpreting and responding to information from the environment. Things that may appear to be simple for neurotypical individuals, such as dealing with fluorescent lights at the grocery store or focussing on a conversation in a loud environment, may be overwhelming or intolerable for people with SPD.
In most cases, people with SPD have one or more senses that experience either too much or too little stimulation.
That’s because SPD disrupts how the brain receives, organizes, and uses the messages received through our body’s receptors. We take in sensory information through our eyes, ears, muscles, joints, skin, and inner ears, and we use those sensations – we integrate them, modulate them, analyze them and interpret them — for immediate and appropriate everyday functioning.
As Occupational Therapist and Developmental Psychologist A. Jean Ayres says: “SPD is like a neurological traffic jam in which the senses don’t work properly.”
Adults and SPD
Although more common in children, adults can also have SPD.
Adults with SPD may have difficulties at work, at home, in relationships, and their everyday life. Things like giving presentations at work or being in a crowded elevator with other people might be extremely difficult to deal with.
SPD goes undiagnosed or is misdiagnosed in many adults. It’s common that SPD individuals will have other diagnoses as well, such as depression, anxiety, and eating disorders, among others.
An Occupational Therapist (OT) can help
Occupational Therapists cannot provide a diagnosis to clients with SPD.
However, our OTs can provide adults with SPD with a Sensory Diet, which are exercises, tools, and techniques to help regulate their sensory response so they can react in an adaptive way to everyday stimulation.
Occupational Therapists at OT Works! have experience working with individuals with SPD and can help you live a fulfilling life, doing the activities that you love and that are important to you.
If you or someone you know is looking for support with SPD, contact us today.
Email: referrals@ot-works.com
Phone: 604.696.1066 ext. 1000.
Learn more about SPD:
SPD and Autism Specialist Moira Pena’s website
OT Works! supports Project Change Foundation
As part of our annual efforts to give back to the community, OT Works! continues to support Vancouver-based Project Change Foundation. Change is central to the philosophy of occupational therapy and our therapists facilitate change to promote health and recovery.
Project Change Foundation provides financial and other support to early-stage charities in Canada with significant potential for creating social or environmental change.
Our Business Director, Jason Russell, was interviewed by Project Change and shared the reasons we chose to support the foundation.
“We chose to donate to PCF because of its unique focus on helping local organizations early in their development.”
Read the full interview on Project Change’s website, and donate to their initiatives.
Pamela Russell presenter with CAOT-BC and ICBC “Working Better Together for Occupational Therapists”
ICBC and the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists of British Columbia (CAOT-BC) co-produced the webinar Working Better Together for Occupational Therapists.
Pamela Russell (Clinical Director, OT Works!) was one of the two OT co-presenters, representing community-based occupational therapists in BC.
Pamela is a founding member of the CAOT Private Practice Business Network (PPBN) committee.
The team presented a document called “Roles of the Occupational Therapist and Recovery Specialist in Enhanced Care” during the webinar on July 13, 2022. This guide was developed through collaboration between the CAOT-BC Private Practice Business Network and ICBC.
“It was a privilege to be part of this collaboration. It took several months and many conversations. But in the end, we established common ground that will provide clarity in how we work together and optimize the recovery process for ICBC customers.”
Pamela Russell, Clinical Director at OT Works!
Occupational therapists can find the webinar and reference materials on the ICBC healthcare providers site (under Occupational Therapists/Resources).
At OT Works!, we work collaboratively with our customers, colleagues, and partners to facilitate quality care for our clients.
OT Works! is a group of community-based occupational therapists serving Vancouver, Surrey, Fraser Valley, Squamish/Whistler, Victoria and Vancouver Island. We have been providing meaningful OT and rehabilitation services to clients in their homes and workplaces for over 20 years.
Contact Us
Phone: 604.696.1066 ext. 1000.
June 21 is National Indigenous Peoples Day
What is National Indigenous Peoples Day?
