Alisha Woodside has scored the perfect job for herself at this point in her life as a recent college graduate - well-being advisor at a company that places importance on supporting the mental and overall health and well-being of its employees.
A recent doctoral degree graduate with a focus in occupational therapy, the Bahamian will be the first in that role at the Texas company that has a number of well-being advisors that offers mental health services to employees such as one-to-one care or office-wide well-being programming such as de-stress week, ergonomic safety, etc. And which also does a lot of in-house well-being training for staff and work alongside the company's EAP (employee assistance program) to refer and recommend services for employees. Woodside will be the first occupational therapist assuming the role of well-being advisor.
"Many of them [well-being advisors] are licensed social workers or family therapists. When I walked them through why I wanted to do this and my background experience during my interview process, they seemed excited. So, I am excited to pioneer and represent my profession in a setting that may seem new for other occupational therapists," said Woodside, 25.
She is probably perfect for the position, considering her background and 14-year challenge with lupus. Woodside was diagnosed with the disease at age 11.
As she assumes her role, she does so having recently participated in a study as a peer coach which allowed her to coach other young adults, mostly young women with lupus, to study the value of peer support in management of chronic illnesses.
"I think being a part of [the study] helped me to connect with other young people in my age bracket that are going through what I am going through," said Woodside.
"While the study was very diverse, the majority of my [participants] were young Black ambitious women just like myself, which helped our conversations to flow a lot smoother."
She knows what it's like to struggle.
"I have had so much (or at least it feels like) comorbidities - depression being the biggest one I think over the years that my involvement in service and extracurricular activities distracted me from a lot of things happening and I think that helped me to stay balanced and eventually graduate. That's why I wanted to do my doctoral capstone looking at the well-being of college students. A lot of college students are still trying to get back to 'normal' after COVID. Now that I have graduated, I wondered what the support would look like for full-time employees who are not connected to the many resources that a college usually offers. That's when I started looking up corporate well-being roles and found the role that I will begin soon."
And she says she always knew that there was some sort of relationship between well-being, sense of belonging, and success, to being able to succeed in her role as a student.
During her teenage years, Woodside's lupus flares included joint pain and stiffness. As a young adult she said a lot of her issues became "internal and mental".
She said people that did not know her probably wouldn't be able to guess she has a chronic illness. Woodside has some vasculitis (inflammation of the blood vessels) but that has been under control.
She has also seen her flares change since her youthful days, which have resulted in four major hospitalizations since 2013. And that for her she was either super good on the outside or have to go to the hospital. Woodside said for her, there was no in between.
Because she had so many hospitalizations, she knows what to look out for if she is about to head in that direction. And she said doctors were good with listening to her when she told them she feel something coming and they accommodated her accordingly.
She has long been an education advocate and took time during her teenage years to educate her friends about the disease. It was something she continued into her college years, although she was not as detailed as she was early on. During her college years she says she really did not interact with a lot of people outside of school, and most people she interacted with had a good understanding.
Sometimes, she had to do a lot of self-advocating for her needs - whether that be additional rest breaks or a modified activity. She asked for accommodations when she needed it. And did not allow people to cause her undue stress that could land her in the hospital.
Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease that occurs when the body's immune system attacks its own tissues and organs. It's a disease that can be difficult to diagnose because its signs and symptoms often mimic those of other ailments. The most distinctive sign of lupus is the facial rash that resembles the wings of a butterfly unfolding across both cheeks. Some people are born with a tendency toward developing lupus, which may be triggered by infections, certain drugs or even sunlight. While there's no cure for lupus, treatments can help control symptoms.
Before her diagnosis, Woodside always complained about joint pains and always had unexplained bruises on her body, and fell victim to the difficulty in diagnosing the disease. She was diagnosed with sickle cell. Her parents, Allison and Etwood Woodside, persisted in trying to get help for their daughter and took her to another doctor who, upon learning that there was a history of lupus in Woodside's paternal lineage (her father's aunt had lupus), tested her for lupus. But by the time the parents got their daughter to that doctor, the pains were so severe, she could not walk or talk and was in a wheelchair.
In an earlier interview with The Nassau Guardian, Woodside expressed happiness in being diagnosed with lupus as a teenager, because she said it allowed her to show people that she is able to live a normal life.
"I think the fact that I lived a 'normal' life was because I was young and didn't really have 'big girl' responsibilities. Don't get me wrong, I have accomplished a lot despite my health condition. There is just so many extra layers and things that I have to take into consideration when I plan things," she said.
Lupus did not factor into her pursuing a degree in occupational therapy, but rather the fact that her brother has autism. She became worse when she realized that children would be a little too much for her.
She told The Nassau Guardian that educating people about the impact lupus can have on a person and their sphere of influence is paramount.
No two cases of lupus are exactly alike. Signs and symptoms may come on suddenly or develop slowly. They may be mild or severe and may be temporary or permanent. Most people with lupus have mild disease, characterized by episodes called flares, when signs and symptoms get worse for a while, then improve or even disappear completely for a time.
An estimated 5.5 million persons globally have a form of lupus, the chronic autoimmune disease brought on by genetics, environment and hormonal imbalances in the body. There are no real statistics on the number of people in The Bahamas with lupus.
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