Organization Is Not Just Being Neat

Eleanor Cawley
President & Sr. Occupational Therapist (OT)
Ms. Eleanor's Apples
P.O.Box 20634
Huntington Station, NY 11746
631-271-1892
www.mseleanorsapples.com

What does it mean to be organized?

Cathy Rushton wrote in her blog[10/28/2008],"Being organized is not just a term, but it is an act. To become organized is a state of mind with many actions taking place to become a person prepared for anything that happens in life." Although much of her blog that day revolved around stress caused by clutter, she is so spot on in stating that organization is a "state of mind."

A recent article from Advance, discussed parent behaviors that create anxious children. "Parents with social anxiety disorder are more likely than parents with other forms of anxiety to engage in behaviors that put their children at high risk for developing angst of their own, according to a small study of parent-child pairs conducted at Johns Hopkins Children's Center." In my experience, I have seen children exhibit similar anxious behaviors to that of a parent. I, myself, have seen my own anxious behaviors in my son. That old saying "the apple does not fall far from the tree" may ring true to some degree. I think that there is a piece missing. Anxious behaviors are a sign of disorganization. To that extent, we need to ask more questions and change some of our thinking. I think that we should be also asking, "What helps you to feel better when you become anxious?" "What do you do to help decrease your anxiety?" I think that we need to look at the genetic and environmental components not only as the reason for the disability but part of our response. For example, I know that when I am feeling disorganized, I head for the door. I need to be outside, maybe take a walk or just work in the garden. I need to work my muscles. My son needs to work his muscles, too! He needs to work harder and stronger but still needs that physical input.

As an occupational therapist, I have learned through my schooling and the hard knocks of life that we need to incorporate those activities in our life every day to maintain our own organization of our bodies and our brains. Children do not come with instructional manuals. Maybe, there should be training that occurs during the pregnancy, I don't know. The one thing that I do know is that our children often take our lead. If we show them that we can prepare our bodies and our minds to handle the stress of daily life, then we can create a less stressful environment and possibly decrease the potential for further disability.