nonhleot

[nonhleot]

Advice To My Future Self As A Person And As An OT

Sometimes the journey can be tough for everyone but how we live our lives is what matters and how we view the world around us is totally our decisions. We must always try to make our lives better daily, sometimes we too busy to take a look around us and focus on what matters the most or just take a split second to look at the mirror and appreciate yourself and what you have accomplished.

The following is the things i will take into my future self as a person:

Spend time with my love ones- life is too short to be too busy for your loved one, try to spend as much time you can get with the people you love. it can be your family, partner, friends or anyone that matters to you or brings value to your life.

take care of my self- they say self love is one of the most important factor in your life because the more you love yourself, the better you are able to make others love you and it will also prevent you from taking bad decision about yourself.

surround myself with positivity-Rod Rohrich said ''Surround your self with positive people'' as this will help you think in a positive way as an environment has the biggest influence in a person's life. The mind is everything. What you think is what you become.-Buddha.

Don't try to change myself-Always be first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else''.

Treat others the way you want to be treated- especially giving others respect and treating them with kindness as it represents the kind of the person i am and the family i was raised in.But we know what the say respect is earned through your action.

be always happy- ''Be always for this moment. This moment is your life.'' Happiness makes you to become a better person, they always advice us to treat patients with a smile everyday as it helps to give a sense of hope and sometimes helps change their mood.

set goals for myself-Setting goals helps to shape your life and help you as a person to find direction, you will be aware of where you want to be in the future and try to work towards achieving that.

consistency-yes of-course, consistency is key; you need to not change in your work, if you usually work 5 days a work you must not change if it helps you to achieve good results. If you constantly research new articles every week to be aware of new developments or new research, don't stop.

hard work- hard work pays off, making my work the first priority each day, to ensure that i provide the best treatment to my clients.

stop procrastinating- Always do my work on time and submit report early if i have to, which will help to become an organised person and will decrease my anxiety.

Have confidence- it is important to believe in yourself as a person, Confidence will help me to be able to believe in myself and also allow my patients/others to be able to believe in me too.

With that being said i pray that God will provide me with strength in achieving all the things i have mentioned above, starting from now in preparing for the future,thanks for taking your time in reading these blog.

[nonhleot]

OCCUPATIONAL BARRIERS EXPERIENCED IN MENTAL HEALTH IN SA

To be able to function optimally in your daily occupations your mental health should be taken care of. According to world health organization (WHO,1948) health is a complete physical, mental and social well-being not merely an absent of disease and illness or infirmity.

the right to experience the highest level of quality that is possible of physical and mental health (from here on, the right to health) is enshrined in many international and regional human rights treaties, such as the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR); the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC); and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD); the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR); and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC).1

In 2004, the South African Mental Health Care Act became effective (South African Department of Health,2009). The Act's goal is to regulate mental health services "in a manner that makes the optimum mental health care, treatment, and rehabilitation services available to the community equitably, efficiently, and in the best interest of mental health care consumers within the limits of the available resources." 3

The right to health includes both physical and mental health, thus:

… efforts to recognize and uphold a human right to health must incorporate strategies to protect, respect, and fulfil mental health as well as physical health. Establishing and upholding affirmative mental health rights can fundamentally advance the dignity and welfare of persons with mental disabilities, and, simultaneously, advance the recognition and development of the right to health generally. (L. Gable et al.2009)

most occupational barriers included traditional cultural beliefs of the community, most people in my neighborhood (KZN) believe in ancestors, thus when they are ill or feeling unwell, they usually go and consult to a traditional healer first due to having that belief that an illness is just a curse/punishment from ancestors so you might need to ask for forgiveness. They believe traditional healer have answers and can communicate to their ancestors. If the ancestors need something from them/require them to slaughter or do something they communicate with the traditional healers to stop an illness or fix whatever is happening.

lack of transport: most of the people when they are found to have a mental illness, they travel using a police vehicle and they are always handcuffed to avoid them from running away or jumping from the police van.

lack of facility: in my area (KZN), people use the nearest clinic which has the limited staff so to get to the hospital is +/-40 km which is a long distance from their home and most of their wake up early to catch a bus which deprived them from getting enough hours of sleep.

financial issues: some people may not have money to transport themselves to the hospital when wanting to access medical services, they might receive disability grant but the people I know spend the money to buy grocery and taking care of the whole household but when it comes to going to the hospital, they end up borrowing money for it.

