(MK from Iwate Prefecture/20s/Male/Occupational Therapist)
I passed the national occupational therapist certification exam, but I was unable to decide whether I should start job hunting, because a chronic backache illness got worsened.
The awareness I didn’t have
The more I thought about what I should do, the greater my anxiety grew and I became worried even more, so I visited the church. While I was talking to the Shokuin (staff), I realized I do not have to work out problems alone, and to tell my honest thoughts to my parents and people who supports me. This awareness was exactly what I was lacking.
My family gave me the strength to move forward
I talked to my parents about my worries, and they accepted my feelings. I decided not to rush into searching for a job, but to take advantage of the time to be re-energized and do what I could do. I still worked as a part timer to be a part of society, and got a driver’s license. The conversations with my family had deepened more than before.
As I learned the teachings at the Yūki no Kai (class for youth), I decided to move forward to achieve my goal to become an occupational therapist. Thanks to my family who has always watched over me, the days that seemed like a long way around was the “necessary time” for me.
Walk straight to the path of an occupational therapist
After a while, I recovered from my back illness, and started to work at the hospital as an occupational therapist. Presently I am in charge of taking care of 5 to 7 patients. I try to have a heartwarming relationship with each one of them.
Whenever I don’t understand something, I ask my seniors, and review it every day so that I can absorb all the lessons learned. Sometimes I get responses like “you should know better”, but I am able to accept it positively “I should have been studying more, I will keep trying my best”.
Recently I have been assigned to teach a new coworker who just started working at the hospital. I would like to keep living every day having thankfulness for everything, and to continue to improve myself.