OT Students Interaction Topic 2: Challenges encountered as a Student

Ivanna Co wroteHi! Ivanna here.

The difference between high school and college requirements and exams threw me off track. I was not able to develop good study habits in high school, merely studying a few hours before an exam because I can still get by with good grades. However, I discovered tertiary education is on a completely different scale. Nowadays, I must study at least a week in advance to be able to comprehend the lessons taught.

People most often respond with a blank stare whenever I answer my college course is occupational therapy. They assume that it is the same as PT. Enlightening them gives me satisfaction knowing I can correct some of their misconceptions as well. It is sad to discover that the reason why OT is not widely-known here as the common people cannot afford the long-term service of one. Illustrating them with this saying. "Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime" made them able to grasp the value of an Occupational Therapist.

Another problem I deal with is when people find out that BS OT is a pre-med course. They immediately assume that I want to become a doctor in the future. I find that being an OT is already a big contribution to the community, and the scarcity of finding an OT is already a problem in the Philippines.

Although having to study for majority of my waking hours is very tiring and stressful, knowing that I will be able to use the information that I have learned for my clients someday gives me the will to endure through this hardship. In addition, my blockmates are there to support and encourage each other to do our best.

Hello, Ivanna! Haha I absolutely agree with you! College is definitely NOT a piece of cake! But still, we have to go through it, right? Just try browsing, scanning and reviewing your notes and reading a little of your books every day and you’ll get through college with a little less difficulty. And just keep in mind that from now on, the books you read and the lessons you discuss are vital for our professional practice in the future. Remember, our country needs skillful and devoted Occupational Therapists. Never give up on your dream!

Ahh yes! It’s either that blank stare or that fake laugh! Sometimes, I directly explain to them what we do and how we’re different with the PTs whenever I see confusion in people’s faces. It’s actually really rare to meet someone who knows the scope of our course. But when I do, it actually makes my day already.

I hope in the future, people will understand that our course is as important as the others. I believe that it is in our hands, our voices and our works to transform our dreams for our profession into reality.

etalas wroteMost of the posts already included problems related to explaining OT to other people, managing time, balancing occupations, being away from home, etc. I don’t know if I’m weird or what but I find having an occupational lens challenging. I’m not even sure if I already developed it but it feels like I already had. All I know is that with occupational lens, you perceive all (without exceptions) person’s action as a product of some other actions. To make it easier, you believe that with any action (bad or good), there is a reason behind, so you have to understand it. At first, I thought that it made me a better person since I’ll no longer be a “judger”. But as soon as I experienced it, I found it challenging. I always say to myself that understanding them is not equal to ignoring their mistakes but I always end up ignoring. I’m not always ignorant, there are times I forget wearing those ‘’occupational lens’’ and the result is my natural self, very straightforward. I always end up regretful. Maybe the reason why I find those kinds of situations challenging and quite frustrating is that I’m just a 2nd year student who is only about to take few major subjects.

Please let me know if you are also experiencing the same challenge as mine so that we can share experiences with each other.

Hi, Gale! It’s not weird at all! I sometimes find myself looking through that “occupational lens” too. I think occupational lens is something that each OT students and practitioners should possess. You’re right. It enables us to understand the occupation that holds meaning for a person whether the reason behind is negative. For example, my younger brother loves playing computer games. Of course, our mother would be furious whenever she sees my brother playing. She’ll be generalizing that all that my brother does is to play. Now, I have a special friend who loves playing computer games too. His hobby sometimes gets into my nerves, but recently, I realized that maybe playing computer and video games is something that makes my brother and friend happy. I realized that maybe, this is their way of relaxing. This is their form of play and leisure. So whenever I see my brother and friend playing video games, I automatically understand their actions. However, I see to it that I do not ignore the consequences of their actions just like when they have been playing all day already and forget their other duties and tasks. I try to help them by asking them to set a number of hours to play per day. I also remind them of the duties that they have to fulfill. I share the same experience as you, Gale. I have felt the uneasy and confusing feeling you feel whenever faced with a situation. I suggest that you list down all the factors, the pros and the cons in the situation. Be open-minded. Do not be afraid to consider the negative factors because it is only when we identify those can we truly understand and most of all, correct and improve.

