Boredom

Aerial yoga has been going swimmingly! The last couple weeks have been nice, as I get to drive to my class in the daylight and that makes me really happy because the longer days (mainly due to daylight savings) makes me feel like summer is so close! I like that the class goes in patterns where we might do a pose once or twice in the weeks prior but it’s mainly to build on more challenging poses. Unfortunately, I cannot remember what one of the poses we did was called (and I can’t even find a picture on google) but it’s essentially standing up in the silk and balancing and it’s actually one of the scarier poses in my opinion! While searching for this wacky pose- I came across some other really cool poses that we haven’t done that I really want to try though- so here they are!

A number of points and findings from the Martin, Gayno, & Stew (2006) article can be found within these lyrics. The first concept that came to mind is that boredom correlates strongly with depression. The first few lines of the song relate to this concept by stating

“I keep hearin' you're concerned about my happiness
But all that thought you're givin' me is conscience I guess
If I was walkin' in your shoes, I wouldn't worry none
While you 'n' your friends are worried about me I'm havin' lots of fun”

So basically his friends are worried about him being depressed from boredom but he believes he has plenty to do, which brings me to my next point. The article discussed certain traits that people who are either never or rarely bored possess. These traits include having a positive outlook on life, involvement in many interests, an ability to adapt to the current situation, and a well-developed sense of humor. In this song, the singer discusses some of his interests that take up his time such as playing solitaire, watching television, and counting flowers on the wall. Because of the tedious and uneventful nature of most of these activities, I think the singer seems to have a positive outlook on life as he believes he always having plenty to do. The last point that I thought of is that the singer mentions smoking cigarettes as an activity to pass time, as well. This statement contradicts what the article presented, as this is a characteristic of people who are more prone to boredom and I believe he fits the personality traits relating to a person who doesn’t get bored.

This reading regarding the concept of boredom really reminded me of the concept of flow- as boredom is something that is discussed within the theory. The model of flow states that “as challenges exceed skill one first becomes vigilant, then anxious. As skills exceed challenges, one first becomes relaxed, then bored.” I thought this was a very applicable part of the theory to compare to the boredom article because the findings in the boredom article really support this concept within flow. An example used was a woman who felt very bored at work because she worked a very unskilled job. This is exactly what the concept of flow encompasses and is believed to be why person falls victim to boredom, which is why I felt the two concepts were so comparable.

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Participation and Well-Being

Aerial yoga was great this week! The newest most challenging pose was the reverse Herron, which I really enjoyed. Each time I go I feel it getting easier and easier as I get more use to the silks. Some poses are terribly uncomfortable as the silk isn’t always soft on the body when it’s all scrunched up, but I feel that I either must be getting used to it, or my body is just more accepting of it because it doesn’t seem quite as painful as it was at first! Also, my teacher called me her “little prodigy” so that was both reassuring and motivating! :)

I feel that I am very fortunate to have the resources that I do in order to participate in my new occupation. The first being financially able. Obviously choosing to do a yoga class requires money and I am fortunate enough to have access to that in order to participate in this class. Another resource discussed was certain personality traits such as extraversion, optimism, and self-esteem, which all seem to increase one’s ability to participate in valued life activities. I would say these are traits that I possess in some way, shape, or form. Thus giving me the confidence to try something new that I’ve never done that requires me to kind of put myself out there, as I have to do this in front of a group of people. A third type of resource is social support, and I feel I have a very strong support system that enables and supports me in the things that I am interested in and want to pursue. There are times when I’m feeling unmotivated and not sure if I want to attend yoga but Dayne usually convinces me saying that I would be happy if I went. All of these resources support my ability to participate in some way. Money of course helps in participating as most things cost money. My personality traits help lead to new opportunities for participation as I feel I am outgoing and as the text stated: “self-assertiveness and self-efficacy open doors to participation in valued tasks.” I also feel that I am optimistic of positive outcomes but also feel that I am able to anticipate and prepare for potential obstacles that allows me to facilitate persistence in my occupation.

The concept of resources and the impact they have on our ability to participate in certain occupations reminded me of the topic of occupational injustice that was discussed within Hasselkus. This is an aspect of occupation and belonging, which is described as “a basic human need- crucial to well-being and survival (Wilcock 2006). The need to feel like we belong is such an important part of life and occupational injustice is something that can inhibit that from happening. Although occupational injustice is something that can be caused by a number of things, lack of opportunity due to necessary resources is a very common reason behind this injustice. I thought Christiansen (1999) did a good job addressing some of these resources and how many of them are necessary to have in order to do what we enjoy. Unfortunately many people do not possess or have access to many of these resources and as a result we see occupational injustice.

Identity

Aerial yoga remains the highlight of my Tuesday and something I look forward to on a weekly basis. I feel that it’s something that’s becoming more natural for me as I get used to the body movements that are required for the basic poses we do. The most challenging pose we did this week was the vampire, which then can be taken into the mosquito by putting one leg down. The most relaxing pose was the child’s pose, which is my favorite non-aerial yoga pose- so I’m not surprised that I enjoyed it in the silks, as well!

As many of you already know, I chose aerial yoga not only because of an interest and enjoyment of yoga but also because it reminded me a lot of gymnastics and I felt that the skill set was somewhat similar. Christiansen defined identity as “a composite definition of the self, which includes an interpersonal aspect (our roles and relationships), an aspect of possibility or potential (that is, who we might become), and a values aspect (that suggests importance and provides a stable basis for choices and decisions). With this definition in mind, one could say that aerial yoga was appealing to me because of a former role that I once had as a gymnast. I saw that I had potential in this occupation and I deemed it of value as it reminded me of something I once valued quite a lot.

Christiansen’s definition of identity reminded me the concept of “occupation and being” as discussed by Hasselkus in chapter two. Oddly enough, Christiansen (1999) is actually cited in this section with the quote that “occupation is the principle means through which people develop and express their identities.” To summarize the concept: occupation is a strong enabler for knowing one’s self and one way the self becomes known to “me” is through occupation, as that is the way the self is expressed in the world. I find this concept to be true as I identify with the occupations I enjoy.

As I continue my pursuit of aerial yoga, I begin to feel more confident in my abilities. At first I was kind of nervous as I felt I didn’t really know what I was doing, and therefore viewed myself as self-conscious in other’s perceptions of how well I was doing. But as I become more in touch with my abilities and realize that my strength and flexibility work toward my advantage, I feel much more confident and capable and no longer fear but rather enjoy showing off my skills! So I guess at first my “I” viewed “me” as vulnerable and fearful, but my view has shifted in a more positive direction as being more self-assured of my abilities.