My Mental Health and How It Led Me to OT

October 22, 2024
by Dana

Beginnings and Endings First-Gen

As an immigrant, the idea of the “American Dream” was the main path that every immigrant aimed to achieve. All my life, I was told to keep learning and going to school to achieve higher education so that I can make more money and live that “American Dream”. So, being in an Asian immigrant household, I was expected to become a doctor, lawyer, engineer, or entrepreneur of some sorts in high positions. My first time ever where I thought of a career path for myself was in middle school. Low and behold, I thought of becoming a lawyer. I had this immense confidence that I could argue anything and everything with those around me whenever I disagreed with them. However, that did not last very long when high school came along and my confidence and mental health plummeted.

High school was an interesting time, but it was also a traumatizing time for me that is buried all the way in the back of my mind. I was not given sufficient guidance nor opportunities to explore what I potentially wanted to do in the future. It was a time where academic excellence was ingrained in my mind by my parents and teachers. Excelling in classes and engaging in educational organizations were the priorities of what other people wanted for me. It took me some time to process, after the fact, that that was one of the causes of my mental downfall. In addition, a huge life event of my mom passing away during my sophomore year created even more mental turmoil. As much as I expressed what was happening to me in my high school, they wanted me to focus on strengthening my college applications with grades, standardized tests, and personal development. Ironic because the only personal development my high school allowed was to develop our academic skills. With no guidance there, I fought to find my own path.

Getting past the grief of my mom being gone was what felt like the longest mental journey of my life. However, her passing sparked my love for healthcare. There were some things I wished the healthcare system could have done for her to increase her quality of life by maintaining her independence and promoting occupations in which she could still engage in. Watching her lose all her ability to do things for herself was difficult as a teenager because I had seen her do almost everything for our family. Because my high school wasn’t helping me explore career paths, I took it upon myself to research healthcare professions that aligned with my values and goals of helping people with terminal conditions have some independence and internal satisfaction with what they can do while they are still alive. With extensive research, I came across Occupational Therapy.

I didn’t follow the traditional path that was expected of me, but I found something better: a career that aligns with my values, one where I can help others maintain their dignity and independence, just as I once wished for my mom. Occupational Therapy became more than just a profession — it became a way for me to honor her, and in some ways, to heal myself.

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