Education: Because lot of people lack knowledge about mental health and mental illness most people have stigma towards mentally ill people, some of them run away and even taught their children to do the same from mentally ill people, which is wrong because they are also human beings like us.

Following the ground-breaking World health report 2001 on mental health, issued by the World Health Organization (WHO), global initiatives have been taken to raise awareness of mental health and improve the status and health care of people with mental disabilities both in law and in fact, such as the CRPD and the WHO mental health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP).(WHO,2008)

you can follow the link below of the article that talks about barriers in accessing or receiving mental health in the Eastern Cape province:

some of the tips in to improve your mental health

-take care of your body by doing exercises, eating healthy, drinking water, getting enough sleep and avoiding use of substances e.g. smoking

-value yourself by treating yourself with kindness, be proud of you and what you have accomplished

-Surround yourself with good people- that will change your way of thinking, people who will help you grow and do better as a person.

-Help others and ask for help when you need it-sometimes helping others can make you feel good as a person and also asking for help it means you are able to humble yourself to other people and ask for help which is a strength not a weakness.

-Set realistic goals-you can decide what you want to achieve academically, personally or professionally which will help you in terms of getting a sense of accomplishment and self-worth as you progress towards your goal.

Some of the benefit of taking care of your mental health is that it could help you manage anxiety/ stress, helps to lower the risk of developing any illnesses and increase your mood or energy which helps you to think positive and be able to be productive.

References

1. International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), G.A. Res. 2200A (XXI) (1966). Available at http://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/CESCR.aspx; Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), G.A. Res. 44/25 (1989). Available at http://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/CRC.aspx; Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, G.A. Res, 61/106 (2006). Available at http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/CRPD/Pages/ConventionRightsPersonsWithDisabilities.aspx; African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, OAU Doc.No.CAB/LEG/67/3 rev. 5 (1981). Available at http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/instree/z1afchar.htm; African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, OAU Doc. No. CAB/LEG/24.9/49 (1990). Available at http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/africa/afchild.htm.

2. South African Department of Health, Mental Health Care Act (No. 17 of 2002) (Pretoria, South Africa: Department of Health, 2002).

3. Ibid., section 3(a)(i).

4. L. Gable and L. Gostin, “Mental health as a human right” in A. Clapham, M. Robinson, C. Mahon, et al. (eds), Realizing the Right to Health (Zurich, Switzerland: Rüffer & Rub, 2009), p. 250.

6.  World Health Organization (see note 4); World Health Organization, mhGAP Mental Health Gap Action Programme. Scaling up care for mental, neurological, and substance use disorders (Geneva: WHO, 2008). Available at http://www.who.int/mental_health/mhgap_final_english.pdf.

[nonhleot]

THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON PEOPLE'S MENTAL HEALTH

COVID 19 has impacted so many people worldwide namely Algeria, Nigeria, China, Zimbabwe;e.t.c and of-course, how can I forget my very own country; South Africa.We had increasing number of cases for people who tested positive.

Even for those who have not tested positive, lock down measures have increased feelings of loneliness, isolation, restlessness and anxiety as most people had to stay in 1/same place for the long periods of which socially and occupational deprived a lot of people,as millions of people have been quickly forced to adapt to new reality; which is wearing masks in public, sanitizing surfaces and practicing social distancing and make drastic lifestyle changes. According to the Royal College of Psychiatrists, which represents 18,000 psychiatrists in the UK, more people are seeking crisis mental health services as a result of COVID-19.Depressive and anxiety disorder increased by more than a quarter globally in 2020, according to the first global assessments of the pandemic's effects on mental health, which were published in The Lancet.

