Remembering why you started

Lately I have felt so flat, deflated and demotivated with university and my degree. I was having some personal struggles on placement related to lack of confidence in myself and anxiety. It led me to question can I do this? Can I get through these placements and can I get through this degree? But then I realised, through all the chaos going on in the world, personal life stresses, the stress of uni altogether, I had lost sight of why I started. Why did I go to uni? Why did I wanna be an Occupational Therapist? In order to reconnect with this, wrote it out, and here it is!

Just a lil definition for anyone who does not know what Occupational Therapy is: “OTs treat injured, ill or disabled patients through the therapeutic use of everyday activities (occupations). They help patients develop, recover, improve as well as maintain the skills needed for daily living and fulfilment in meaningful occupations”

Why I do I want to be an OT

· I have always wanted a career where I feel I can make a positive impact on people’s lives

· I have passion for wanting to help others.

· I feel I have the skills and potential to go far as an OT – I can envision the type of therapist I want to be and the impact this would have.

· I enjoy meeting and talking to people from all walks of life – it’s very holistic and every patient is different.

· I enjoy learning and understanding what may or may not motivate others

· It’s a broad career with lots of different areas to work in and explore.

So why am I sharing this with you all. Because as I stated above, its so easy to lose touch of your passions. Life, particularly at the moment, feels like we’re in limbo. The world feels very unusual and that will obviously have an impact on you, how you think and how you feel.

Now that I have written out why I want to be an OT, I can always look back on this and I will aim to write this down whenever I start something new. So that whenever I feel demotivated, I can look back and remember why I started in the first place. It may be the motivation and reminder you need to keep going!

And it can work the other way too! If you look back on why you started something and you know longer feel the same, it could help you identify when it’s time for a change. We’re human, we’re allowed to change our minds, and how we think and feel changes all the time. Sometimes we hold on to things for too long when deep down we know we’ve had a change of heart. I feel like this is a great way to help you identify this too.

There's only one Tyra Top Tip from me today:

· Write your thoughts, feelings and goals down. Date it and keep so that you can look back on and reflect. You will notice your mindset and way of thinking has changed more than you probably think over what may seem like a sort period of time and I think it’s always important to recognise change and personal growth. Self-reflection and recognition are so important in order to stay in tune with yourself!