Entries by Dr. Farhan Shahzad

Personality Differences and Stress at Work

Personality plays a fundamental role in stress. Each individual on the planet has a unique personality. We call these individual differences, which essentially accounts for the unique characteristics an individual has, with potential consequences to how they interact with their environment. Personality plays a role in wellbeing. It impacts on how we feel, how positive […]

Burnout or Stress: What’s the Difference?

Stress is an occupational hazard that, over time and if left untreated, can lead to burnout. Stress is on a continuum and is needed to actually get work done. Stress and pressure are two similar dimensions. Stress is needed to get us out of bed. We need a boost of cortisol in the morning just […]

Resilience: Building a Stronger, Healthier Mindset

Resilience is the ability to bounce back from adversity. Resilience is an inner strength that helps us overcome trauma and extremely stressful situations. Resilience is a term used in positive psychology that refers to the ability to overcome from setbacks. What makes resilience different is that the individual usually emerges from the setback or adverse […]

Mindfulness and Neuroplasticity: What We Know About Mindfulness and the Brain

Mindfulness and positive psychology encompass the notion that we are in control of our physiological wellbeing through our mindset. Positive psychology is a branch of psychology that focuses on optimal wellness and flourishing. Along with neuroscience, positive psychology birthed the term neuroplasticity, where we, as individuals, can rewire our thought processes and influence our physiology […]

Understanding Complex Trauma and Severe Mental Health Disorders

Complex trauma is particularly challenging for healthcare professionals. It is trauma that has resulted in severe mental health problems. Such trauma is complicated to treat as it usually results in multimorbidity. Complex trauma may arise when a person has been raped, abused, in a war zone, or the result of coming to a country as […]

Work Health and Safety Regulation 2017: An Overview for Occupational Physicians and Healthcare Professionals in Australia

The Work Health and Safety Regulation 2017 (WHS Regulation 2017) is a key legislative framework in Australia designed to ensure the health and safety of workers. It provides detailed guidelines that enforce the obligations of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (WHS Act). Occupational and environmental doctors, as well as any professional working in […]

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: What Is It?

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an acute stress reaction after experiencing a traumatic event. Events could be a violent attack, a car accident, witnessing wars, famines, and other tragedies. PTSD is especially common in war veterans, and, as such, there’s a great deal of support for those returning military professionals. PTSD is characterised by anxiety, […]

Personality Types and Stress

Type A behaviour has been discussed a lot. It is a personality type whose behaviour consists of high energy, go-getting, frenetic, hostility and time-urgency. These are the people who get things done; they’re driven and want to succeed. There has been a long-standing association between Type A behaviour and stress, which poses a risk of […]

Consequences of Childhood Abuse and Neglect in Adulthood

Things that happen in childhood can have devastating consequences, long term effects lasting well into adulthood. As occupational medicine deals with the working lives of people, practitioners need to be aware that people have pasts. There are certainly a number of consequences of childhood abuse. These include emotional difficulties, mood disorders, personality disorders, unhealthy coping […]

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: An Overview

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is also known as ACT and is an approach to counselling that was originally developed in the early 1980s by Steven C. Hayes. It rose to prominence in the early 2000s when Hayes collaborated with Kelly G. Wilson and Kirk Strosahl. ACT seeks to help clients transform their relationship with difficult […]