Participation in Occupation II

The occupation i have chosen to focus on is cooking. Cooking is something i haven't really been interested in participating but this year, being the first year i have had to cook for myself, i have found myself thinking about new different things i could cook and wanting to make it myself. Cooking is something that is a big part of my home life, i come from a family of really good cooks with my Grandmother, Aunt and mother all being part of a catering business. as well as this when ever we are all together a big part of getting together is having a really nice meal that we all get to choose things we would like to have. Along with the personal significance i feel that cooking is a skill that will be really useful for myself as a training Occupational therapist. From experience both in theory and practice, i have found it to be a really good intervention and assessment tool for investigation of both cognitive and physical deficits alongside as providing what i consider important life skill. In developing my skills in these areas i will be able to work on my professional development and grasp a better understanding of what things might be appropriate for particular clients. This week for our out of class activity was to participate in our chosen occupation for two hours but when we do it, do it "mindfully". This proved to be quite difficult for me as i didn't really understand what it meant but i was instructed to think of the soles of my feet while i did it. When i tried i found myself keeping on wanting to go back to thinking about the cooking. As my skills in this area develop it may become easier but for now i will just work on improving. This activity is very good for me at the moment as i am a beginner and on a budget so these set backs at the moment will likely lead me to having a better understanding of how it is to be in this position in the future. As cooking is something i have to do to survive it also fits in quite well with my schedule. i look forward to exploring this area more.