{"id":789,"date":"2021-06-12T07:01:00","date_gmt":"2021-06-12T14:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/otfocus.com\/?p=789"},"modified":"2023-11-11T13:44:32","modified_gmt":"2023-11-11T21:44:32","slug":"how-to-make-life-more-meaningful-with-occupational-therapy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/otfocus.com\/how-to-make-life-more-meaningful-with-occupational-therapy\/","title":{"rendered":"How to make life more meaningful with Occupational Therapy"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube\"><div class=\"lyte-wrapper fourthree\" title=\"3 OT tips to make life more meaningful\" style=\"width:420px;max-width:100%;margin:5px;\"><div class=\"lyMe\" id=\"WYL_nRAPwzUqezo\" itemprop=\"video\" itemscope itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/VideoObject\"><div><meta itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/nRAPwzUqezo\/hqdefault.jpg\" \/><meta itemprop=\"embedURL\" content=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nRAPwzUqezo\" \/><meta itemprop=\"duration\" content=\"PT12M36S\" \/><meta itemprop=\"uploadDate\" content=\"2022-01-12T08:31:02Z\" \/><\/div><div id=\"lyte_nRAPwzUqezo\" data-src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/nRAPwzUqezo\/hqdefault.jpg\" class=\"pL\"><div class=\"tC\"><div class=\"tT\" itemprop=\"name\">3 OT tips to make life more meaningful<\/div><\/div><div class=\"play\"><\/div><div class=\"ctrl\"><div class=\"Lctrl\"><\/div><div class=\"Rctrl\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><noscript><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/nRAPwzUqezo\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/nRAPwzUqezo\/0.jpg\" alt=\"3 OT tips to make life more meaningful\" width=\"420\" height=\"295\" \/><br \/>Watch this video on YouTube<\/a><\/noscript><meta itemprop=\"description\" content=\"Occupational therapy is built on the idea that meaningful activities increase physical performance. When we engage in meaningful activities we are more intrinsically driven to participate and engage in that activity. In this video, I discuss 3 ways to make life more meaningful from the perspective of an Occupational Therapist. Read the full blog post here. https:\/\/otfocus.com\/how-to-make-life-more-meaningful-with-occupational-therapy\/ 0:00 Intro 02:46 Physical 04:14 Social 08:15 Spiritual Jennifer Wickham&#039;s article on belonging. https:\/\/www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org\/hometown-health\/speaking-of-health\/is-having-a-sense-of-belonging-important The photo in this thumbnail was one of the first photographs I took of the night sky. It was pitch black, uncomfortably quiet, and a little scary. Sometimes we have to step into the darkness to find that light. My OT course https:\/\/www.udemy.com\/share\/105aSR3@N5CrVRkcI3d01O4saH1A4Q2cKKiQTfjbeHbRgn9cmE51UC9klezYjkLdBSlBEz9F\/ Have you found me on Instagram yet? Follow me to see my latest posts: https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/ot_focus\/\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"lL\" style=\"max-width:100%;width:420px;margin:5px;\"><\/div><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>As an Occupational Therapist, my job is to help others integrate meaningful activities into their daily life.&nbsp;In this article, I&#8217;ll discuss three ways we can make life more meaningful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019ve always been intrigued by astrophotography. I used to think most night sky images were composites of multiple images. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This was due to my failed attempts, lack of knowledge, and not having the right tools. It wasn\u2019t until a few years ago that I captured the photo above of the night sky in an area with low light pollution. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was pitch black and uncomfortably quiet yet peaceful. I still remember the feeling of surprise and awe to see all the stars that had been kept hidden from my eyes all those years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sometimes making life more meaningful is about going to a quiet place and leaving the pollution to find truth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With knowledge, the right tools, and real intent, our understanding becomes transformed and our eyes opened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How do we make life more meaningful<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Making life more meaningful is more than improving our physical health with the prescription of diet and exercise. We make life more meaningful by being involved in meaningful relationships, activities, and feeling hope and purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to make life more meaningful with meaningful exercise&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When we think about health, we usually think about setting goals. For example, we may set goals to change our exercise routine or improve our diet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Goals are an excellent way to measure success, but when goals aren\u2019t meaningful we may set ourselves up for failure.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Skip the Gym<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/otfocus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/How-to-make-life-more-meaningful-with-meaningful-exercise-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1032\" style=\"width:360px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/otfocus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/How-to-make-life-more-meaningful-with-meaningful-exercise-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/otfocus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/How-to-make-life-more-meaningful-with-meaningful-exercise-scaled-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/otfocus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/How-to-make-life-more-meaningful-with-meaningful-exercise-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/otfocus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/How-to-make-life-more-meaningful-with-meaningful-exercise-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/otfocus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/How-to-make-life-more-meaningful-with-meaningful-exercise-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/otfocus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/How-to-make-life-more-meaningful-with-meaningful-exercise-2048x1367.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Like most people, I&#8217;ve struggled to go to a gym most of my life. I&#8217;ve found it to be repetitious and difficult to feel engaged.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the other hand, I love being out in nature, hiking, climbing, surfing, and almost any sport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;ve found that when I engage in these meaningful activities, I&#8217;m more inclined to push my limits and work harder.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Meaningful activities increase performance&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Occupational therapy is built on the idea that meaningful activities increase physical performance.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When we engage in meaningful activities we are more intrinsically driven to participate and engage in that activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, think about the activity of running on a treadmill. For most, this activity isn&#8217;t that meaningful, but add a basketball and a goal, and the activity of running suddenly becomes more engaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;m not saying to stop going to the gym, because the gym can be a meaningful activity. I&#8217;m saying that it&#8217;s important to find what&#8217;s meaningful to you and stick with it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you love landscape photography, try exploring more hiking destinations. If you love dancing, make it a priority over going to the gym.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Meaningful activities challenge us and make us want to work harder. They also improve our mental and cognitive heath.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to make life more meaningful with relationships&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When we add the social aspect to our meaningful activity it can become even more purposeful.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, playing basketball with a group of friends is always more performance driven than individual practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are a few ways we can make relationships more meaningful:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8211; Set a physical goal with a friend or partner&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8211; Meet your neighbors&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8211; Get involved in the community&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8211; Volunteer at a local shelter&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8211; Share your knowledge with an online community<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why we need to feel that we belong?