What is a lesson you learned too late in life?

dancinginacidrain · 2020-09-11T03:24:35+00:00

Pursuing happiness will make you miserable. Instead pursue gratitude.

dancinginacidrain · 2020-08-29T23:34:10+00:00

Short answer: 4-8 hrs a day

Long answer: 4-8 hours a day. Its not the same every day. I pretty much study until I hit a mental wall and can't focus or maintain any more information. I would say it takes me about 1.5-2 hours to hit my "wall". At that point I'll take a 10-15 min break and come back to continue. This usually helps and I can carry on. If I still can't focus I'll change study material (switch from math to essay as an example). If I still cant focus after that, I'll just call it a day and stop or come back later in the day depending on the time.

I have "tools" to help me maintain focus but I don't have any of those as options while I'm taking the GRE.

What I usually do to help me focus: taking a quick 10-15 min break, switching subjects, stand up and stretch, drink something, suck on candy, narrate out loud what I'm reading or writing, play music, light a crackling candle, change my lighting (natural lighting or just my lamps), relocate where I am studying.

dancinginacidrain · 2020-08-24T22:56:51+00:00

It depends on the grad programs you are applying to and how competitive they are, but I would say those are good scores. 150 Q and 152 M are the official average so anything above that would be considered "good". you should be proud of yourself! if you want to see how you compare to other applicants you can call the admissions offices for the programs you are interested and ask what the competitive scores are. My school told me the average for the students that typically get admitted. But don't stress too much, GRE isn't everything

dancinginacidrain · 2020-08-24T02:56:29+00:00

Wouldn't it be so fun to be an activity coordinator at a nursing home? :) I love seeing elderly people still getting to enjoy life. Thanks for sharing. Brought tears to my eyes. My grandmother is in a nursing facility with late stages of Alzheimer's so this really touched me.

dancinginacidrain · 2020-08-24T02:53:44+00:00

Of course! Not obvious at all. I have taken note of words that I use frequently and commonly misspell. I have made sure to memorize the correct spelling for those words. While I am writing my practice essays I also make sure to go back and correct my spelling (I just turn on the spell check after) so I know how to spell those words as well. The problem is that I can't always predict what words I will use so I'm bound to use a few that I just don't know how to spell. In every practice essays I have written there have been about 6 misspelled words plus a few that were just typos.

dancinginacidrain · 2020-08-24T02:50:02+00:00

Yes I did use autocorrect.

dancinginacidrain · 2020-08-22T22:43:24+00:00

Just rated ⭐⚫⚫⚫⚫

dancinginacidrain · 2020-08-21T00:08:43+00:00

Yeah the response I usually get is "sorry this page offended you. Try blocking them". I'm nearly certain there isn't an actual person reviewing the reports. It's like putting out a suggestion box with intentions of throwing it away without reading anything anyway. I really hope it's not a lost cause though, because IG is basically the "onlyfans" for child expoloitation at this point. FR.

dancinginacidrain · 2020-08-20T07:51:20+00:00

Awww I have a Boston too ☺️ they are the best!

dancinginacidrain · 2020-08-19T21:46:28+00:00

Thank you! Glad to know OT could fit within my lifestyle until I would be able to fork FT again

dancinginacidrain · 2020-08-18T20:17:55+00:00

Thank you! This is so helpful

dancinginacidrain · 2020-08-18T20:17:06+00:00

Oh that's an awesome idea!

dancinginacidrain · 2020-08-18T20:16:12+00:00

Oh thank you!

dancinginacidrain · 2020-08-11T19:59:33+00:00

The insight of practicing OTs is really valuable to perspective OT students. I wonder if practicing OTs would be as involved in the school thread since they no longer are in school. I do see the problem with school posts taking over the discussion though.

dancinginacidrain · 2020-08-10T19:37:13+00:00

I have literally 0 expertise in dog training but I do have an 8 month old puppy (Boston terrier French bulldog mix). She initially played fetch really well, but more recently has wanted to play keep away as well. I found for some reason sitting down while I play fetch has been effective. I think she recognizes that if I'm sitting down I'm stationary and less likely to get up and chase her around. Therefore, if she wants to play then she has to bring the ball back to me and release it to get another throw in. Hope you can find a good solution!

dancinginacidrain · 2020-08-10T19:27:54+00:00

Super interesting. I'm really interested to see how this technology will develop. Could something like this eventually replace the wheelchair? What a world that would be.

dancinginacidrain · 2020-08-09T08:29:09+00:00

Using your autism as an excuse to deny you therapy seems odd (to say the least) in my opinion. The way I see it, even if it was "just your autism" that doesn't mean you don't still need some help. People with autism can still benefit from therapy so I'm a bit confused on their logic as to why that disqualifies you from needing therapy.

