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In the article for this week, Cantor and Sandborn (1999) talk about resources and how they enable us to participate in meaningful activities. These resources are more than just temporal; they include personal and social resources as well. Personal resources are traits, characteristics, health, and strategies we have and use to our advantage (or disadvantage) and can be directly related to our participation and well-being. Social resources are things like friends, family, and other support groups we surround ourselves with. And then there are the temporal or material resources like income or status.
Thinking about resources has really made me reflect on just how blessed I have been in my life. I have not gone without in any of these categories. In fact, I think I have received much more than I deserve. I have always had access to the best life participation I could ask for, and I have my parents to thank for that. From loving care, to t-ball, to soccer, to daddy-daughter dates, to band lessons, to religion, to homeschooling, to friends and social life, to piano lessons, to medical care, to my college education... I have just simply had the best. And maybe not everyone sees it that way, but for me specifically, I wouldn't have it any other way. I feel like I have had the best.
In all of these things, my personal resources give me the enthusiasm to try new things, determination to continue and do well even if it was hard, the ability to make friends easily, and the coping skills for when I feel defeated. My social resources have provided and continue to provide incontestable support and encouragement for all of my endeavors. My family and friends give much needed advice, shoulders to cry on, stress relieving laughter and peace, the comfort of being cared for, fulfill my desire to be there for others, and so much more. Although at times I've totally owned the title "starving college student," material resources have rarely been lacking throughout my life. My needs have always been met, as well as many of my wants. I grew up in a lovely home that my dad worked hard to build, my parents always made sure I had decent things to wear (even if my clothes were often homemade, given to us, or from the thrift store), ate well, could afford piano lessons as well as a beautiful baby grand for us to play, had reliable transportation to take us places, made sure to provide good education and book shelves which lined the walls filled with countless number of books to read, and participated in activities that unified our family and helped us make good friends, as well activities which helped us recognize our interests, our strengths, and our weaknesses.
I really could not ask for a better life. Now, as I continue through grad school and some of the other "messy" parts of my life, I really question if I'm good enough. Have I set my goals too high and overestimated what I am capable of? Have I set myself up to fail?
One time, when I was little, I accidentally flushed my swim suit down the toilet. Don't ask me how cause I don't remember. It just happened. I remember standing there watching it go around in circles before getting sucked into the piping, panicking because I didn't know what to do and it was all happening so fast. That's sort of how I feel about my life participation right now. I'm watching it spin quickly in circles and on it's way to a never ending and particularly unappealing abyss. I stood there for a while after the swim suit was gone, not really knowing what to do and wondering if I should even tell my mom. Well, I did, and luckily the swim suit hadn't gotten too far. Being the genius that most mothers are, she got a wire hanger, untwisted it, and went fishing. She was eventually able to snag the swim suit, pull it out of the piping and take it straight to the garbage. I was never to wear the swim suit ever again. This is where my resources come in. No matter the panic I feel and sometimes display, and although my life participation may swirl away till I can no longer see it and it seems that all hope is gone, it's still within reach. And if I take responsibility and seek for help when I need it (personal resource-knowing to go to Mom), accept ideas and comfort from others (social support-Mom), and get creative with the tools I already have (material resource-wire hanger), I just might come out OK. In this case, the swim suit got thrown away because it went down a toilet. But in the case of life, I'm hoping I come out for the better, and the resources available to me give me ever reason to do so. I just have to remember to count my blessings, not my problems. Remember that I am on the right track and have the determination to keep on going. Remember that amazing people stand beside me, and they won't let me fall. Remember that my needs are met and I will be just fine. And even though some days, the only reason to believe I'll come out alive is that no one has died yet, I'll remember that I knew at one point that I could do this, and that hasn't changed. I will be an awesome occupational therapist. Just you wait and see.
Yours Truly
Resources
Cantor, N., & Sanderson, C. A. (1999). Life task participation and well-being: The importance of taking part in daily life. In D. Kahneman, E. Deiner, & N. Schwarts (Eds.) Well-being: The foundations of hedonic psychology (pp. 230-243). New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation.
Hannah! I really liked your comparison of this semester to a monster - I laughed out loud. How does your perspective on resources help you understand where your potential patients are coming from?
ReplyDeleteI guess if a patient feels at a loss for resources, it may be a good approach to help them find ways to create those resources. Along with that, if they already have one of the resources, capitalize on that. I think as long as we're helping clients to do what they love to do, the resources will fall into place whether they realize it or not.
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