I honestly admire you for carrying out the occupational lens in you. Don’t worry about you possessing this as early as second year. We will all be needing and acquiring that in the future because occupational lens is the greatest vision we can have. It is actually your advantage to attain it as early as now.

Hi! This is Kyla again. Like most of you, my hometown is far from the city I am studying in. I used to go home every week, but now it rarely happens due to a hectic schedule. I agree that weekly exams, and multiple projects and papers are part of college. I have nothing against that because every college student experiences that. However, I sometimes can’t help but rethink if my efforts in studying are worth it. I never doubt my love for OT, but sometimes, my dream is no longer enough to inspire me to continue. And that is what I need --- continuous motivation. Whenever I lose my motivation, I talk to my mom and plan adventures and outings that I can look forward to. This somehow excites me, thus improving and lightening my mood. I also resort to sleeping because a good rest and sleep enables my mind to refresh.

I am used to seeing confused stares whenever people ask me what my course is. I usually explain to them by first defining occupation using WFOT’s definition, “Occupations include things people need to, want to and are expected to do.” (2012) I make sure that they suddenly think about the occupations that matter to them and how it would feel not being able to do it again. Then I would explain the importance of occupation in one’s life by sharing my favorite quote, “Occupation is a strong enabler of knowing one’s self.” (Hasselkus, 2011) After explaining, I would sometimes receive fake laughs indicating still their lack of awareness about the course. It makes me sad, but I would always devise a new way of explaining things simpler so that people would get the gist of what we do.

They said that 2nd year in our college is a hard one since it is the transition period. Aside from being a student, I also have to fulfill my role as a team leader in one of the departments in AIESEC as well as my role as the secretary in my karate club, JKA. I also have a responsibility to fulfill for my blockmates. I make sure that I finish the works that involve other people before accomplishing personal tasks. I keep track of my schedule by filling out a planner and doing in advance works that are given to avoid cramming. Before, I am really active in karate training, but due to an overload in academics and organization works, I skip most of my training in my province. However, I make sure that I am able to exercise here in Manila because working out is really an important occupation to me.

Everyone encounters challenges, and everyone can overcome those. Challenges are something that we cannot run away from. The best thing to do is to confront it, and learn from it.

Hi this is Ruthie from UPM ^^

I often have difficulty managing my time in college, like most others do. I've never really done anything much outside of regular academics back in high school but now in college I've found so many other things to do outside of just studying. For the first time, I'm genuinely interested in extra-curricular activities and it's interfering with my studies because I'd honestly rather much do those than study.

I also still have problems with studying itself, because I never really developed good study habits before and I'm definitely paying for it now that a lot of our lessons require self-directed learning. I've never really been used to reading long chapters ahead of time before lessons and usually cram a few days before the exams, it's probably about time I've learned haha.

Hi all. It's Violet from Salford University in UK.

I am in my second year of studying occupational therapy. Since starting the course last year, I have noticed that whenever we have a break from uni, for example, Easter or summer break, I always stress that I should be doing extra work and in my head everyone else is always studying hard and I struggle to get motivated and organised. I often felt overwhelmed as I wanted to get some extra reading done or research a topic that is of interest to me but somehow I was finding it difficult to organise my time when all of a sudden I had plenty of time. This was making me feel like I was wasting lots of valuable time and trying to convince myself that I needed rest wasn't working.

