Getting ready for our online Fatigue Conference
We are now in full swing organising our online Fatigue Conference after the success of last year’s event. We have an interesting line up of people who have kindly agreed to speak - you can check out the full schedule plus further information on our speakers here.
At Vitality360 we are passionate about sharing our expertise in this specialist field of fatigue management. We particularly want to share some of the positive experiences that our clients have had through our programmes. I am a non-clinical member of the team, but having had a fatigue condition for over 20 years I am an expert by experience, and am pleased to be able to offer some of my personal story in the session on burnout.
Living with an invisible disability like fatigue is incredibly challenging on so many levels. This is why we have a multi-disciplinary team that can provide a detailed bio-psycho-social assessment to look closely at all the factors going on in a person’s life. This approach supports a holistic understanding of causes and potential strategies for symptom management. My experience of burnout was a complex one with many factors involved, of which workplace stress was a significant part.
What is common when living with fatigue, whatever its cause, is that it is a difficult situation to deal with, for many reasons, some obvious and some not. The fact that the symptom is invisible is a huge one for me as it makes it so hard for others to understand, whether that is my nearest and dearest, my work colleagues or my boss. One of our external speakers, Hannah Ensor of Stickman Communications, will explore this area more in her talk on ‘Navigating Conversations: Effectively Communicating About Life with Invisible Fatigue Symptoms’.
Similarly, managing to sustain or return to work whilst dealing with fatigue symptoms is deeply challenging and again requires some expert support. Amanda Mason, our Career and Employment Consultant, has been instrumental in supporting me to reframe some of my thinking about my capability in work even when dealing with my ongoing symptoms. As part of this process, for some people it proves necessary to rethink one’s career path. For example, for me it became apparent that I needed to work remotely as this would give me the optimum conditions for managing my fatigue symptoms. If you find yourself in a similar position, tune in for her talk on ‘When it’s time to change careers: making informed decisions for a healthier future with fatigue.’ She will explore questions such as ‘how do you know when the timing is right for a career change and what do you need to consider helping you make that change?’
Another personal example of returning to work is offered through a conversation between Chris, one of our clients, and Jessica Sands, the Founder Director and Owner of Vitality360. They discuss what his rehabilitation and return to work looked like. He describes the fatigue as feeling like treacle covering his body and mind, and talks about what helped make the treacle less sticky. They discuss hopeful key messages, helpful strategies, and what made a difference.
I hope this gives you a taste of what is on offer during our online fatigue conference. Recordings of all sessions will be made available to all participants for 2 months, so if you are unable to manage a whole day of talks, you can watch and listen at a pace that suits you.
Click here to book your place.
By Katherine Sewell, HR, Compliance and Business Development Manager at Vitality360