Enfolding Observations: An update on our trying on pairings of occupations
Some thing just go together like milk and cookies— picture above is chocolate chip cookies and milk on a plate. (Photo inspired by Kary’s niece who says, cookies and milk pair well together— just like peanut butter and jelly)
Today’s blog post is co-written by Kary Gillenwaters, OTR/L, Marcie Israelson, OTD student, and Kim Frederickson, OTD student.
Three of us made it a point to be more observant and intentional with the way we combine and separate our daily activities this past week. Perhaps you have as well— we welcome your observations in the comments below.
Some of our findings were shared experiences and others were unique to each person— that’s the beauty of trying things on— if they are a good fit, we can keep them and take that knowledge with us and if they don’t match the moment or us, we can consider other possibilities.
When it worked
Common themes for when things worked included:
Extra space in the day during a time otherwise scheduled allowed for combining of roles or tasks
Pairing music with an activity was effective for all three of us— variations included having music with no words, a way of finding new music when combined with another meaningful activity increased sense of productive use of time, and music motivated to do boring or our least favorite tasks with greater enjoyment.
Combining exercise with social participation was also effective for each of us, though knowing when in need of alone time also determined when to pair and when not to do so (i.e. include visiting company in daily yoga routine, walk with a friend, return phone calls while out for a walk in nature) Combining physical activity with social participation increased the likelihood of maintaining routine and enhanced the experience of both occupations.
Pairing activities to increase attention and focus— this included things like listening to music to draw attention to task at hand and away from other distractors, chewing gum while doing less preferred tasks (we’ll talk more about that when we define all the ways we sense our world, including proprioception which is provided by chewing gum), timing things in smaller increments such as completing a less desirable task for the length of a song (listening to music is a preferred activity) and then get to move on to something else.
When it didn’t work
The most common noticing about when things didn’t work involved doing a check in with our bodies to notice if it was a fit or not. Sometimes pairing activities led to more distraction (i.e. music with words while doing homework) and so the activities needed to be separated. Or, instead of thinking no music was the answer, a more graded approach like music with no words worked better. Or perhaps a different type of sensory input was needed, like the proprioceptive input of chewing gum while studying instead of auditory input of music.
Rarely if ever, did combining responding to text messages or emails enfolded into family or social time work well. As humans, we are wired to connect and seeing our attention go to a device may serve the goal of replying to work or other social needs but it disconnected from the people in front of us.
A few more observations
Enfolding when combined with another person required the combination of the activities to work for all involved parties. For example, if exercising while swimming while also engaged in social participation or family connection— the ways in which we engaged were just as important as the activity pairings themselves.
Kary
For example, swimming is play, leisure, exercise, and social participation in Kary’s family. It is an activity enjoyed by all family members, is calming and grounding, playful, peaceful, and a way to connect with each other and with nature. Having children who can be a little more independent at their current ages makes space for all family members to more fully enjoy the occupation of swimming and the setting of nature in ways that suit each of them well. The best part— everyone notices how happy and relaxed they feel when spending time in the water together.
Marcie
For Marcie, yoga is a daily routine and one that could be easy to not engage in due to the amount of time other tasks take. For her, noticing how enfolding patterns can work for her helps her maintain her routine. She notes, “Noticing these advantages of enfolding yoga with discovering music, social engagement, and being in nature has really helped me understand how to be more satisfied with my life and my time.”
The effects of nature become more clear—”When I get the opportunity to practice outdoors it really enhances my mood, my senses, and my drive to keep going and practice longer. I notice that I am more in the moment and less distracted.”
Kim
Sometimes the pairing of activities was about really pausing to notice how the combination lands in one’s body. For Kim, that was a key learning. She notes, “I get distracted easily, especially when I am doing an activity I don’t enjoy, so playing music or chewing gum helps distract (or maybe focus) my mind from getting distracted. ☺ I am able to be more productive.”
Enfolding Wrap Up
Without a doubt, all three of us found enfolding occupations to be a way of accomplishing goals and tasks that would be less enjoyable or unlikely to happen when mindful consideration was given to when things belonged together or were better apart. It was an “aha moment” that the pairing really did need to resonate for all parties if more than one person was involved with an enfolding activity— largely because adding another person often meant a goal was to maintain connection and relationship with the person you were with so the activity would need to facilitate, enhance, or not distract from that goal. And, that could different depending on the context of that moment or day— so we did our best when we were paying attention to what was happening right now— not going only by past or typical preferences.
Music, nature, and activities involving proprioceptive input seemed to be some of the best pairings for each of us.
What is proprioception, you’re wondering? It is the sense that tells us where our body is in space through our skin, muscles, and joints— think of when we find our way through the dark at night— it is that sense of knowing where our body is in relation to things around it that allows us to step with the right amount of pressure and the right distance down the steps without hurting ourselves while walking in the dark. If we didn’t have good proprioceptive awareness we might not be able to walk safely in the dark, misjudging distance, where are feet are in relation to the next step or how much force to use in our steps. We probably have all experienced that jarring feeling when we think a step is closer than it is and feel that drop not just to our feet but in the pit of our stomachs when the step is further than expected— that is what proprioception does for us. It is part of regulating how our senses feel calm in navigating the world around us. Therefore, it makes sense that activities that tell our nervous system, “yes— you’re right here now, you don’t have to use energy wondering where you are”— would be a helpful pairing for another activity.
In contrast, if it is an unfamiliar occupation or something that we feel unsettled by, it may require more cautious pairing or being done in isolation. Or, as we just discussed— pairing an activity that tells our body “I don’t want to do this” with something our body receives as “you know exactly where you are, you are safe, and this is enjoyable” can be a key factor in creating healthy habits or keeping them going, as we heard as well. We did just that as a team last week to pair what could be a formal student presentation with everything we’ve been learning together about nature and its impact on our well-being.
Do you remember when we wondered if meetings should be held in water? Well, we can now tell you that we definitely experienced the benefits of combining work with play, leisure and social participation in the context of nature, and more specifically sharing research finding and recommendations while wading in one of Minnesota’s many lakes. The water was co-regulating, allowed our nervous systems to settle in to exactly where our bodies were in space, the water eased stress, made for laughter, and curiosity, and we enjoyed it so much we realized our meeting about research findings lasted almost 2 hours. We were caught up in the flow, the healing benefits of nature, and the power of meaningful connection. Make space for 20 minutes to begin with no agenda, and you may find the benefits of a meeting in water are greater than you could predict.
Have you tried on enfolding this week? What have you noticed?