At the end of August this year when I realised I will be starting my second year soon, I knew I had to start revising so that I feel prepared. I have created a daily timetable in Excel and started scheduling my learning objectives, for example, I would wake up at 6am exercise,breakfast then revise MOHO for 2hrs followed by reading a journal article then reading a chapter in a book I wanted to read over the summer.. by doing this I often found that by 10-11am I had completed many tasks, learned a lot and also did things I enjoy doing (reading books, exercise good for my health). I still carry on with my timetable now we are 3 weeks into the second year of the program and it helps me a lot to feel organised therefore my mind is clearer and I don't panic anymore. It helps me to keep myself balanced and prevents me from unnecessary stress and mood swings. It teaches me self-discipline and determination too. I believe that good self-management skills save us a lot of time,hassle and nerves, therefore I would recommend to other students to spend some time on planning their day as it is possible to study and do other things. Hope this helps other students who often feel overwhelmed by the amount of work that is required from them and the lack of time to do things they enjoy doing.

Violet wroteHi all. It's Violet from Salford University in UK.

I am in my second year of studying occupational therapy. Since starting the course last year, I have noticed that whenever we have a break from uni, for example, Easter or summer break, I always stress that I should be doing extra work and in my head everyone else is always studying hard and I struggle to get motivated and organised. I often felt overwhelmed as I wanted to get some extra reading done or research a topic that is of interest to me but somehow I was finding it difficult to organise my time when all of a sudden I had plenty of time. This was making me feel like I was wasting lots of valuable time and trying to convince myself that I needed rest wasn't working.

At the end of August this year when I realised I will be starting my second year soon, I knew I had to start revising so that I feel prepared. I have created a daily timetable in Excel and started scheduling my learning objectives, for example, I would wake up at 6am exercise,breakfast then revise MOHO for 2hrs followed by reading a journal article then reading a chapter in a book I wanted to read over the summer.. by doing this I often found that by 10-11am I had completed many tasks, learned a lot and also did things I enjoy doing (reading books, exercise good for my health). I still carry on with my timetable now we are 3 weeks into the second year of the program and it helps me a lot to feel organised therefore my mind is clearer and I don't panic anymore. It helps me to keep myself balanced and prevents me from unnecessary stress and mood swings. It teaches me self-discipline and determination too. I believe that good self-management skills save us a lot of time,hassle and nerves, therefore I would recommend to other students to spend some time on planning their day as it is possible to study and do other things. Hope this helps other students who often feel overwhelmed by the amount of work that is required from them and the lack of time to do things they enjoy doing.

Hi violet!

I should try your time management technique! I am the type of person who has the tendency to procrastinate. Sometimes I just stare at my computer or the ceiling for an hour. After reading your post, yeah I realized how much we can do in an hour. Here in the Philippines, we're less than two months before we end this semester and everything is happening so fast. We have lots of exams coming, we have papers to do, and we also have many co-curricular activities we have to attend to and I think your tip will be very helpful. I'll try to start scheduling all my activities for the day. Thank you so much! I hope this will work!

Good luck on your second year! I hope I can read more from you. Join us in our next discussion!

Violet wroteHi all. It's Violet from Salford University in UK.

I am in my second year of studying occupational therapy. Since starting the course last year, I have noticed that whenever we have a break from uni, for example, Easter or summer break, I always stress that I should be doing extra work and in my head everyone else is always studying hard and I struggle to get motivated and organised. I often felt overwhelmed as I wanted to get some extra reading done or research a topic that is of interest to me but somehow I was finding it difficult to organise my time when all of a sudden I had plenty of time. This was making me feel like I was wasting lots of valuable time and trying to convince myself that I needed rest wasn't working.

At the end of August this year when I realised I will be starting my second year soon, I knew I had to start revising so that I feel prepared. I have created a daily timetable in Excel and started scheduling my learning objectives, for example, I would wake up at 6am exercise,breakfast then revise MOHO for 2hrs followed by reading a journal article then reading a chapter in a book I wanted to read over the summer.. by doing this I often found that by 10-11am I had completed many tasks, learned a lot and also did things I enjoy doing (reading books, exercise good for my health). I still carry on with my timetable now we are 3 weeks into the second year of the program and it helps me a lot to feel organised therefore my mind is clearer and I don't panic anymore. It helps me to keep myself balanced and prevents me from unnecessary stress and mood swings. It teaches me self-discipline and determination too. I believe that good self-management skills save us a lot of time,hassle and nerves, therefore I would recommend to other students to spend some time on planning their day as it is possible to study and do other things. Hope this helps other students who often feel overwhelmed by the amount of work that is required from them and the lack of time to do things they enjoy doing.

