5 Ways You Can Empower Your Community Right Now

The Össur Women’s Leadership Initiative began as a response to the exponentially growing number of women in O&P, to provide them support and to empower them to aspire to leadership roles within the profession. Our mission has always been, and always will be, to support equality in ALL forms, and, as a result, to foster much needed diversity in O&P. As our country and the rest of the world grapples with this pandemic and social and political unrest, we offer our continued support to our profession and our patients. While our focus is on empowering women, we believe in empowering ALL people with the goal of creating a diverse group of professionals focused on our equally diverse patient population.

We recognize that right now we are all experiencing an unprecedented amount of uncertainty, anxiety, change and emotions. While there isn’t a perfect solution on how to deal with this, we can start by focusing on a few simple ways that we can support one another. Here are five things you can do right now:

1. Speak wisely. Our words are more important now than ever. People are hurting, afraid and anxious. Before you speak or type, ask yourself, “Are my words respectful, kind and supportive?” Likewise, practice self-care by practicing thoughts of self-kindness. Remind yourself you are strong, good and doing the best you can in this tough situation.
2. Be encouraging. When you encourage yourself and others, you are building a foundation of trust, courage and confidence. Self-encouragement is believing in yourself and your abilities. It focuses on your strengths, positive attributes and skills, and your accomplishments (such as surviving at-home schooling). When you begin to recognize your strengths and accomplishments, it becomes easier to do the same for others. For example, when you acknowledge a co-worker’s hard work on a more regular basis, you not only make them feel appreciated, but you also build up their confidence and empower them to do more.
3. Listen. Understanding and supporting others starts by being an active listener. Sometimes people just need to vent or speak their thoughts aloud just so they are heard. A response is not always needed. Ask questions such as “tell me more” or “how does that make you feel” to gain further insight and show acceptance of what the speaker is sharing.
4. Share knowledge. If you’ve found a book or article that’s useful, share it. Sharing knowledge is another way to show respect and show others you are genuinely interested in supporting them. Sharing knowledge also helps you grow personally and professionally by helping you to stay motivated and to generate new ideas.
5. Share laughter! We all benefit from laughter. Laughter improves mood, reduces stress, boosts the immune system, improves heart health, burns calories, eases tension and reduces conflict. When you share a joke or a funny moment from your life, it conveys the message that we are all human and inspires genuine care for one another.

Let us know how these tips work for you! Share your outcomes (and your jokes) with us at [email protected]. We send out sincerest hopes that you and your families are safe and well. We look forward to seeing you at least virtually soon!