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org\/hometown-health\/speaking-of-health\/is-having-a-sense-of-belonging-important\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mayo Clinic<\/a>, having a sense of belonging can improve our mental health, self esteem, and reduce feelings of suicide and depression.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It can help us cope with stress better and give us a more positive outlook on life.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jennifer Wickham, behavioral health counselor, shares these three tips to increase feelings of belonging in children and adults:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol>\n<li>Make an effort<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Keep and teach an open mind<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Practice an attitude of acceptance<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>To learn more about this article from the Mayo Clinic click <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org\/hometown-health\/speaking-of-health\/is-having-a-sense-of-belonging-important\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Overcome conflict by letting go of fear<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Conflict can be positive or negative. When we feel fear, we become defensive, make excuses, and feel shame.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fear causes us to be the victim and blame others. This leads to contention and can cause an endless spiral of conflict.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When we let go of fear and be the first to show kindness and understanding, we begin an outward rather than inward approach to resolving conflict. This leads to collaboration.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To learn more, read this post on <a href=\"https:\/\/otfocus.com\/occupational-therapy-conflict-resolution\/\">conflict resolution<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to make life more meaningful with spirituality?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"678\" src=\"https:\/\/otfocus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Make-life-more-meaningful-with-spirituality-1024x678.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1034\" style=\"width:559px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/otfocus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Make-life-more-meaningful-with-spirituality-1024x678.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/otfocus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Make-life-more-meaningful-with-spirituality-scaled-600x398.jpg 600w, https:\/\/otfocus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Make-life-more-meaningful-with-spirituality-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/otfocus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Make-life-more-meaningful-with-spirituality-768x509.jpg 768w, https:\/\/otfocus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Make-life-more-meaningful-with-spirituality-1536x1017.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/otfocus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Make-life-more-meaningful-with-spirituality-2048x1356.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, spirituality is on the decline. Whether you&#8217;re religious or not, we all have a spiritual side, and our spiritual health is crucial to our well being.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Spirituality is part of our values and beliefs. It connects us with our life journey of who we are, where we came from, and where we are going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3 ways we can improve our spiritual health&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">#1 Begin a quest for truth<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Starting a quest for truth is at the core of who we are as human beings. It&#8217;s why we are constantly obsessed with science, our universe, and finding happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Seeking truth may include studying the religions of the world or studying our own religion more deeply. It may also include studying philosophy, culture, language, or history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">#2 Increasing personal spirituality<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>We can increase our personal spirituality with activities such as rituals, prayer, fasting, meditation, and studying spirituality.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We can make these activities more meaningful as we do them with a purpose. For example, if we pray for the sake of praying we may not see a benefit.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But if we pray with a purpose and sincere intent, the activity becomes more meaningful.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">#3 Increase spirituality with relationships<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>We can increase spiritual relationships when we are involved with our community. This might include going to a church, synagogue, buddhist temple, or other holy\/sacred site.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We can increase spirituality relationships with others as we serve them, develop an outward mindset, and understand their thoughts, needs, and wants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We can also develop spiritual relationships with others by having spiritual conversations. This may include sharing personal beliefs and looking for commonalities in these shared beliefs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The OT challenge to make life more meaningful<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re interested in making your life more meaningful, take the OT challenge.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol>\n<li>Set personal goals to make exercise more meaningful<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Set personal goals to make relationships more meaningful<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Make personal goals to make spirituality more meaningful<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Try to narrow each goal to one activity. Share your goal on the OT Focus <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/156566226354726\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">group<\/a> to get inspired and inspire others.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Conclusion&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Making life more meaningful is about living with a higher purpose. It&#8217;s about finding activities that help us perform better physically, socially, and spiritually.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When we make life more meaningful, our health improves and we contribute to the health of those around us.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I hope this article was helpful. Share ways that you make life more meaningful in the comments below.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As an Occupational Therapist, my job is to help others integrate meaningful activities into their daily life.&nbsp;In this article, I&#8217;ll discuss three ways we can make life more meaningful. I\u2019ve always been intrigued by astrophotography. I used to think most night sky images were composites of multiple images. This was due to my failed attempts, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":857,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"disabled","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/otfocus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/789"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/otfocus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/otfocus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/otfocus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/otfocus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=789"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/otfocus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/789\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/otfocus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/857"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/otfocus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=789"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/otfocus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=789"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/otfocus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=789"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}