Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy is a growing but often misunderstood healthcare profession. Practitioners work alongside people experiencing both physical and mental health problems to develop solutions and help them live more fulfilling and enjoyable lives. Central to the profession is the concept of ‘occupation’ which is essentially anything you do throughout the day which is meaningful to you. Often, we don’t realise how much we value our occupations until we are no longer able to do them, or we begin to find them more challenging because of a diagnosis, injury or impairment. Let me give you a personal example: When I was six, an attempt to leap from one piece of soft play to another at a friend’s birthday party left me with a broken arm. “Lucky it’s your left!” said all the adults around me. “You’ll still be able to write at school!” In actual fact, my main worry was not whether I’d still be able to join up the letters in my name but if I’d be able to go swimming on an upcoming holiday to France. The thought of sitting at the side the pool while watching the other children whizz down the slides brought me to tears as my left arm was put in plaster. Thanks to a nurse’s insight and recommendation of an ‘AquaShield’, a reusable watertight plastic covering, I was able to swim in the sea, the pool and go on all the slides as many times as I wanted. My broken arm did not hinder me in anyway on that holiday and my ‘AquaShield’ solved all the problems.

"Practitioners work alongside people experiencing both physical and mental health problems to develop solutions and help them live more fulfilling and enjoyable lives."

Unfortunately, when people encounter barriers to good mental health or have a diagnosis of mental illness, there are no quick fixes like an ‘AquaShield’. The additional stigma surrounding the condition can also make recovery even more challenging. Poor mental health and mental illness can impact people’s occupations in a number of ways; depression can make doing ordinary household tasks seem impossible, forms of anxiety can hold someone back from leaving the house to see their friends, and the stigma associated with severe conditions can make it extremely difficult for people to make valuable contributions to their communities.

A key tenet of occupational therapy is the belief that meaningful occupation is integral to good physical and mental health. You feel good when you do things you enjoy, and you can experience frustration or sadness when something stops you from doing these things or makes them more difficult.

"A key tenet of occupational therapy is the belief that meaningful occupation is integral to good physical and mental health."

So here are some tips from an aspiring occupational therapist, which may help you keep doing the things you want or need to do, even when your mental health seems to be holding you back.

1. Do something you enjoy every day- even if it’s only for a short time. This could be watching a TV show, playing with a pet, going for a walk or chatting with a friend. Write these down each day so you can look back when you’re not feeling your best to see what positive things have happened recently.

2. Simplify the things that you are finding most challenging- do you need to do all the washing up in one go? Can you do some now and some later?

3. Set yourself some small and achievable goals. The activity and time frame is totally up to you! It could be something like challenging yourself to arrange one meet up with a friend for 30 mins in a place you feel comfortable if you’re struggling with social anxiety. Or going to a smaller shop instead of a huge supermarket for a few items of food instead of having to do one big shop which could be more stressful! As you become more confident in these challenges, you can begin to do them for longer or try going to a bigger supermarket for a few more items. Take time to enjoy the feeling of meeting your goals and even reward yourself when you do!

4. Adapt the activity to make the difficult things more enjoyable- If you dread going shopping, listen to an audiobook or music as you go around the shops, listen to music as you study or call a friend as you cook.

5. Plan things which you enjoy for the future- this is not so easy in the current climate, but these don’t have to spectacular events. It could be visiting a park, grabbing a coffee from your favourite café, cooking a new meal, trying a new takeaway or doing an online fitness class.

These are certainly not quick fixes, but I hope these suggestions could be a starting point for someone looking into improving their wellbeing. Remember it’s always important to consult your GP if your mental health problems continue to significantly impact upon your life.

If you are interested in finding out more about the benefits of occupational therapy on mental and physical health, here are some useful links.

The Royal College of Occupational Therapy https://www.rcot.co.uk/

The Occupational Therapy Hub https://www.theothub.com

Cardiff University Occupational Therapy Society https://www.facebook.com/groups/192863258199473