June 21 is National Indigenous Peoples Day. This day to recognizes and celebrates the unique heritage, diverse cultures and outstanding contributions of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.
Although these groups share many similarities, they each have their own distinct heritage, language, cultural practices and spiritual beliefs.
In cooperation with Indigenous organizations, the Government of Canada chose June 21, the summer solstice, for National Indigenous Peoples Day. For generations, many Indigenous peoples and communities have celebrated their culture and heritage on or near this day due to the significance of the summer solstice as the longest day of the year.
It’s a special occasion to learn more about the rich and diverse cultures, voices, experiences and histories of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.
Celebrate by learning and respecting Indigenous Peoples
At OT Works! we celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day by learning their history and understanding how we move forward to support Indigenous communities.
Here’s what we are currently reading and researching:
- Native Land website: to identify and acknowledge the Native land we live, work and play on.
- Montreal Urban Aboriginal Community Strategy Network’s Indigenous Ally Toolkit
- Indigenous Peoples: A Guide to Terminology – Usage Tips & Definitions
- 23 Tips on what not to say or do when working effectively with Indigenous Peoples
- Indigenous Corporate Training Blog
At OT Works!, we strive to help others and in doing so make the world a better place. We support advances in education and culture, value diversity and inclusion, and advocate sustainable use of natural resources. We recognize that respecting Indigenous rights is an extension of our beliefs and practices.
Run for Water 2022: 15 years supporting communities in Ethiopia
On May 29, 2022, OT Works! Joined 1500 other runners at Mill Lake in Abbotsford to make a difference in the community of Sizi, Ethiopia. This is our 5th year supporting Run for Water and communities in Ethiopia.
About Sizi
Sizi is a community of three villages, home to 75,000 people. There’s no clean water system in Sizi. Women and girls still carry water from a contaminated groundwater source, which in the dry seasons is at risk of drying out.
Run for Water, with the proceeds from this year’s run, will fund the installation of clean water systems that will provide clean, safe water for Sizi. This, in combination with health education and a recently completed health center, will result in better health outcomes for the people of Sizi, especially women and children.
OT Works! and other runners’ participation in this year’s run will make a real difference for the people of Sizi. The drill rig just arrived in the community and there is already a buzz of excitement building as this marks a new beginning for thousands of people!
Run for Water & OT Works!
In 15 years of the event, Run for Water has raised over $4,000,000 to help build clean water projects in some of the most remote and marginalized areas of Ethiopia.
OT Works! believes that we have a role to play in making the world a better place. We are committed to building a sustainable society that acknowledges our individual and collective impact on the natural world and environment.
Run for Water Model
Learn more and donate at runforwater.ca
Mental Health Week 2022: #GetReal about how to help
Mental Health Week is all about empathy. It’s the capacity we share as human beings to step into each other’s shoes. To understand where they’re coming from and what they’re feeling. To listen with compassion and refuse to judge. It’s also one way to reduce and resolve conflict.
Listen hard when someone wants to talk. Don’t jump in or judge. Before you weigh in, tune in.
For #MentalHeatlhWeek, #GetReal about how to help. www.mentalhealthweek.ca
Mental Health Support
There are a number of programs and services available to help with mental health.
- To access free mental health and addictions programs, services and supports tailored to the needs of your local community, please contact your local CMHA.
- For free resources and 24/7 counselling over the phone, please visit the Government of Canada’s Wellness Together portal.
- If you are thinking about suicide, please call the Canada Suicide Prevention Service tollfree at 1-833-456-4566 (1-866-277-3553 in Quebec).
Occupational Therapy and Mental Health
At OT Works!, our occupational therapists recognize the importance of listening and understanding. Our therapists are experienced in providing support for mental health issues. All of our therapists at OT Works! are certified with the College of Occupational Therapists of British Columbia (COTBC) and have additional training in areas such as mental health, brain injury rehabilitation, home safety and chronic pain.
If you or someone you know needs mental health support, contact us today.
Email: referrals@ot-works.com
Phone: 604.696.1066 ext. 1000.