Introduction to Social Coffee

Well, hello everyone! Yes, i'm back...with a brand new blog! As you can probably tell from the title of this post my chosen activity for this paper is ‘going out for social coffee’. So each week I will be posting about my experiences of going out for coffee and all that this activity brings about! I chose this activity because its something that I do often (even when my bank statement tells me I probably shouldn’t), it’s something that I love to do and it’s something that I will happily continue doing throughout the course of this paper! 

What does it mean to me?

To me, going out for coffee is a perfect way to have a good catch up or just spend quality time with someone. Coffee gives us the perfect excuse/reason to take time out of our day and simply sit, chat, relax and enjoy the goodness of a delicious drink with someone. For some coffee is a necessity and for others its just a treat, for me, I find that it’s a bit of both! There’s nothing better than going out for coffee with someone as a pick me up after a morning study session or after a long day out… or anytime at all infact! Coffee is amazing, which is why I have chosen social coffee as my activity and can’t wait to begin!

Practical considerations?

It won’t be too much of a challenge to do this activity for two hours a week! Infact, I wouldn’t at all be surprised if I end up going over the required amount of time. All I will need to do is make sure that I have organized coffee outings with friends in advance and just allow for any spontaneous outings that may also take place! Other considerations I will need to take into account are money and locations. Being on a limited budget may be a struggle… As it’s nearing towards the end of the year and lasts years savings have almost run out, I am becoming increasingly aware of what I am spending and have to make sure that I use my money wisely! So, I will need to make sure that I put aside money each week for my coffee outings. Lastly, because our city is full of coffee shops, I know I will never have to go far to find a café to carry out my activity…the hardest part will be choosing/agreeing on where to go!

Used in OT?

Therapists can use this activity as a way of engaging with clients in a community setting. It can even be used as an informal assessment or intervention (to see how the client orders coffee, interacts with staff etc). Going out for coffee can also be a reward or a group activity. From my experience, going out for coffee is used a lot in mental health settings, both as one on one outings with clients and in groups.

To finish off this week I’ll leave you with a quote that I find describes my activity perfectly:

“A cup of coffee shared with a friend is happiness tasted and time well spent”.