What Pilots can Teach Perfectioneurs

Pilots and Perfectioneurs have a lot in common. Pilots can serve as examples of Perfectioneurs. The archetype of pilots is often one of confidence, charisma, attention to detail, and assertiveness, placing them one step away from the steamrolling potential of overworked Perfectioneurs. 

Pilot or Perfectioneur?

·      Maintains attention to detail

·      Works long hours

·      Defines identity by what they do

·      Prefers jobs where they are in control 

Make no mistake, we absolutely want people who are driven and have attention to detail flying various aircraft. It is directly connected to our well-being and safety as passengers. We also want to know that the people selected to hold this responsibility are performing at their best. Fit for duty. Therefore it’s no surprise that Aviation Psychologist Dr. Paul Dicken’s guide for pilots to re-enter the workforce during COVID-19 has been downloaded 65,000+ times since its release! 

Being a licensed therapist married to a pilot, I was excited to interview Dr. Dickens as one of 11 Accredited Aviation Psychologists in the EU. His passion for this work was palpable over Zoom and we found ourselves in easy conversation on the similarities between pilots and perfectionists. It’s not surprising then, to recognize that his suggestions in the areas of physical, cognitive, emotional, and relational needs compliment the work-life balance criteria for many other professionals attempting to adapt during COVID-19.

Some recognizable tips from Dr. Dicken’s guide Cleared for Take Off! A Pilot’s Guide to Returning to Flyinginclude: 

·      Set sleep patterns and sleep hygiene rituals

·      Adopt an exercise regimen

·      Gear up for work mode through reading materials and visualization

·      Practice self-awareness to identify how you feel about returning to work

·      Prepare your family for the transition back to work

Meaningful and relevant, these tips apply to entrepreneurs, first responders, and perfectionists as well. Let’s take it a step further to see how pilots address psychological safety at all stages of flight, captured in the acronym IMSAFE and created by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Illness- Do I have any symptoms?

Medication- Have I taken any over the counter or prescription drugs?

Stress- Am I under psychological pressure from the job? Am I worried about financial problems, health problems, or family discord?

Alcohol-Have I been drinking within 8 hours?

Fatigue- Am I tired or not adequately rested?

Emotion- Am I emotionally upset?

What if we modified the IMSAFE acronym for people during COVID-19 in order to capture what we are tracking as mental health and wellness needs during this challenging time?

Illness- Do I have any symptoms of illness?

Medication- Do I take prescription or over the counter drugs? Do they pose any risk to my functioning? Are they helpful to my functioning?

Stress- In this time of unknown, what’s my current stress level? Does it fluctuate? When?

Alcohol- Am I drinking out of a desire to cope or fight boredom?

Fatigue- How tired do I feel? Am I getting enough sleep? Too much sleep?

Emotion- Am I aware of how I feel? Where do I fall on the spectrum between anxious and numb?

IMSAFE poses some important questions to ask ourselves as we attempt to adapt and change during COVID-19. Change is difficult, especially for professionals that covet feelings of being in control. Therefore pilots and the FAA have a lot to teach us about the importance of checklists to gauge our functioning since it’s subject to change. Perhaps we can consider checking in on our functioning with the IMSAFE acronym. Maybe the tips from Dr. Dicken’s guide can help individuals preparing to return to work. Either way, pilots have a lot to offer perfectionists including disarming resistance and normalizing the vulnerability of adjustment. It’s possible that these resources will pave the way for additional conversations on coping during COVID-19, allowing perfectionist pilots to be the role models of adaptive functioning and pivoting during a pandemic.

Connect with Dr. Dickens on LinkedIn

Check out Dr. Dicken’s full guide here.

See more tips for pilots with the IMSAFE protocol here.

Strategies for Self-Care: Scheduling Intention

Self-care is a word we hear a lot in our industry, not just for clients but for professionals as well. How does one define self-care? Is it true that we need to implement self- care in order to prevent burnout? To better understand fatigue, burnout, and the concept of self-care, let’s take a closer look at each of these elements and how they contribute to wellness.

