Slow occupation Dr Bel Youngson and Dr Helen Wilby RCOT Conference 19 June 2017

Aims: Introduce and explore slow occupation through slow stitching What is Slow? How does this link to occupational engagement? Flow Mindfulness Mundane occupation Restoration Temporality Meaning Having a go at slow stitching Reflection @OTBelY @helenwilby

What is slow? Since 1980s – slow food @OTBelY @helenwilby

What is slow? Slow education Slow fashion Slow travel Slow goods Slow living Slow cities Slow gardening ….. Honore (2005) TED talk https://www.ted.com/talks/carl_honore_praises_slowness @OTBelY @helenwilby

Slow and occupational engagement Flow Acting with total involvement Becoming one with the experience Challenge-skill balance How occupation is experienced and practiced (Csikszentmihalyi 1975) [Cheek-sent-me-high] (Reid 2011)

Slow and occupational engagement Mindfulness “an intentional awareness of what is, being aware of awareness” (Reid 2011) Noticing events rather than being caught up in them (McVeigh 2015) Active availability (Reid 2009) Finding the ‘right’ mindfulness practice (McVeigh 2015) @OTBelY @helenwilby

Slow and occupational engagement ‘Mundane’ occupation Occupational presence Does not need to be productive Provides opportunities for participation (Reid 2010) @OTBelY @helenwilby

Slow and occupational engagement Restoration Energy for whatever comes up next The least recognised experience in OT (Howell and Pierce 2000) @OTBelY @helenwilby

Slow and occupational engagement Temporality Occupation as a consumer of time Pace of life (time pressure) slowing time (Pemberton and Cox 2009) Time experience (Larson and von Eye 2010) @OTBelY @helenwilby

Slow and occupational engagement Meaning Doing Being ‘time taken to reflect, be introspective or meditative, (re)discover the self, savour the moment…..and to enjoy being with special people’ (Whalley Hammell 2004, p. 301) Belonging Doing and being with others ‘occupation done with others gives a sense of connection and it is through the connection that occupation comes to have meaning’ (Reed, Hocking and Smythe 2010, p.145) @OTBelY @helenwilby

Sum up and having a go at slow stitching Implications for occupational therapy? Experience of slow stitching (Wellesley-Smith 2015) @OTBelY @helenwilby

Slow stitching @OTBelY @helenwilby

How are you feeling? 3 words to describe how you are feeling: Go to www.menti.com and use code 20 42 52 Or use QR code: @OTBelY @helenwilby

Feelings Results @OTBelY @helenwilby

Reflection 3 words to describe how you are feeling after slow stitching Go to www.menti.com and use code 54 62 54 Or use QR code: @OTBelY @helenwilby

Reflection Results @OTBelY @helenwilby

Reflection HAIKU: 17 syllables in 5-7-5 Haiku – your experience of slow stitching: Questions to guide your reflection: How did I experience this task? What did it mean to me? How did I feel about slowing down? What did I learn: about myself / about slow? How might I use this in the future: personally / professionally? Would I change it? What other slow occupations could I consider? HAIKU: 17 syllables in 5-7-5 No rigid rules re sentence structure @OTBelY @helenwilby

References Csikszentmihalyi M (1975) Beyond Boredom and Anxiety. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Honore C (2005) In Praise of Slow. London: Orion Books. Howell D and Pierce D (2000) Exploring the forgotten restorative dimension of occupation: Quilting and quilt use. Journal of Occupational Science, 7 (2) 68-72. Larson E and von Eye A (2010) Beyond Flow: Temporality and Participation in Everyday Activities. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 64 (1), 152-163. McVeigh R (2015) Mindfulness in practice: Developing an occupational therapy niche. Occupational Therapy Now (17.3) 19-20. Available at http://kprcontentlibrary.kprdsb.ca:8080/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-9500/OT%20Now%20-%20Mindfulness%20in%20Practice.pdf . Pemberton S and Cox D (2011) What happened to the time? The relationship of occupational therapy to time. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 74 (2), 78-85. Reed K, Hocking C, Smythe L (2010) The interconnected meanings of occupation: The call, being-with, possibilities. Journal of Occupational Science, 17(3), 140-149.

References contd Reid D (2009) Capturing presence moments: The art of mindful practice in occupational therapy. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 76 (3), 180-188. Reid D (2010) Mundane occupations: Providing opportunity for engagement and being-in-the-world. Occupational Therapy Now (12.2) 24-26. Reid D (2011) Mindfulness and flow in occupational engagement: Presence in Doing. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 78, 50-56. Royeen L (2016) Portrait of an OT artist: Using Mindfulness to find Life Balance. The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy, 4 (1), Article 11, available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.15453/2168-6408.1248 . Whalley Hammell K (2004) Dimensions of meaning in the occupations of daily life. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 5(71), 296-305. Wellesley-Smith C (2015) Slow Stitch: Mindful and Contemplative Textile Art. London: Batsford.

Useful websites http://www.clairewellesleysmith.co.uk/blog/ http://www.slowstitching.com/ http://www.thejournalforwsd.org.uk/application/workfiles/resources/art245.pdf http://www.carlhonore.com/books/in-praise-of-slowness/ TED talk https://www.ted.com/talks/carl_honore_praises_slowness TED TALK https://www.ted.com/talks/mihaly_csikszentmihalyi_on_flow?language=en