This Tuesdays #OTalk will focus on how making something can have a positive impact on your wellbeing and that of your service users. I was recently doing some coaching with a friend and this process encouraged me to stop putting it off, stop finding reasons not to do it and find more life balance and resume crafting with a view to improving my own wellbeing. I have started #ThisMonthsMake with the view to making one thing each month and if you would like to join please do.

When planning this talk I searched the definition of “Making” and found more than just the process of producing something. There were words like: ingredients, potential, invention, forging and so on. I particularly like the idea of possessing the right ingredients to forge one’s own well being. What I like about making things is the process of learning, getting lost in flow and having something tangible as an end result.

I haven’t hosted a chat in a while so I may be a little rusty! I’m also noting that its pancake day, so if you’re making pancakes please reflect on how this process made you feel,

Some interesting pre reading-

https://academic.oup.com/jpubhealth/article/34/1/54/1550848/The-relationship-between-quilting-and-wellbeing

http://www.atwb.org/

https://www.theguardian.com/healthcare-network/2017/feb/15/creativity-improves-wellbeing-art-transforms-mental-health-ward

Questions

Do you engage in “making” or creative occupations? If yes what do you do? If no, why?
How does making something make you feel?
What are the barriers and enablers to making things?
What are some of the skills “ingredients” needed to forge our own wellbeing? How can we build this in OT?
Are you able to use “making” in your practice as an OT? How? Why? Why not?
Do you think you could try to make something every month and reflect on whether this improves your wellbeing?
How do you think we could measure improvement?