CEBU DOCTORS’ UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF REHABILITATIVE SCIENCES

DEPARTMENT OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY
AY 2021 – 2022

OT 1O1
REFLECTIVE JOURNAL WRITING #3
TOPIC: ___ How important is occupational balance and how detrimental is it in your and your future cx's life?
___________________________________________

KNOW WANT LEARNED APPLICATION

What do I know about the topic?
Before diving into the topic, I know that
people are engaged in a variety of
occupations that can be influenced by
environment and culture. It is without a
doubt that people are shaped by the
demands of their occupations and
societal roles. An overview of a person’s
lifestyle can detect if there is too much
balance or imbalance of some factor in
their lives. From what I know
occupational balance is said to have
healthy impacts on a person.
Participating in meaningful occupations
that is compatible with our own values is
considered to be healthy and a good sign
of occupational balance.
What do I want to know?
The importance of balance in our
lifestyle is something worth taking note
of since it is significant in our lives and in
our future client’s life. It will allow me to
learn more about another aspect of
occupation and help me to recognize
possible problems in an occupation.
Another thing that might be best to
know would be the ability to understand
meaning in an occupation and how
different acts of occupations can lead to
occupational balance.
What have I learned?
Occupational balance is vital for our well
being. Balance in occupations result in a
state of satisfaction in life and having
things harmonious and under control. In
contrast, occupational imbalance can be
detrimental for anyone and it can lead to
serious health issues like depression or
anxiety. Other concepts of occupational
imbalance are role overload, role strains,
and work-life conflict. If my client was
facing a role strain, which is having
excessive demands or insufficient
capacity to fulfill a role, it is important to
point out its influence on their well
being. It’ll allow them to reflect on their
lifestyle balance and focus on improving
the balance of their occupations and
hopefully avoid any health problems that
may arise if the client keeps participating
in it.
As an OT student, how can I apply
what I have learned this week?
Knowing the importance of occupational
balance made me realize I should be
striving for moderation in everything
that I do. Especially as an OT student, my
work-life balance is something that I
have to keep in good shape to continue a
peaceful and slightly stress-free college
student life. On the other hand, there
are also detrimental occupations like role
strains or role overload that are
imbalanced and can impact me
negatively.  Keeping in mind of the bad
outcomes of harmful occupations can
help me avoid burn out and stress in my
college life. Balance is something that I
will always think of when I want to live
happily and learning about occupational
balance was almost like a reminder to
myself to check on my mental and
physical health.