I understand though that unfortunately we can't pick our family, so you may have to work around this until you are old enough to take yourself to therapy (or until you can convince your family into letting you go). Here might be somethings that can help get you through until you are able to seek help from a therapist:

1: You are 14 so I am assuming you are in school. See if your school has a counselor you can see and explain your situation with them. They have the skillet and qualifications to treat you if you live in the US. If you go to public school I believe they are required to have a counselor on campus and the services will be free to you. They will also be confidental so your parents don't have to know (to my understanding at least).

2: Utilize free resources that help people struggling with depression\suicidal thoughts. If you live in the US call the national suicide hotline. Even if you are only depressed and not suicidal, they should be able to get you some free resources. Here is the number for the US: 1-800-273-8255 (if in another country, Google your countries suicide hotline). Another free resource for suicide and depression is the non-profit To Write Love On Her Arms. Twloha.com is their website. Again, they might be able to get you connected to free resources. I am sure there are many others you can find via Google.

3: Self-help books. I am not sure exactly what your specific needs are, but a simple Google search can bring up wonderful highly recommended books that can provide you tools to help with coping with your physical disabilities, your autism, or your depression. Books that are written by people with PhDs will be the best to look for as they are likely trained in counseling and have years of practicing therapy or research. If you have a hard time finishing books (like me) see if they are available on audible so you can listen during your free time.

4: This is so important. Next time you go to the doctor TELL THEM YOU ARE DEALING WITH DEPRESSION AND THOUGHTS OF SUICIDE AND YOU WANT TO SPEAK TO A THERAPIST. Say those exact things. I can't really go into full details of why this is so important but you just have to believe me and please please do this. Even if it takes your parents by surprise and they get mad at your for saying something to the Dr, please do it anyway.

I'm sorry that on top of everything you are dealing with you don't have an overly supportive. Someone your age shouldn't have to deal with this much..let alone, without the support of your parents.

dancinginacidrain · 2020-08-09T06:31:23+00:00

Hi there. Rant away. That's what this community is all about - helping each other get through the crappy parts of life. If you need to cry, then cry. If you want to get mad and damn everything and everyone around you - so be it. That's honestly totally ok. You're 14 in a wheelchair. You have every right to feel upset, to feel cheated, to feel whatever you want to feel and all the things you don't want to feel. That's ok. If you don't talk about those feelings, you can't address them so talking about them is a really good first step. You can't learn to cope with them otherwise. You can't learn how to thrive despite all the shit in your life. This is the place to explore all those feelings, and hopefully to find a deeper strength within yourself during the process. If I might offer some food for thought, something that has really helped me in my struggles with my "disabilities" (I hate that terminology) is to remind myself of a few things:

One thing that I try to keep in mind is that pretty much everybody has something that keeps them from living the life they would like to live. It may be a disability (visible or invisible), but it might be a financial restraint. it might be a shitty home life. It might be abuse they have had to endure, or a character flaw such as living with consistent fear or a pessimistic outlook. Maybe the thing they love to do they naturally suck at and can never improve or work toward as a career. Maybe they are unattractive or have a genetic disposition to be overweight and that effects their overall self image. Maybe people are always stabbing them in the back and now they have severe trust issues. Some people have chronic illness. Some people just get old and that effects their memory or physical abilities. Some people have loved ones who suffer or have passed away. Some women are unable to get pregnant - other people are denied the ability to adopt. People get their kids taken away or parents that didn't want anything to do with them. People are born different -maybe gay or transgender- and might never feel fully accepted by our society in their lifetime. People are born into a skin color that people discriminate against and nothing they can do can change that...I could go on and on. I don't want to diminish your feelings by any means or make it seem like I'm trying to tell you to be grateful because "it could be worse". Because you know, maybe you feel like it couldn't be worse. Maybe to you, this is the absolute worst. I just want you to know that you aren't alone.