Hi Violet! I'm Alexia Tan a 2nd year from University of the Philippines Manila.

Like you, I also struggle with productivity. While I do cherish the moments that I am thankfully idle, I do feel that I have wasted a lot of time and that I have to do something. Aside from hating the feeling of idleness, I also struggle with juggling academics and organizational work. Your tip with the timetable seems very interesting. I might have to try it if it helps me manage everything in my life better. Although maybe I'll try going back to my planner instead because I suck at Excel Thanks for the tip Violet!

To other students in the forum, what can you suggest for someone who struggles to balance academic and extra curricular life? What are your experiences and what do you do to keep yourself from being overwhelmed?

Violet wroteHi all. It's Violet from Salford University in UK.

I am in my second year of studying occupational therapy. Since starting the course last year, I have noticed that whenever we have a break from uni, for example, Easter or summer break, I always stress that I should be doing extra work and in my head everyone else is always studying hard and I struggle to get motivated and organised. I often felt overwhelmed as I wanted to get some extra reading done or research a topic that is of interest to me but somehow I was finding it difficult to organise my time when all of a sudden I had plenty of time. This was making me feel like I was wasting lots of valuable time and trying to convince myself that I needed rest wasn't working.

At the end of August this year when I realised I will be starting my second year soon, I knew I had to start revising so that I feel prepared. I have created a daily timetable in Excel and started scheduling my learning objectives, for example, I would wake up at 6am exercise,breakfast then revise MOHO for 2hrs followed by reading a journal article then reading a chapter in a book I wanted to read over the summer.. by doing this I often found that by 10-11am I had completed many tasks, learned a lot and also did things I enjoy doing (reading books, exercise good for my health). I still carry on with my timetable now we are 3 weeks into the second year of the program and it helps me a lot to feel organised therefore my mind is clearer and I don't panic anymore. It helps me to keep myself balanced and prevents me from unnecessary stress and mood swings. It teaches me self-discipline and determination too. I believe that good self-management skills save us a lot of time,hassle and nerves, therefore I would recommend to other students to spend some time on planning their day as it is possible to study and do other things. Hope this helps other students who often feel overwhelmed by the amount of work that is required from them and the lack of time to do things they enjoy doing.

Hi Violet!
I'm Sophia from the University of the Philippines Manila, but everyone else calls me Faye.
I am also in my second year of studying OT. My first year in uni was... overwhelming. I struggled to keep up with everyone, because everything was just so different from high school! Everyone was brilliant, and smart, and I felt so small. I suffered anxiety attacks a lot, and couldn't sleep or take a rest because I kept feeling like I was wasting the time I could have spent studying by resting (which, now I know, was so wrong. So, so wrong.)

I tried my best to fight the anxiety. I tried to change my outlooks in life, while still holding on to those things I really value. I still study a lot, but also tried to manage my time so I could still relax and have fun, as well as spend even a few moments with my friends and family. I haven't tried making a daily time table like yours. I imagine myself just ignoring it afterwards haha. But I do have a planner now, and I hang on to it for dear life.

Thank you so much for sharing! I hope you still get to find time to do occupations you enjoy doing. Best of luck to you over there!

Hi guys! Franzes again here!!