Major depressive illness and anxiety disorder cases rose by 28% and 26%, respectively, in 2020. Younger age groups were more affected than older age groups, and women were more affected than men. The greatest increases in major depressive disorder and anxiety disorders were observed in nations with high COVID-19 infection rates and significant reductions in human movement as a result of measures like lockdowns and school.If you are interested in reading about these research you can use the the following link:closures.https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)02143-7/fulltext

closures.https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)02143-7/fulltext

My reflection on returning to normal, we are now used to following Covid 19 protocols which is wearing masks; sanitizing and social distancing which was our new norm and now taking all of that back seems to be very tricky because we adapted to the new norm but at the end of the day people have their way of doing things and seeing things. It feels so weird to leave the house without wearing the mask and carrying sanitizer on my hand as it was before being used to it.I didn't even thought to myself that it would be me who is going to want to continue to wear mask even though the government has granted us our ''freedom'' back, yeah right that is what we call it because we felt trapped even though we have democracy due to the lack of understanding/insight to the virus.

The reason I'm saying that is because we couldn't even go to the mall you needed a permit or valid reason for you to go out; of which was a challenge for most people,alcohol was also restricted,clubs and events were not allowed, schools and lectures were attended online which was very tricky for students who attend practicals especially health science students who still needed to do their hospitals in the hospitals.Some students missed their important day which is graduation ceremony, we may not admit it but it's true most people are motivated by that day because it is the day where you most proud of yourself and it is an emotional day for most student because it shows you that you are going to embark on the most scariest journey of being an adult and being fully independent. We were also deprived from gathering in church and funerals which was so sad because in funerals it is where we find closer so if you are deprived to say your last goodbye, you will always have a wound that will never heal.

@pinterest

Even if we do go back to our normal lives lets continue taking responsibility for our own health and continue taking care of yourself, we don't need to be forced by the virus or government to be able to be hygienic."Prevention is better that cure''lets continue preventing the spread of illnesses or germs because germs are everywhere and can kill if not treated.if you feel like your mental health is affected go for therapy or attend counselling and talking to other people that are going to change the way feeling at that particular time.

COVID 19 has made me realize that we need to spend as much time as possible with our loved ones; it can be your family, your partner or anyone that has a value in your life and treasure every moment because you may never know what the future holds.

@pinterest

[nonhleot]

Standing on the edge of becoming an OT...

I can't believe i'm here now. I'm not going to lie and say it was as smooth as a poker table at the beginning of these journey,well of course not!They say first year in varsity is the easiest and is full of experiences and numerous opportunities for students to make mistakes but i say mine was a total nightmare academically and non academically.Reflecting on it now makes me think about the journey i had as an OT student, which has taught me so much and i'm willing to share few things i learnt with you.

When i started these journey of studying OT i didn't know anything about OT and what it does and i was so overwhelmed. It even came to the point where i was asking myself whether it's the path i was willing to embark on but i have always been that person who wants to be unique in everything i do,growing in my community we always had that mentality that if you are going to study at varsity you going to be a teacher, doctor,nurse and social worker; so i didn't know anything else;OT included so i wanted to change that.

As the going gets tougher and harder I've learnt to develop time management skill because OT has a lot of work and needs you to be as organised as possible otherwise you will end up missing deadlines and tests;and who wants that?Secondly, taking accountability and responsibility for your own learning by that i mean ask as much questions as possible during lectures and on practicals and make sure you maintain ethical and professional behavior towards your patients,colleagues and everyone.

As i'm in the transition phase of becoming an OT, I'm like an older person who has gone back to the child phase who needs nurturing, love and care; now i have gone back to the feelings/emotions i felt during my first year that i have dealt with already which is the lot of anxiety and excitement at the same time scared. I'm scared because looking back at what i have learnt throughout these journey, the skills(problem solving,communication etc.),challenges i have encountered and most importantly failing,falling and rising up which motivated me to never give up in life which is another thing I've learnt.

Inspirational-And-Motivational-Quotes10-680x1024.jpg (680×1024) (gravetics.com)

At the end of the day it's life which is like a puzzle, you can only see the picture once you put everything together and each and everyday you need to keep on searching the correct piece and never give up if you are having difficulty in finding the correct piece; try again until you find it.Which may not be an easy thing to do as it requires a lot of patience and determination/dedication; however, if you have it you should be fine.

Motivational-Quotes-for-Students-7.jpg (800×800) (thesavvycouple.com)

With that being said, we are humans we have feelings and emotions(stress/anxiety) but we have to have ways to deal with those emotions by developing coping skills or getting the professional help.And yes!Who said therapist don't need therapy after all.