Getting back to work after a stroke

One of the biggest questions any stroke victims ask themselves during their recovery is will they ever work again. After everything you’ve been through, a return to the professional world marks a big step forward in the recovery process. Likely, any return to work won’t be the same as what you have known previously but it isn’t necessarily the end of your career. So how can you return to work after your stroke?

Before plunging back into a return to work plan, you need to be both mentally and physically prepare yourself for returning into the public domain. There are lots of things to consider but some strategies are vital to ensuring a successful transition such as:

• • Speak to doctors and therapists about your abilities

    There is nothing more important than knowing what your limits are. Speaking to both your doctors and occupational therapists is a must as they can give you an indication of what you can and can’t do comfortably. Heed their advice and ensure you are cleared before saying yes to any work opportunity.

  • Talk to your employer

    Before returning to work, have a chat with your manager and see how they can adapt the role to suit your needs. It may be simply relocating offices or changing daily duties to help make your life easier. You could even request to work from home some days to help relieve any physical stress from commuting every day.

If you feel like you are ready to enter the world of work once again, take things slowly and don’t take on too much at once. This means there are some simple choices to make when searching for jobs such as:

• • Part-time jobs

    Looking for jobs with reduced hours is a great way to ease back into work. Part-time hours ensure that you can slowly build up your workload without overwhelming yourself and slowly increase over time. It can also help you concentrate on your job more over a few hours rather than having to push yourself over a full working week.

  • Avoid stress-loads

    When searching for a job, avoid looking for roles that are physically or emotionally taxing. Roles that are too intense will not only drain your energy but could be harmful in the long-term hindering all the progress you made coming back from such a traumatic event.