Hello,
Can anyone tell me what they do to keep busy? I do not work outside of the home and have a lot of time on my hands. I find it hard to find things to do.
Any suggestions? Thanks!
Well I work fulltime....but I've recently taken up knitting in the evenings. It's something I can do especially when my back, hips and knees are bothering me and I need to be off my feet resting.
If your hands are in horrible shape it might not be possible....but I've heard it's good exercise. I was starting to have more and more trouble with my fine motor skills and it's my hope that this will help. Sort of like theropy.
I'm still not too good at knitting....but I've actually grown to love it in a very short amount of time.
Just an idea.
Lovie
How about doing some volunteer work in your area, you can arrive and leave whenever it's appropriate for you. You meet lots of nice people without the stress of working. I find distractions from the pain a great help rather than sitting at home thinking about it all day. You will need your time at home of course but planning a few days a week will help your situation I am sure. GillCome to my house, I'll put you to work! Uh, you dont mind cleaning the windows on the second floor do ya?If that is not possible, knitting and volunteer work sound like good suggestions. Right now I have my hands full and keep too busy but hopefully that will calm down soon, especially if my daughter gets a car ( she managed to total mine but thankfully she was ok.
I plan on working in the yard as soon as the weather breaks, I LOVE FLOWERS! Other than that there are all kind of crafty things you can check into doing. You could be like me, do them till your hands can;t take anymore but not so much they begin to swell up and hurt so bad. It is kind of hard to determine that sometimes I know.
I do have a real suggestion (I had to tease ya 'cause I ALWAYS have so much stuff to do), you should spend some time visiting residents in a nursing home. They are always looking for someone to take time for them. I worked very briefly in a nursing home and I would rush through my work just so that I could go back and visit with my patients. It can be intimidating at first, but you suddenly find out that they have as much to offer you as you do to them. It can be a very fulfilling experience.HAVE YOU TRIED SCRAPBOOKING, OR GETTING INTO ANY TYPE OF CRAFT WORK? SOMETIMES I THINK THAT KEEPS THE OLD HANDS FROM GETTING STIFF. RIGHT NOW I BABYSIT MY 10 MONTH GRANDBABY BUT SHE IS GOING TO START GOING TO A BABYSITTER BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN HAVING ALOT OF FLARES SINCE I STARTED KEEPING HER? I TRY TO MAKE A LIST OF THINGS I WOULD LIKE TO GET DONE AROUND THE HOUSE AND THEN IF IT TAKES ME A LONG TIME TO GET THEM DONE, NO ONE CARES. WORK AT YOUR OWN PACE.
GOOD LUCK, MELODY
I am going to try mosaics. There seems to be something therapeutic about breaking things and putting them back together for something different but attractive. It does not seem hard to do and I think it will be good to work with my hands. I have been too busy lately trying to get my husband's house ready to rent and moving him in. Someday............Ooh I love mosaics. I would suggest anything creative too, even of you don't think you are creative, especially if we're talking about things to do that don't overdo. Writing short stories for magazines, fun letters, painting, clay modelling, knitting, making and painting models of ships etc, photography, scrapbooks... Or if you really want to stay away from creativity, try a course in something like french, cooking, IT or something similar - you can do a lot of them at home. Make a day for sorting through household things, one for seeing family, shopping etc.
When I had to skip uni for a year after surgery I made my own weekly timetable of things to do, incorporating rests after anything too physical. My mind needs to be working constantly, even if my body doesn't! I learn a lot of things I would usually have time for in times like those!
Best wishes,
Moonie
Me? Well, I had to give up my board position with the Astronomy Society here when I first got sick, they are holding elections again in May and strongly hinting I should run. I dunno...I have to be careful what I commit to.I like Roxy's idea of mosaics 'breaking things and putting them back together for something different but attractive.' That's sort of like all of us with RA. Yeah we may be busted up but there is always the chance to put it back together, different, but still attractive.
Hold that thought.
If you do get into a crafting hobby you could sell your stuff on ebay. I know of a lady who makes bead braclets for fun and sells them on ebay. It is just a hobby. I have alot of beads and stuff to make braclets, I just dont have the time to do it now. Scrapbooking was also suggested by someone and that is a really fun and easy project to do. I love it but again dont have the time. I am going to get my daughter and two of her friends and their moms to start scrapbooking this summer. The six of us are going to make it our summer project. It is a great way to get all of those pictures out of the envalopes and boxes and into beautiful story books. I work on the computer a lot. I use photoshop and do digital
artwork. I really love editing photos and I do contests at
worth1000.com -- I can kill hours on that kind of stuff. As
long as my hands are functioning well.
I am also the queen of renting movies since I got sick. :)
Copyright ArthritisInsight.com