When those magnificent men (and women) fall to earth

We all know the stereotype – “the right stuff”, “those magnificent men in their flying machines”, the uniform with gold or platinum (never “silver”!) braid and those hats for pilots and smart suits and corporate neckwear for cabin crew. Of course, behind the stereotype, inside the uniform, under the hat (and all too often up at 4:00 am!) there’s a human being. The job and the uniform don’t mean any of us are immune from psychological distress or mental health challenges. In this blog, we’re taking a very brief look at the interaction between being an aviation professional (roles like licensed engineers, pilots, cabin crew and air traffic controllers) and psychological wellbeing or mental health. For more detailed information and support, consider joining our subscription scheme or get in touch….. Let’s start with what we usually think of as the positive: Work in general is often a really strong contributor to good mental health. It provides purpose, routine, structure, social contact and monetary reward. In terms of psychological wellbeing we often think of our experience in terms of “love, play, health and work” . There’s more detail in our “bullseye” post but fundamentally if there is enough in each of these aspects of our life that matches our aspirations and values and has meaning for us, we are most likely to experience psychological wellbeing. Being an aviation professional is a role that generally matches long held dreams and aspirations, provides a strong experience of skill and mastery and often feels meaningful. Many roles are well rewarded and well thought of by family and friends. The old joke “how do you know someone is a pilot? Don’t worry they’ll tell you” has a lot of truth behind it – we’re proud of our role and that helps us feel good. The view from the flight deck “office” in particular, travel, teamwork and rosters that mean we can do the supermarket run on a Tuesday afternoon rather than Saturday morning can all be life enhancing. Those aspects of the job are fundamentally good for your wellbeing and psychological state. The not so positive: Aviation careers generally interfere with “love” (relationships, family and friends), “play” (hobbies, entertainment) and “health” (sleep, food, exercise). When the rewards are enough, the impact of conflicts can be minimal and we remain resilient and well. When life throws us a “curve ball” or our mental health deteriorates for any reason, the way in which the job interacts with love, play and health can escalate the issue. Rosters are generally fixed four to six weeks ahead and annual leave might need to be booked over a year in advance. That can interfere with impromptu get togethers, getting to events like weddings and celebrations, making appointments, running errands and contributing to the family chores. Think, for example, being away from home and unable to do the school run for your ill partner or being unable to swap a planned duty and therefore having to miss you dear friend’s wedding. And good luck getting to football practice every Wednesday or book club first Tuesday of every month. Aviation shift patterns also interfere with the “health” fundamentals of eating well, exercising and getting enough sleep. You’re on a night flight? Good luck getting a pre-work nap in with the school run going on or noisy neighbours and enjoy your TV dinner style curry at 1:00 am! Thinking with a less positive perspective, the job can involve having little or no control over when you work, who you work with, where you are, what you can eat and when and where you can sleep (I’m not selling the job right now am I?). Generally, that’s fine because the elements that support our good mental health outweigh these factors which can be managed. Add in a few challenges though and it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain good mental health. These interactions and the regulatory environment in which aviation professionals work are the reasons specialist psychological support is often necessary when they face mental health challenges. Dr Margaret Oakes as psychologist and pilot is uniquely qualified to work with you. Contact us …….