Before entering college, I've already understood that college would be hard. Knowing this, I still have a hard time balancing my personal life with my academic life. At times, I question myself whether to continue struggle in this course or shift to a different one, and OTION and your insights helped me through all the sleepless nights. Even though its hard, I know it would be worth it once I'm already able to practice all the things on how to be a good Occupational Therapist. Its really amazing that professionals are really happy about what they're doing as OTs. Another problem I have with this degree is that most of the people in Philippines are not aware of its existence. When people ask me what course am I taking in college and tell them that I'm taking Occupational therapy, they start to ask me multiple questions about the degree and I use the professional terms we use during class. Amazingly, they just become more curious about the profession and by the next time we meet, its them telling me about how come people aren't aware of what OT is if everybody could be needing our services and they just don't knw it because they aren't aware of what we really do or even who we are and what we can do to improve their lives.

esc501 wrote

shmays wroteHi Pauline! Thanks for continuing student topic threads. One of the more challenging and rewarding aspects of my program at the moment is diversity. In the US, OT is not a diverse profession (e.g. racially, by gender). Classmates and I are currently in challenging discourse on how demographics within our program and profession affect the research produced, the work we do, and the people we serve. We're working on diversity and health equity task initiatives at the moment, but I would love to hear how other OT programs across the globe are tackling issues of diversity, inclusion, and health equity.

Hello :-)

I am currently on a masters course in the UK. I have moved from another profession, and one of the main difficulties I had was explaining to people what I was doing, and people viewing it as not a good move to make - mainly because they misunderstood was Occupational Therapy is about. When explaining it, I have found that people want a quick answer, and that can be hard as I found (and still do find) it good to give examples. It as got a bit easier as I have started the course, because I am becoming more sure of what it is all about. I try to include what occupation means, and talk about working with people who, for various reasons, are finding it difficult to do the things they need or want to do. Followed by a few examples. I'm not claiming this to be the best way, and it has been difficult!

Practical things like moving house, money etc have been difficult, but that was helped by planning before I decided to move over to this course.

Interesting what you say shmays - we have also been talking about the lack of diversity on the course! I know the course does interview and accept international students, but I wonder if it is something to do with who is applying for the course in the first place, and why it isn't a very diverse selection of people who want to apply. I'm sure there are deeper issues here regarding that...perhaps to do with education, stereotypes, aspirations. We have just submitted our research proposals, and I was very aware, as you say, of mine being yet another piece of research from a white, middle-class, Western woman...(!)

Hi! We also experience the same thing in the Philippines, most of OT students are female. When people ask us about what we do, we ourselves are also having a difficult time explaining it in a way they would easily understand. Its very interesting that people from other countries are starting reach other professionals from different countries and I hope this would be start that our profession would soon be known to the whole world, without us needing to explain what we really for they know what we do, our importance, and what we can do to help them in their everyday lives.

Hi! I'm Lex, BS OT from University of the Philippines - Manila. The biggest challenge for me as a student is occupational balance. As a student-athlete, keeping up with academic works in the morning and training for dance performances at night really made me realize how essential it is to prioritize what you do each day. Rest and stress both make a student reach his potentials but too much or too little of which can effect a chain of problems.

Hi Ivanna! It also amazes me that as students, we don't only get to learn from professors but most especially from the patients!

Ivanna Co wroteHi! Ivanna here.

The difference between high school and college requirements and exams threw me off track. I was not able to develop good study habits in high school, merely studying a few hours before an exam because I can still get by with good grades. However, I discovered tertiary education is on a completely different scale. Nowadays, I must study at least a week in advance to be able to comprehend the lessons taught.

People most often respond with a blank stare whenever I answer my college course is occupational therapy. They assume that it is the same as PT. Enlightening them gives me satisfaction knowing I can correct some of their misconceptions as well. It is sad to discover that the reason why OT is not widely-known here as the common people cannot afford the long-term service of one. Illustrating them with this saying. "Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime" made them able to grasp the value of an Occupational Therapist.

Another problem I deal with is when people find out that BS OT is a pre-med course. They immediately assume that I want to become a doctor in the future. I find that being an OT is already a big contribution to the community, and the scarcity of finding an OT is already a problem in the Philippines.

