Student Blog
Life Hacks

Staying Active on Campus ⟩
October 30, 2019, by Kevin

Life Hacks

During my first year here at USC, I lost touch with my love for fitness and staying active. Over the course of the year, I tended to prioritize my studies and other extracurricular activities over my physical fitness. Soon after taking on this more sedentary lifestyle I noticed that my mood had decreased and my stress levels had increased so I decided to make a change. Over the summer, I took advantage of the extra time I had after fieldwork to make small changes to my diet and fitness. After several weeks of making small lifestyle adjustments, I was back in the swing of physical activity and nutritious eating. As the next academic year approached I began thinking about ways I can stay active even when on campus and here are some of my favorite ideas:

• Take a walk during class breaks
  Many of my peers choose to take walks during breaks from class and there are many reasons to do so. Not only do you get some light physical activity, but the exposure to sunlight and the beautiful campus gardens allows me to recharge and focus when I come back to class.
• Stop at the HSC Fitness Center
  As long as you are a registered student with at least 1 unit, you will have free access to the HSC fitness center Monday-Friday 6:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. and Saturday 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. You can easily get a quick workout in before or after classes utilizing this close to campus gym!
• Do something active at lunch
  My favorite of these three options is to plan to do something active during our lunch breaks. About twice a month, I play a Frisbee game called KanJam with several of my friends from the Chan Division. The grassy area outside quench is the perfect spot to set-up a quick pick-up game and have some fun while getting some exercise.

Since implementing these small changes in my daily routine, I have experienced many benefits far beyond improving my mood and stress levels. I found that after exercising I have more energy in class and throughout my day. Additionally, I have gained new friends on my daily walks during class breaks and through playing exciting games of KanJam!

If you have any other ideas I didn’t mention or would like to join-in on any of these activities, I would love to hear from you in the comment section below!

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My Community, My Family ⟩
October 22, 2019, by Catherine

Life Hacks

It’s that time of the year, midterms, and most of you (MAII second years) are at your full week of fieldwork. During this first semester of the OTD, these milestones of the curriculum don’t resonate as strongly, as we are out in the wild, practicing, most of us in class for only one day of the week. While there is a sense of relief that the stress of midterm tests and assignments are no longer at the top of my list of worries, there was always a sense of comradery that I was able to share with my cohort along the way (shout out to my Cohort B!). Like the poem goes, “We’re all in this together.”

It’s also that time of year of pumpkin spice, and everything nice. Halloween is just around the corner, and then it will Thanksgiving, and so on. You get the picture. It’s the beginning of the time of the year where family, friends, and loved ones can share experiences, occupations and make stories. While I love my family, and miss my friends back home, I’m grateful to have a family here at Chan that I have shared and continue to share these moments with.

The truth is, during residency, you won’t have the luxury of seeing your cohort every day. You won’t be sharing these experiences together as a group. This is, unless you have a co-resident at your practice setting. But what you will have, is your Community of Practice. In the OT 620 class, that you enroll in the first semester of the program, you can expect to be placed into groups of peers/colleagues that share a commonality of practice area. Through my weekly check-ins with my CoP, we are able to mutually support each other through discussions, debrief and resource sharing, specific to our practice area. We even have a journal club!

So while I may not have my entire cohort, I now have my Community of Practice. My family, my support system, and together we got each other’s back. So my little take away I hope to share through this post is to cherish the cohort you have today, and look forward to your Community of Practice in the future.

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Fight On for Mental Health! ⟩
October 21, 2019, by Japeth

Life Hacks What are OS/OT?

Among all the months in a year, my most favorite is October. Aside from it being my birthday month, it is also a time for advocates of mental health to further raise awareness about it. Advocating for mental health is not easy, and sometimes it even feels like an uphill climb. For some, it is an issue that can be disregarded easily and for others, it can be very debilitating. For me, our mental health is just as important as our physical health and we owe it to ourselves to take care of it.

Last 2017, I joined a mental health awareness event at a hospital where I was doing my internship. We did some Tai Chi techniques and our leader talked about the effects of Tai Chi on relaxation. Last year, I became active in attending mental health talks and meetings together with some doctors and government officials. This year, to celebrate mental health awareness month, my friends and I decided to watch a movie: Joker.

My take on the movie:
(I am not a film critic; I am just using my OT lens!)

Producing a movie about mental health is a tough thing to do, since not everyone may appreciate it. However, kudos to the whole production team for a well portrayed movie. Joker, the character in the story, went through so much since he was young. Growing up, life was very tough for him. He did not have a good social support and his work environment was also very unsupportive and unhealthy. Moreover, society in general was kind of judgmental towards him and was not very accommodating to his needs. On the other hand, one thing I personally did not like about the movie was the part that the character started to fight back by being extra aggressive.

Moving away from the movie and talking about my own thoughts:

Mental health issues may stem from different sources — some may develop due to childhood trauma, stress and overwork, some may be genetically predisposed, et cetera. Having mental health issues is not wrong and it needs professional help from the right individuals. And we, occupational therapists, have a huge role in mental health practice. If we all move forward together, we can advance our role and collectively, we can help bring change in society.

