Blissful Ordinariness

What is "blissful ordinariness?" Well, this is quite easy to think about while all of this COVID-19 hysteria is going on in our world. One week ago, my class and I were busy everyday going to class and lab, then going home to study for hours until we fell asleep. We were so ready for Friday, March 13th to be over with so we could finally be done with Gross Anatomy. Now that all of our in-person classes are cancelled and we are forced to stay home and participate in class online, I think we can all agree that we had it better last week. Blissful ordinariness makes me think about the things you do on a daily basis without any barriers present, and you realize how much these things are truly privileges once a barrier intervenes.

This idea could not be more evident in the OT world. Blissful ordinariness is basically the prime motivator for a client to improve. Any client with carpal tunnel syndrome just wants to be able to hold a book without pain; any client who has recently had a stroke just wants to be able to remember what the next step is in cleaning his or her toilet. It is so important for the OT practitioner to place value on this idea of blissful ordinariness, so that the practitioner can practice empathy with the client, and therefore create the best therapeutic relationship possible. OT practitioners must take a step back and learn about the client and the occupations that allow for "blissful ordinariness" in his or her life, in order for intervention to be meaningful and successful in the eyes of the client.