Although having to study for majority of my waking hours is very tiring and stressful, knowing that I will be able to use the information that I have learned for my clients someday gives me the will to endure through this hardship. In addition, my blockmates are there to support and encourage each other to do our best.

Hi, Lex! Hands down to you for going through each day with your hectic schedule and yet you still manage to maintain being involved in such activities! I think it's also very important for everyone to have a great support system. Being surrounded by people who care for us will be beneficial for our health, self-esteem and perception in life. They allow us to relax a little even once in a while. Don't forget that we, your blockmates, are always here to support you!

Alexia Nicole wroteHi! I'm Lex, BS OT from University of the Philippines - Manila. The biggest challenge for me as a student is occupational balance. As a student-athlete, keeping up with academic works in the morning and training for dance performances at night really made me realize how essential it is to prioritize what you do each day. Rest and stress both make a student reach his potentials but too much or too little of which can effect a chain of problems.

Hi there! I'm Felix Tiburcio and I'm an OT student from the University of the Philippines Manila (UPM)

Throughout my two years of OT education, I've learned that the OT profession and the allied medical professions in general are supposed to uphold a client's quality of life, which is why I found it shocking when one of our professors told us that the majority of student appointments at the Psychiatric Department from our internship hospital (The Philippine General Hospital) come from the College of Allied Medical Professions, where anxiety and depression are common among these students.

It makes you wonder if the course is too challenging and demanding for the students to take or if the program is too condensed for us students to follow. You see, our course was supposed to be a five-year course but our college insisted on condensing it to a four-year course; thus we immediately studied human cadavers in our second year without any prior knowledge of comparative anatomy during our first year. In my opinion, the biggest challenge for us OT students is the somewhat "disjointed" transition from juvenile freshmen immediately to a sophomore who is expected to carry a rather heavy load that our first year wasn't able to prepare us for.

Going back, the weight of the curriculum's demands sometimes get the better of me. Sometimes, the heavy workload makes you question your very position as an OT student, and you just get stuck thinking about it. I'm not saying that I'm depressed or anxious, it's just that sometimes you need time to breathe. Whenever that happens, I just tell myself why I fell in love with OT in the first place. And breathe.

Felix Isaac Tiburcio wroteHi there! I'm Felix Tiburcio and I'm an OT student from the University of the Philippines Manila (UPM)

Throughout my two years of OT education, I've learned that the OT profession and the allied medical professions in general are supposed to uphold a client's quality of life, which is why I found it shocking when one of our professors told us that the majority of student appointments at the Psychiatric Department from our internship hospital (The Philippine General Hospital) come from the College of Allied Medical Professions, where anxiety and depression are common among these students.

It makes you wonder if the course is too challenging and demanding for the students to take or if the program is too condensed for us students to follow. You see, our course was supposed to be a five-year course but our college insisted on condensing it to a four-year course; thus we immediately studied human cadavers in our second year without any prior knowledge of comparative anatomy during our first year. In my opinion, the biggest challenge for us OT students is the somewhat "disjointed" transition from juvenile freshmen immediately to a sophomore who is expected to carry a rather heavy load that our first year wasn't able to prepare us for.

Going back, the weight of the curriculum's demands sometimes get the better of me. Sometimes, the heavy workload makes you question your very position as an OT student, and you just get stuck thinking about it. I'm not saying that I'm depressed or anxious, it's just that sometimes you need time to breathe. Whenever that happens, I just tell myself why I fell in love with OT in the first place. And breathe.

—


(￣▽￣)ノ

Hey Felix!

I could not agree with you more (ಥ_ʖಥ). I often feel the same way, if not all the time. Things always seem to be hitting us like multiple waves from out of nowhere, and we really cannot avoid these moments of doubt, questioning if the drooping bags under our eyes are really worth it (ಠ▃ಠ).

It shocked me as well to see the irony that we, Allied Med students, are frequenters of psychiatric help (ಠ~ಠ). Add that we OTs are supposed to promote occupational balance, yet we, ourselves, find it difficult to squirm our way to it.