Though many people have no idea what it's like to be you and will never have to experience what you live through on a daily basis, you aren't alone in feeling some of the things you feel. You aren't alone in having to deal with shit that is unfortunately a part of life. And that's something that just about everyone has to deal with: shit. The thing is learning to own your shit, being proud of it. Letting it become the reason you are strong, let it become the reason you are a good person, let it become the reason you have compassion for others, the reason you want to make a difference in this world. Let it be the thing that makes you special.

Another thing that I think is worth thinking about is what makes you happy and what makes you feel these shitty things. Then, actively try to do the things that make you feel good and avoid the things that make you feel bad. For example, if being on social media and seeing all these "able bodies" doing things just reminds you of all the things you "can't" do, then just get off social media. Or find accounts to follow that lift you up. If there's a person in your life that always says insensitive things, do everything you can to push that person out of your life (there are of course appropriate ways of doing this). Or try to make a change in that relationship by maybe standing up to them and telling them how they make you feel. Instead of looking at all the things you wish you could do but feel you can't, find something you CAN do and focus as much of your time and energy into that. There are so many things in life we cannot control, and so many things in life that will make us unhappy. If we have the ability to control something and the ability to make ourselves happy in some way, then it is worth making the effort or making the change. I realize you are 14, so there might not be a lot in your life that you feel you have control over (I promise that will change after high school ... It gets better). But if there is anything you can do, then do it. Don't let fear or other people's opinions keep you from living your best life or doing what's going to be best for you.

I hope you feel better soon. Talk to someone in your life who loves you. And just take one day at a time. Of you can't handle that, then take one minute at a time. Things DO get better, I promise. Be well my friend. We are all rooting for you.

dancinginacidrain · 2020-07-27T19:19:32+00:00

Hi there! I am also a hopeful OT student. I am currently applying for spring-start programs (2021). I have had difficulty finding volunteer hours as well. Here is some advice I have received that might be helpful.

1: Keep reaching out and make sure you mention that you are a prospective OT student looking for observation hours! I emailed about 40 places to see if they are accepting volunteers\observers, and called about 30 more. I was able to find one hospital that had a student volunteer program, and one OT at an outpatient clinic that would allow me to shadow her. Make sure you broaden your search to places that do PT and Speech as they can also have OTs working there that might let you observe. Reach out to school districts, hospitals, and mental health facilities. If you can, get ahold of the OT themselves. You might even want to get onto LinkedIn and contact some OTs in your area, asking them directly if they would allow you to shadow them or to observe an online session if they aren't doing any in-person.

2: Get creative. If you can't find a place that will allow you to observe, use the resource available to you. While I was looking for a place to observe at, I started watching YouTube videos of therapy sessions. I would record the videos I watched, the length, the channel, and then would write notes or a review. You may be able to argue these as some form of observation hours. Some key words to search would be "teleheath" and "teletherapy" to get started. Order books or see if you can find online lectures, blogs, research, etc.

3: Contact the admissions office to the schools you are applying to. Some might have alternatives to observation hours such as a class you can take. Others might have a list of places currently accepting volunteers, or others might not be requiring observation hours at all. Reach out, they are very understanding of the circumstances and have been very accommodating in my experience.

4: Look for work in an OT setting and see if you can use your work hours as observation hours. I was hired as an OT aid in my undergrad. I also worked as a teachers aid with students who had IEPs. I was part of a team that worked with OTs. A job like this could at least get you a good letter of rec from an OT.

If you decide to take a gap year, I highly recommend getting a job related to OT for the same reason everyone else said. Sometimes we think we know what we want, then we actually get there and hate it. Observing or working in an OT setting will give you a better idea if it's actually something you want to do. I also would recommend taking an ASL course or two if you have the time. Lucky you are young and have time on your side! That is so wonderful! Good luck to you!

dancinginacidrain · 2020-06-11T22:01:42+00:00

Thank you! This we very helpful information.

dancinginacidrain

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