What makes you, you? When someone asks you who you are, what do you say? Do you lead with your profession? Do you describe your hobbies or values? Do you respond by stating who you are to other people? Do you stare blankly and ask, “What do you mean?” None of these answers are wrong. Just something to think about.
Let’s get this out of the way, first. The “occupation” in occupational therapy does not mean job.
Occupations refer to everyday activities that people do as individuals, in families and with communities to occupy time and bring meaning and purpose to life. These include things people need to do, want to do, or are expected to do.
For example, every day I need to take medication, I need to eat something, I need to drink water, and I need to sleep. Basic needs fall under this category. Unfortunately, basic needs are not always met for some due to environmental, mental, or physical limitations. According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, nothing can be done until basic needs are met first.
For me, the things I am expected to do or “have to” do are go to work, do my laundry, clean my house, pay my bills, walk and feed my dog, grocery shop, budget my money, etc. Productive tasks fall under this category. Some people enjoy these tasks and some people hate them. Some people find value in these tasks and some people wish someone else could do these for them. Either way, we all have things we “have to” do. Yours may be different than mine.
Now let’s get to the “want to’s”. These are the things that improve your quality of life. Unfortunately, these don’t get attention if our “have to’s” or “need to’s” aren’t met. Or, these may get too much attention, leaving our “have to’s” or “need to’s” malnourished and starving for attention.
For me, the things I “want to” do include traveling and exploring new places. I want to paint, write, and create. I want to try new activities and connect with others socially. I want to move my body by dancing or hiking or exercising. I want to spend a day by a body of water listening to music and eating delicious food with those that I love. Wants are the things that we value, love, and appreciate. Wants are things we enjoy doing. Play falls under this category. Yes, just like children, adults need play, too.
Sometimes, wants are hard to identify. Ever had a hard time identifying your “purpose”? We often don’t let ourselves tap into our wants because we are too overwhelmed with our “have to’s” or “need to’s”. I always tell people to think back to childhood and what they liked to do then. For some reason, this works. In my clinical experience, I have found that even individuals who have experienced significant trauma (homelessness, abuse, neglect, etc.) as children can still identify at least one thing they enjoyed or gravitated towards as a kid. We can start there.
Looking at the need-to’s, have to’s, and want-to’s, each of us will find a varying list of activities or “occupations” that we fill our time doing.
The things we spend our time doing are the things that make us who we are. If we neglect any one of the above categories or we fail to meet our need-to’s, have-to’s, and want-to’s, we are going to feel an imbalance.
Occupational imbalance is when the activities in one’s life does not meet the physiological, psychological, or social needs that are healthful or satisfactory to the individual.
A fully functioning human even struggles to find balance in life. Add in mental, environmental, or physical limitations, one is at an even larger disadvantage. Occupational therapists help teach the skills needed to get back to doing the things you need to do, have to do, and want to do. Occupational therapists are experts in task analysis, meaning we can quickly break down any activity and understand the physical, cognitive, social, and other processes that it takes to complete it. Occupational therapists help identify the barriers holding you back and assist with implementing the strategies to improve engagement in your daily occupations.
It’s easiest for me to explain this first by describing a physical barrier. For example, one may have difficultly using the muscles on one side of their body after a stroke, impacting their independence in functional tasks. They may require assistance re-learning how to get dressed. Occupational therapists teach compensatory strategies (tools that aid in completing the task or teach alternative methods) or environmental modifications (altering clothing, changing positioning of the body) to improve independence in the task.
With mental health, it’s not your physical muscles that aren’t working. Rather, the focus is on the internal or external barriers preventing you from doing the things you need to, have to, and want to do.
For example, with depression comes low mood, low motivation, and increased fatigue. These are symptoms that will impact your ability to function in every day life. Occupational therapists address mental health in the same way:
1. Understanding uniquely what it is you need to do, want to do, and are expected to do
2. Identifying what barriers are getting in the way.
3. Implementing strategies that will improve engagement.
Do you have a hard time identifying activities that you need to do, want to do, or are expected to do? If you can identify them, are you doing them regularly? If not, do you know what’s getting in the way of doing them? If you know the problem, can you figure out the solution? If you know the solution, are you able to outline a plan to get there? If you have a plan, are you actively using it? Whatever stage you’re at, I’m here to meet you there and work at your pace to get to the next stage.
Occupational therapists use meaningful and functional treatment activities to teach you the skills you need to help you live a full, independent, and meaningful life, whatever that looks like for you. Our treatment is individualized, client-centered, and creative. This isn’t talk-based therapy. This is doing.
Interested in learning more or finding out if Knick KnOTs is for you? Schedule a FREE consultation.
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