The rise of mental health issues is growing dramatically over the years, but our response as a community is not at par with its rise, yet. However, knowing that a lot of people are becoming more active in advocating for it, I feel that we are not too far from a world that is more inclusive despite of mental health issues.

Please note that the views expressed in this blog post are the opinion of the student and in no way represent an official position of USC Chan.

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Challenge Accepted ⟩
October 17, 2019, by Kaho

Life Hacks

Growing up, I did a lot of individual sports. I ran my first 10k when I was five and from there, I participated in cross country, track, and swimming throughout my school years. I would get so much anxiety the night before a race that I often would not be able to sleep and it felt like my heart would literally flutter out of my chest. Nervous thoughts would flood my brain like, “Am I ready?” “Have I trained enough?” “What if I finish last?” “What if I don’t finish at all?” My mom, who is also an experienced athlete, would sit me down before each race and give me a little pep talk to calm my nerves. She would say various things each time, but one phrase that she repeatedly included and therefore stuck with me is, “無理やと思ってからが本当の勝負” For all of my non-Japanese speaking readers out there, it roughly translates to, “The real battle begins after you think you’ve reached your limit.” This sentence has become so engraved into me that I still hear my mom’s voice in my head every time I’m challenged or stressed to the point that I think I can’t/don’t want to try any further. It has translated over from sports to all aspects of my life and has become my life motto. It has truly helped me throughout numerous stages of my life. (Side note: it’s my mom’s milestone birthday on Monday, so quick shout out to her 🎉 )

I’ve learned that whenever I think I’ve reached my limit, how far I’m able to push myself from that point after is the real test in my strength and character. It has helped me to reframe stressful, sometimes seemingly hopeless situations. When I feel tempted to give up, I pause, reflect, and reset my thoughts. I think, “Okay, I’ve made it to the edge of familiar grounds. This is where things get interesting and exciting because I’m now entering new territory. This is only the beginning of a new self-improvement opportunity.” Think of it this way: you’re playing a video game and you lose a life at level 15. It makes you start back at level 1, but this time, level 1-15 is a piece of cake because you’ve already experienced those levels. No acquirement of a new skill happens here. When you reach level 15 again, you feel a little adrenaline because this was where you fell last time. You’re about to enter a level that you have yet to successfully overcome. This time, you’re able to conquer the challenge and move on to level 16, then level 17. Your limit is now level 17 and you’ve pushed yourself further than what you were familiar with or could tolerate before. How I see it, it’s the same with life. Each time you push yourself past your perceived breaking point, your capacity grows that much more.

Every day, we’re faced with new challenges and I completely understand that it all becomes too overwhelming sometimes. However, something as simple as reframing your thoughts can switch up your mood and give you the courage to keep advancing. Next time you’re faced with a situation that makes you want to give up, try taking a different perspective and get excited! It’s an opportunity to grow and become an even better version of yourself. I don’t know who or if anyone needs to hear this right now, but you’re much more capable than you may think. Fight On!

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It’s Interview Season! ⟩
October 8, 2019, by Catherine

Admissions Life Hacks

Hello everyone!  I hope you are all enjoying the beginning of the fall season.  Along with pumpkin spice, and everything nice, the Chan residency interviews have begun.  It thought it might be helpful for share some interview tips.  Remember, interviewing for a residency is like interviewing for a job, and these tips can save to apply to when you interview at external residencies later on as well.

• Dress for success, and strike pose.  I know you’ve heard it a million times, but I will say it again for good measure.  While you don’t need to go outside of your means to purchase an entire new outfit, it really does make a difference when you dress for the position you want.  Not only does it reflect a level a respect and professionalism, it can be helpful to get you into “the zone”. What also helps is to do a power pose.  Take 5 minutes to do a power pose before going into your interview to level up on your confidence.
• Prepare an elevator speech.  You’ve written countless ones of how you will describe occupational therapy, but it’s also good to have one about yourself.  Writing an elevator speech about why you want the residency you’re applying for will not only have a handy go to answer if you are asked this question, but it will give you an opportunity to identity your strengths!
• Practice talking about yourself.  If you’re like me, and feel uncomfortable talking about yourself under pressure, practicing talking about yourself can be really helpful.  Find a safe space with someone you feel comfortable and do a “mock interview”.  This can get your interview jitters out and help you feel more prepared on the big day.
• Write yourself a LTG. I mentioned this in a previous post, but setting a clear goal for what you want to achieve during your residency will help anchor your talking points.  This will especially come in handy if you get a question you weren’t prepared to answer.  Just tie it back to your goal(s).
• Be yourself!  While sometimes it may seem like there is a “right answer” to an interview question, it’s always best to be true to yourself.  One of the goals of an interview is find a good fit between the candidate and the residency site.  Trust the process and be yourself.

Remember, take a deep breath, count to ten, use whatever relaxation strategy works for you, because you got this! Fight on!!

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