The Power of One Word

I enjoy learning from our OGCA members. Some of that education is rooted in technical specifications and the mechanics of how to build what we build while other aspects circulate around the betterment of the tender process and clarifying contract language. Interestingly enough, it is the knowledge that occurs serendipitously and without the members’ knowledge that I find the most useful.

To paint a picture for you, I was speaking with one of our members last week about a potential mental health offering that the OGCA is looking to launch as part of an affinity program to benefit our members. Her company had some experience with this subject, and I was assessing the offering in direct relation to the needs of the member companies.

During our interchange she referred to the pandemic and how at the onset of COVID-19, instead of the term “social distancing,” her company referred to it as “physical distancing.” Although the change is not dramatic, it is the utter elegance in the subtlety that causes a fundamental shift in perspective. It was eye opening to internalize her vernacular use that propelled me to think of other such changes and how we could incorporate them into the construction sector to make issues more readily acceptable.

Let me break this down a little further by illustrating how her language choices will affect people’s perception and utter acceptance of the term.

From the onset of this pandemic and up to this very moment, you have heard the term “social distancing” probably 100 times daily as a means to prevent the transfer of the virus. And because of its repetition, society has incorporated it into our regular conversations and discussions. But what everyone was actually doing was “physically distancing.” We were just going about our business with at least two meters distance between us and the next person. So, what is so great about her use of the term?

Physical distancing is the actual act of staying apart physically. It describes something that is tangible and actionable. It is also incredibly easy to internalize and understand and is a rather unidirectional statement. You must stay physically apart to stay safe. It can easily be included into health and safety policies and has two simple instructions to follow: one – move two meters apart; two – stay two meters apart physically at all times.

Social distancing, on the other hand, requires one to move away from people and retract into themselves: in essence, to socially isolate themselves from the rest of society and avoid any and all interaction.

Although some would argue that these two terms have inherently the same meaning and are interchangeable, I would challenge that because they are processed and internalized differently.
One illustrates a simple process of physically stepping away from someone. It is accomplished without any effort and is sustainable, while the other starts to weigh on a person and may cause them to socially withdraw from everyone due to fear. Fear induces stress and stress has the compounding ability to ultimately affect one’s mental health.

This is what I truly wanted to highlight: how one simple word can completely affect one’s cognitive health and either support you or drag you down.

I’m not over sensationalizing this distinction for effect. Social isolation is real and greatly affects people. In a web article written by “No Isolation,” they state the following:

“Social isolation describes the absence of social contact and can lead to loneliness. It is a state of being cut off from normal social networks…”

“Isolation can involve staying at home for lengthy periods of time, having no access to services or community involvement, and little or no communication with friends, family, and acquaintances.”

Sound familiar yet? Has this not been our entire existence for over a year now? This is the essence of the pandemic and the terminology we use daily will affect our state of mind, and why that subtle change in vocabulary is so important, especially right now.

Speaking of vocabulary, let’s look at the term “mental health.”

As of late, and in direct correlation to a company’s health and safety policy on being “fit for duty,” the term “mental health” is used to describe our state of mind, our state of well-being, or perhaps our state of distress.

I propose that we change this terminology as well.

Like the effortless move described above from social to physical distancing, what if we changed mental health to mental wellness, holistic well-being, peace of mind, or cognitive clarity. These terms accentuate the positive since mental health may be misconstrued as being unwell mentally. But I do appreciate that the original term is matter of fact and has moved the discussion of mental issues to the forefront and allowed people the ability to open up and discuss them without judgement. But we are only just scratching the surface.

This is exactly why the OGCA is looking at a program that can help all of our contractors address this issue more readily. Whatever the term we conclude upon, it is imperative that we continue to discuss this issue and make it part of our everyday conversations. When you get on your next virtual call, ask the participants how they are feeling, how they are doing and if they need to talk… just talk. It may seem innocuous, but it might also be the lifeline that someone in distress needs. You may be the difference between an actionable directive and an abstract concept.

Construction has evolved by leaps and bounds due to this pandemic. Our members are looking at all facets of work and especially the critical work-life balance. COVID-19 has ushered in a new “normal” and one that has illuminated the need to speak about social isolation and the cognitive well-being of your workers. Construction is moving in the right direction and the broader acceptance of a term like cognitive clarity, and hence, the overall mental wellness movement is only limited by the words we choose. Choose wisely!

Stay safe. Stay healthy. Stay positive!

Should anyone want to discuss any aspects of mental well-being, discuss the proposed mental wellness offering for our members, or if you require any assistance from the OGCA, please contact me directly at giovanni@ogca.ca or via phone at 905.671.3969.