Disrupting our occupation takes a heavy toll on our mental health

Occupational overload and deprivation are two themes that emerge when listening to people talk through this pandemic

During the global COVID crisis, people have flocked to online forums to share their experiences of feeling overwhelmed, bored, industrious, anxious and kind.

I have been “listening in” on these COVID conversations, and as an occupational scientist and occupational therapist, I can’t help but notice a common theme which, despite its ubiquity, goes unrecognized and unnamed. This invisible theme is “human occupation.”

While the term occupation is commonly understood to refer to paid work (and to be sure, COVID has affected paid work) in the field of occupational science “occupation” is understood in a much broader sense. We consider human occupation to be “an activity or set of activities that is performed with some consistency and regularity, that brings structure, and is given value and meaning by individuals and a culture.”

Occupations can be anything people want, need, and/or are expected to do, from self-care, to socializing with family and friends, playing sports and caring for children.

Using this definition, it is not hard to see that the COVID-19 crisis has had an incredibly disruptive effect on our occupations, both individually and collectively. The things we all do with consistency and regularity have been torn asunder.

People are talking about the occupational upheaval we are experiencing, without naming it as such.

Occupation is a frequently obscured phenomenon. Generally, we are all so immersed in it that we don’t know it’s there — the way a fish doesn’t know it is in water. Similarly, we don’t notice how occupation provides stability, purpose and meaning until a pandemic comes along and annihilates occupational normalcy.

I hear the theme of occupation in every COVID conversation. I see occupational overload in the parents who are trying to work and home-school their children.

I see occupational deprivation in the people who feel “bored” and “stir-crazy.” I am not surprised by reports of increased stress, anxiety, substance use and domestic violence. I admit I was slightly surprised by the emergence of armed protesters demanding an end to COVID-related restrictions in order to return to occupational normalcy. Perhaps even occupational scientists underestimate the power of human occupation.

This leads me to why it is so important to name human occupation and examine it as a determinant of health.

The effects of disruption to occupational normalcy must be held in serious consideration as legislators respond to COVID-19, because even when there are measures in place such as increased access to mental health services and financial relief, people still need the benefits of their occupations to be well.

Understanding the complex, nuanced, and idiosyncratic importance of occupation to individuals can also help people maintain and regain optimal health as the COVID crisis continues to unfold.

As we plan our path forward, we therefore must expand our considerations of health beyond the physical and mental to include occupational health, as it too is vital to the overall well-being of our people and communities.