(☉_☉)

The curriculum is no joke. Sometimes, I cannot help but think that we are balanced, not occupationally, but in being drained physically, mentally, and emotionally (⋟﹏⋞). I know that we all had our own fair share of breakdowns, and that people are getting sick left to right. But truth be told, one thing that helps me get going is you guys.



(≧∇≦)/

WEEEEEEEEEEEEE.



Amidst the sickly feeling, I see people attending class. I see students making the most out of the learning experience CAMP has to offer. I see future OTs with tear-stained cheeks, but a pen in hand, taking down notes. And I have come to realize that this helps me get through my struggles and continue with determination.


(ಥ﹏ಥ)


Now, it makes sense that our environment matters so much. Environmental press, as we OTs call it, is what we unconsciously contribute to each other. We may not notice it, but we guys help each other in more ways than one. And I could not be anymore thankful for being surrounded with a bunch like you guys despite the toxic environment.


( /＾▽＾)／
Here’s to more inevitable sleepless nights and wonderful experiences together!

Hey Leanne! Thank you for appreciating my mere presence and efforts of surviving. HAHA! Just kidding. I tend to stress out on times when I feel really tired of my schedule but I always remember our lessons about occupational balance and occupational competence, I would really motivate myself like this: "Uh-oh, you don't give up easily, my friend. You still have loads of work to do and you would not want to regret about not performing well in the future. Blah blah blah, to make everything short, YOU CAN DO THIS!"

^ That's powerful for me. Most of the time, I tend to pray for God's help and read from the Daily Bible Verse app in my phone to search for hidden messages from God. (IDK but sometimes it really has those messages that I desperately need!)

Life's a challenge and we shouldn't back down; same with what our profession does, we don't give up on people easily because we dig into mountain and dive into the deepest oceans to discover the most precious treasures, right?

Aja! We can do this!

P.S. Thank you for your Jemoticon -_- But I'm not Japanese. :p

myungderp kiddo wrote

KawJemilyn wroteHello there! It's me, Jem!

I remember when I was young, my parents let me go to bed at 9:30PM; at that time, I must finish all my assignments and reviewed my subjects for tomorrow's classes. As time passes by, 9:30PM became later and later, until now, 1:30AM seems normal to me. I thought it was just me alone because I need to balance academics and extracurricular activities, but I then discovered, most of my classmates are the same with me. The challenge for me is not getting to sleep when I feel sleepy already; I get to struggle opening my eyes wide in the middle of the night, reviewing or preparing notes for the next day. I also blame myself for getting distracted with social media, yes! I tend to scroll through my Facebook news feed when I rest in between study time (sometimes, I forgot to time myself and tada! Time wasted). Still, I try my best in controlling myself and balance my time.

I used to play piano and attend piano class during Saturdays since I was in kindergarten, it never stopped; but, as soon as I started college, especially during majors this year, I didn't get the chance to visit our music room anymore (it is located in my old school) because I need to catch up with academics, other extracurricular activities and part time job. To my friends who really know me, I am really clingy to music. Not having a chance to touch the piano makes me sad and depressed and what I do to compensate is to at least hum or sing songs everyday so that music won't feel like a stranger to me.

Although I'm deprived of some occupations that I love, I still cheer myself up because I am enjoying the subjects that we're taking for BS Occupational Therapy. Yes, the subjects are hardcore, make us lose our occupational balance, but I still believe that these will really be worth it. I'm kinda thankful for having OTion discussion room as our activity for an subject because conversing with different people makes me happy too! (Yay! You make me happy!)

Do you have some feels with what I have mentioned? Feel free to share them with me!

- Jem

ヽ( ・∀・)ノ


Hi Jem-Jem! This is Leanne, your fellow univ-mate!

