Blog 10

 When looking back at the beginning of my new occupation I begin to realize how much has changed in this short amount of time. I chose bowling as my occupation to be able to practice an occupation that I had previously disliked in my childhood. I did this to challenge myself in a way that I normally would not. I am so glad I did this. Through this experience, my thoughts towards bowling have completely shifted. Now instead of it being an activity I dislike and purposely avoid it is something I have found joy in doing.

This week for my occupation I had the opportunity to bowl in my hometown bowling alley. I have not been to this bowling alley since my 6th grade P.E. class. The building has not changed at all. They still have the paper scoring with a projector to show your score above you. The last time I bowled here bowling was something I dreaded. This time I was actually able to enjoy the experience because of the different perspective I have adapted to when it comes to the game. 

Being a first-year grad student has challenged me in many ways. A big part of being in grad school is simply scheduling and finding time to do all the things that need to get done. When it comes to the experience with my new occupation I feel like I have surprisingly been able to balance both the occupation and school well. I think I was able to do this because I simply set a plausible goal of going bowling once a week. If I were to have picked an occupation that required participation multiple days a week I do not think I would have found balance as easy. At the beginning of the semester, I did find it easier to go bowling during the week, but as the semester went on and tests and papers were due I found this harder. I found that on weeks when big assignments were due, it was easier for me to focus on school during the week and my occupation on the weekend. While there have been weeks where it was hard for me to find time to bowl for the most part my new occupation has been a way to debrief outside of school. Most importantly I have learned the importance of participating in occupations outside of school and allowing myself to enjoy these occupations without thinking about my next assignment. 

   

Blog 9: Occupational Balance

     When thinking about a time in my life when I experienced occupational balance I actually think back to the very beginning of covid. While the rest of the world probably felt an occupational imbalance, it was the first time in a long time that I felt balanced. During this time I wasn't playing a sport, so all I had to do was go to work and do my online school. This left me way more time for the recreational occupations I wanted to do. I used this time to do things I hadn't had time to do in a while like hammocking, hiking, fishing, etc. 

    Since starting graduate school, I am not sure that I have experienced occupational balance yet. My everyday schedule consists of school and work. I think right now I truly only make time to eat once in a while. I have implemented scheduling out my day better to try and create occupational balance. This has helped, but I need to stick with it better to see true results. 

    I think my participation in my occupation this week truly fits within the concept of occupational balance. This week I brought along four of my cohort members to bowl as well. After a tough week with our big tests and essays, I think taking a break to participate in a co-occupation was needed. It was a lot of fun for all of us to be able to hang out outside of school. I personally felt like it was an occupation where I was able to just relax and have fun. This goes to show how important occupational balance is. 

   As far as how bowling went we all did really well. The first game was a bit rough for everyone, but we just considered this to be our "warmup." The second game was a lot better and every person was able to improve their score from the first game. Overall, it was a lot of fun to include some of my classmates in my occupation and truly be able to take a break to experience occupational balance.