Student Blog
Life Hacks

I Am Thankful ⟩
November 13, 2013, by Jen

Community Life Hacks

With Thanksgiving only one week away, I cannot help but think about all I have to be thankful for. I am thankful for the intelligent and caring faculty that is supporting me throughout my education at USC. I am thankful for my student ambassador co-workers who make my job even more enjoyable. I am thankful for my classmates who have become some of my closest friends. I am thankful for the skilled occupational therapists that have taken so much time to mentor me and enrich my learning experiences. I am thankful for my friends and family who give me space to study (or much needed study breaks) and provide me with unconditional love and support. Most of all, I am thankful that I have found a professional that will remind me every day how much I have to be thankful for.

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I love being active, why don’t I do it more!?!?! ⟩
October 28, 2013, by Ryan

Life Hacks What are OS/OT?

So, I hurt my neck a couple weeks ago. One weekend I dove into a swimming pool, like a fancy diver, and came out of the water with sharp pains shooting down my neck. By the end of the day, I could barely turn my head side to side. I slept flat on my back, waking up every hour in pain if I turned my head while I was sleeping. So, of course, I took advantage of my student health insurance and went to the doctor who gave me a diagnosis of a cervical muscle spasm and prescribed muscle relaxers and physical therapy visits. Well, I tried to make an appointment for PT but couldn’t get in for two weeks!

I had to do something in the meantime, so I put on my occupational therapy hat and thought, ‘What would be best for my body right now?’ Why did I get a muscle spasm in the first place? Is it because I have hunched my shoulders for years whenever I’m stressed? Yes, this definitely could be a contributing factor. Huh, what about exercise?! I am not as active as I used to be. I get so caught up in school and staying on top of my coursework that I quickly take out physical activity. I should know better. Just last year, I was working out three times a week at the gym on campus in the mornings before class, and would share with all of my classmates how much better I felt throughout the day (which includes a lot of sitting in lecture) because of this routine. Also, we have had lectures relating to occupational balance and lifestyle balance, the importance of having a balance between work and play, activities of leisure and activities of importance.

This experience with my neck has reminded me of this importance. I quickly went to the gym the Monday after my neck starting hurting (and after I received my muscle relaxers), and as soon as I did the elliptical (just for 30 minutes, don’t want to go crazy) with some stretching afterwards I felt so much better. And have been continually feeling better! I love working out and being active! I feel so much happier, healthier, and ready to face all the stress that continues to be in my life . . . because I’m in grad school folks! Thank you, occupational therapy, for giving me the tools to look at my life in a better and healthier way!

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Midterms!!! ⟩
October 15, 2013, by Kate

Life Hacks School/Life Balance

There’s always that time during the semester when I feel like I don’t have enough time to do all the things on my to-do list, including stuff for my personal life (like buying deodorant). And this week, my friends, is just that time. With a paper due Monday, a big test today, and a 10-page paper/15-minute presentation on Thursday, suffice it to say, I am BUSY. How can I get all the things done that I need to get done, and not breakdown?

How about this: do a little occupational therapy on yourself, Kate! Yep, that’s right. I got myself a giant dry-erase board calendar to help me visualize my schedule and prioritize my to-do list. This way I can hold myself accountable for what needs to be done and show me my timelines. I’m really proud of myself for putting this to use and for helping myself prepare for the next time when I feel pressure on my time (whether for school or longer down the road with a job). I know the importance of taking time to be productive, to rest, to care for yourself and to play.

Hopefully, this tool will guide me to being a better me, especially when it comes to school. I’m excited!! And just as an FYI, I bought deodorant. Don’t worry. 😉

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My Room and the Person-Environment-Occupation Model ⟩
September 20, 2013, by Clarissa

Life Hacks Living in LA School/Life Balance

This past week was so eventful with fun, fieldwork, and organizing my room! The Occupational Therapy and Science Council held a pool party at one of our classmate’s beautiful apartment complex in downtown Los Angeles, the Medici, with yummy food and good company! I also had my first day at my Level I fieldwork this week at a school-based pediatric setting, which was really cool. My clinical instructor was so great and I’m excited to go back!

Surprisingly, though, room organizing was the highlight of my week. I’ve been living out of a suitcase after returning to LA post-Level II fieldwork. Standing in that inferno of clothes and papers, I was thinking about the Person-Environment-Occupation (PEO) Model that I learned about in my Mental Health immersion last year and, yes, I started OT-ing myself. My occupation is being an OT student, my person factors included my decreased motivation to study whenever I looked at my room, and my environment was a chaos of my personal belongings (minus the one clear walkway from my door to my bed). To improve my occupational performance as a student, I went to work and I am now SO EXCITED that I like being in my room again! My bookshelf is also the new apple of my eye. The moral of the story here: stay balanced and make time for the little things.

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Deep Thoughts About the Interwebs ⟩
February 28, 2013, by Ricky

Life Hacks Living in LA

Thursday, last week: I get out of class at 8:40pm, as I usually do on Thursdays (my long day). I hurry home, do a quick 30min workout, shower, and eat. Next, I fire up my laptop and prepare for my weekly quiz, due before Friday’s 9am class. No, I am not procrastinating — this is really the only chance I have to complete it and I know that I will have plenty of time to do it . . . unless the internet doesn’t cooperate. So it’s a little past 11pm, and I am having internet connection problems. I troubleshoot for a few minutes (to no avail) until I notice my landlady is in the kitchen downstairs. I coincidentally decide I could use a glass of water. In the kitchen, I greet my host and casually add the “by-the-way, have you noticed anything about the internet?” She looks a little embarrassed as she searches for a way to explain that the internet goes out from time to time. Before she’s finished apologizing, my creative OT abilities kick-in and I’m thinking of ways to do the assignment that needs to be completed like-right-now. I quickly remember that I had seen a coffee shop on yelp that was open pretty late.

We didn’t have internet for a few days. It was bittersweet. Some of my productivity was lost, but at the same time, I benefitted from having less distractions. The whole experience got me thinking about how much we rely on the internet. I’ve always wondered why municipalities didn’t make an effort to offer internet for free. I mean, we all use the internet so much, it should be public access, right? I was chatting with my barber the other day, and he was complaining about how the last few times he needed to apply for any of his permits, he was sent away and told to do it online. I guess the answer is the same as all others these days: money. But I think it’s still fun to ponder, even without sequestrations and such, if money was not an issue, would free internet help or hinder? Will more of us waste our productive time glued to computer screens streaming Gangnam Style, moreso than spending time contributing to our society? Hmm, good questions. I don’t know the answer, but I do know there is always a place nearby that offers free wifi. 😊 If you’re in Boyle Heights try Primera Taza, oh and get a Taza de Mocha (Mexican chocolate latte . . . mmm).

If you’re near Little Tokyo, try Tom n Toms, they’re open tilll 2 am and have plenty of study space.

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