Symptoms requiring Self-Care

For many professionals, self-care becomes something to explore when functioning declines. Our clients come to us because their lives are being disrupted and self-care may be needed to recover balance. We are our own worst clients in the idea that we can talk about the importance of self-care to others, but don’t always put it into regular practice for ourselves.  The result of limited or absent self-care is burnout, and burnout can be long lasting or pervasive as it spreads beyond our careers into our personal lives and beyond. In order to explore the impact of burnout for ourselves and our clients, we may find the following list helpful (adapted from Vital Hearts).

• I don’t know how to relax.
• I feel irritable more than I’d like.
• I feel disconnected from my emotions.
• I’ve isolated from my family.
• Nothing makes me laugh anymore.
• I take comfort in sweets.
• I have no energy to listen to my family when I get home.
• I escape by sleeping more.
• I have no empathy at the end of my work day.
• I’m ignoring my relationships.
• I can’t seem to disconnect from work.
• I am experiencing more anxiety.
• I just want to get away sometimes.
• I’m angry at my clients for asking so much of me.
• I feel underappreciated.
• I can’t read or watch the news anymore.
• I don’t share my work with my friends, they just don’t get it.
• I don’t socialize with friends much anymore.
• I feel restless but don’t want to do anything.
• I have lost confidence in myself.
• I feel pessimistic as the result of my job.
• I feel sadness.
• I feel drained, I have no energy.
• I feel angry.
• My health has declined.
• I feel like nothing I do makes things better.
• I can’t concentrate.
• I cry much easier than I used to.
• My road rage has gotten worse.

For some, the list above starts the conversation about how much and to what degree life has been impacted by factors of our work as helping professionals.  Burnout untreated can lead to long lasting decline in quality of life and connection to others. Burnout can take away the passion of why you do this work. As we struggle to practice what we recommend to others, how do we change our patterns to support reduction of the negative impact of burnout? Below are some action steps.

Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP)

Several organizations in Colorado see the importance of self-care, including the Colorado Mental Wellness Network. Selected by the Colorado Mental Wellness Network and endorsed by SAMHSA, the Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) is being utilized with various populations to support health and well-being. Colorado Mental Wellness Network supports change through peer to peer connection and wellness education. Through these efforts, they continue to implement WRAP plans within various communities, including those experiencing homelessness and within Department of Human Services caseworkers. What they found was that empowering individuals to notice wellness as well as health decline could support putting self-care into action. Below is an example of a wellness plan that can be used for both professionals and clients to best support their process of identifying and implementing self-care.

Building in Boundaries

In addition to exploring and customizing self-care for meaningful change, boundaries may need to be re-evaluated to prevent burnout. For many helping professionals, long hours, after-hours texts, emails, or calls, client crisis, and urges to help, prevent successful disconnection from work. Technology makes it easy to check work emails 24 hours a day and calls may come in from various parties regarding client care. If there is flexibility to re-evaluate the schedule of work versus home life, it is encouraged. However, the schedule assigned may not be in your control. If this is the case, other means of implementing boundaries may be needed and can include the following:

• Put an out of office message on email and voicemail to notify others of when you will respond.
• Separate work and home phones to leave the work phone off during days off.
• Identify a crisis coverage person to give to clients during vacations or other scheduled absences.
• Schedule time off in your calendar(s) to support appropriate boundaries.
• Schedule windows of self-care, even if just for 20 minutes, during your work week.
• Be concrete with hours for yourself and your clients as to when and how they can reach you.
• Find self-care you can commit to and put it in the calendar monthly or weekly.

It is with hope that we can create momentum from the talk of self-care into action steps as we continue in our roles as helping professionals. Modeling self-care is both in the benefit of our clients and ourselves as we navigate the busy world of demands in hope of positive change. May we all begin to develop quality self-care in order to find wellness in the path of hard work!