Tag: Building Resilience

In a detailed guidance, AMSA highlights the importance of keeping both seafarers and the company informed about any fatigue hazards in day-to-day operations. In this context, open communication and feedback on reports about fatigue related events are vital in improving fatigue management onboard.

Not all people are the same and subsequently, their body does not respond to fatigue at the same way. That means, individuals may become fatigued at different times and to different degrees of severity, under same circumstances.

To enjoy a good quality of life, we must ensure that we are healthy and strong. Health is wealth; when we prefer making healthy choices, these become habits and part of our daily life and in turn, the benefits are many. A healthy lifestyle can make a big difference and therefore, putting physical fitness and a healthy diet on top is vital.

While it's healthy to have some stress in our life, too much can be detrimental to our well-being. Stress is actually our body’s automatic reaction to threat and is essential for survival. It makes its appearance when someone feels overwhelmed and unable to cope with a situation. However, these feelings can result in reduced work performance and health problems.

Workload is considered as one of the factors likely to induce fatigue especially when combined with long periods of wakefulness and long duty hours.

Our body has its own internal clock, or circadian rhythms, that signals when to stay awake and when to sleep; As a result, travellers are affected by jet lag that can cause daytime fatigue, an unwell feeling, difficulty in staying alert as well as gastrointestinal problems.

Missing a night of sleep isn’t uncommon but does affect you. How long an individual is awake affects sleepiness and consequently fatigue levels. The longer an individual has been awake, the poorer his/her performance.

The amount of sleep we need each day will change over the course of our life. On average an adult aged 18 years or older needs 7–8 hours a day, however, sleep needs vary from person to person. Lack of sleep and poor quality of sleep and rest can cause fatigue, which is considered as the silent risk factor for seafarers.

Good relationships with close family members, friends or others are important. Accepting help and support from those who care about you and will listen to you strengthens resilience. Some people find that being active in civic groups, faith-based organizations or other local groups provides social support and can help with reclaiming hope. Assisting others in their time of need also can benefit the helper.

Many people find it easier to focus on what it is wrong in their life instead of envisaging a better future. This is because problems are real, causing an unpleasant situation; however maintaining an optimistic outlook enables everyone to expect that good days are coming.