Woah, just by seeing the load you carry daily, I can't help but marvel at how you could balance all of these; but then, there's always a factor that must be sacrificed, which in most of our cases, is sleep ( ಠ_ಠ). What struck me the greatest about your post was the way you found an alternative route just so you could rekindle your love for music constantly, even in the littlest of ways (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)و.

You know how Filipinos say, "kung ayaw may dahilan, kung gusto parating merong paraan," which just means that if you really like something, there are tons of ways to get it, just as much as there are excuses if you actually don't. I love how that speaks so much of OT, from the viewpoint of a student, all the way to that of a practicing clinician's. A lot of us struggle in the course of our studies. Some of us cannot help but think twice whether OT is really the profession we wish to pursue. In the end, most of us really learn to love it and all its aspects. We find ways (ಠ‿↼) to make things work, even at times when things seem to be crumbling down. As for clinicians, it is a must for them to find the best intervention, to be creative, to improvise, and to find alternatives,
just like what you did for music ♫꒰･◡･๑꒱.



(◕ฺー≦)/


There will always be drops in our journey. And it is a given that things will never be easy, especially for us OTs. But when everything isn't going our way, and when gulps of caffeine seem to be the only thing binding our stuff up
(눈_눈), we look back to the reason why we're doing all of these *sees flashbacks of Purpose and Meaning Lecture* (◎_◎



Let's keep hustlin' because we all know it's gonna be worth it.


(*・∀-)☆



P.S. these emoticons are actually called "Jemoticons" because they're supposedly "Japanese Emoticons" haha

Thank you so much, Kyla! I would consider your suggestion

kyla.rocafort wrote

etalas wroteMost of the posts already included problems related to explaining OT to other people, managing time, balancing occupations, being away from home, etc. I don’t know if I’m weird or what but I find having an occupational lens challenging. I’m not even sure if I already developed it but it feels like I already had. All I know is that with occupational lens, you perceive all (without exceptions) person’s action as a product of some other actions. To make it easier, you believe that with any action (bad or good), there is a reason behind, so you have to understand it. At first, I thought that it made me a better person since I’ll no longer be a “judger”. But as soon as I experienced it, I found it challenging. I always say to myself that understanding them is not equal to ignoring their mistakes but I always end up ignoring. I’m not always ignorant, there are times I forget wearing those ‘’occupational lens’’ and the result is my natural self, very straightforward. I always end up regretful. Maybe the reason why I find those kinds of situations challenging and quite frustrating is that I’m just a 2nd year student who is only about to take few major subjects.

Please let me know if you are also experiencing the same challenge as mine so that we can share experiences with each other.

Hi, Gale! It’s not weird at all! I sometimes find myself looking through that “occupational lens” too. I think occupational lens is something that each OT students and practitioners should possess. You’re right. It enables us to understand the occupation that holds meaning for a person whether the reason behind is negative. For example, my younger brother loves playing computer games. Of course, our mother would be furious whenever she sees my brother playing. She’ll be generalizing that all that my brother does is to play. Now, I have a special friend who loves playing computer games too. His hobby sometimes gets into my nerves, but recently, I realized that maybe playing computer and video games is something that makes my brother and friend happy. I realized that maybe, this is their way of relaxing. This is their form of play and leisure. So whenever I see my brother and friend playing video games, I automatically understand their actions. However, I see to it that I do not ignore the consequences of their actions just like when they have been playing all day already and forget their other duties and tasks. I try to help them by asking them to set a number of hours to play per day. I also remind them of the duties that they have to fulfill. I share the same experience as you, Gale. I have felt the uneasy and confusing feeling you feel whenever faced with a situation. I suggest that you list down all the factors, the pros and the cons in the situation. Be open-minded. Do not be afraid to consider the negative factors because it is only when we identify those can we truly understand and most of all, correct and improve.

I honestly admire you for carrying out the occupational lens in you. Don’t worry about you possessing this as early as second year. We will all be needing and acquiring that in the future because occupational lens is the greatest vision we can have. It is actually your advantage to attain it as early as now.