BY: Jennifer
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When I was a teenager, I never had too many hobbies. I think that I liked to bake, but that was about it. As I got older, I lost interest in it because I never thought there was a real reason to do it. Why bother? I would ask myself. Was there any reason I should be doing it? My answer always came up no, so I gave it up. It was only when I had become ill did I begin to realize the importance of having a hobby.
Distractions are an incredibly important part of dealing with pain. Stress from the pain will just keep compounding on top of other stressors, and distracting yourself with something to do, like reading a good book or watching your favorite television show, or even coloring, will serve to take your mind off the stress in your life, if even only for a little while.
Why Do You Need A Hobby?
When pain comes over to play and decides that it wants to take up residence in your body for a while, we begin to ruminate over it. This is something that I have always battled. If the pain is severe, I will sit on the couch, balled up, crying over how much it hurts. Don’t get me wrong here; a good cry can be very cathartic every now and then, even therapeutic. But we cannot let ourselves slip into that same pattern every time the pain comes back. We’ve got to do our best to fight back and rally against it.
The best possible way to do that is to do something. Within your limits, of course, but we must find something to keep our minds busy. There are many things we can do to occupy ourselves, even when we are laid up in bed. As I bide my time until my next pain management appointment, I’ve come up with a list of things to do. Feel free to click the links – some take you to specific products, while others share instructions on how to get started doing these things!
Some great options for keeping busy include:
CRAFTS:
✨Knitting/Crocheting✨
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✨Scrapbooking✨
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✨Card Making✨
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✨Origami✨
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✨Sewing✨
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✨Make Jewelry✨
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✨Color✨
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✨Paint✨
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✨Sketch/Draw✨
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✨Quilting✨
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✨Diamond painting✨
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✨Pottery✨
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✨Felting✨
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✨Macrame✨
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✨Cross-Stitch✨
WRITING:
✨Poetry✨
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✨Journaling✨
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✨Writing music✨
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✨Creative writing✨
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✨Blogging✨
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✨Fan-fiction✨
PUZZLES:
✨Sudoku✨
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✨Wordle✨
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✨Logic Puzzles✨
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✨Riddles✨
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✨Jigsaw Puzzles/3D Puzzles✨
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✨Crossword Puzzles✨
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✨Nanograms✨
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✨Word Searches✨
MEDIA:
✨Video Games✨
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✨Reading✨
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✨Watch TV✨
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✨Watch a movie or a funny video✨
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✨Audiobooks✨
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✨Listen to a podcast✨
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✨Take a virtual museum tour✨
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✨Vlogging✨
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✨Browse the internet✨
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✨Join an online support group✨
AROUND THE HOME:
✨Indoor Gardening✨
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✨Cooking✨
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✨Baking✨
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✨Spend time with pets✨
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✨Watch the birds✨
MUSIC
✨Playing an instrument✨
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✨Listening to music✨
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✨Singing✨
PHYSICAL MOVEMENT:
✨Breathwork✨
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✨Tai Chi✨
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✨Chair Yoga✨
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✨Gentle stretches✨
OTHER HOBBIES
✨Tabletop games/RPGs✨
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✨Upcycling items✨
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✨Call a friend or family member (or FaceTime them!)✨
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✨Photography✨
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✨Meditation/Positive visualization✨
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✨Stargazing✨
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✨Learn a language (like from DuoLingo!)✨
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✨Take an online class✨
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✨Meal planning/recipe research✨
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✨Volunteer remotely✨
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✨Collecting items✨
When we decide to distract ourselves from the pain, we are choosing not to give the pain any power over us. We aren’t going to let it win. In doing something, we are also gently guiding our minds away from the pain and onto something else.
For my chosen hobby, I’ve taken up creating jewelry. It’s something that I adore doing, even when I’m not in pain. But I always make sure to have my beads close at hand so when the pain is intense, I will put my mind on creating a new piece of jewelry. Some of my best designs and inspiration even come out of the pain that I have experienced.
Oh, and that attitude I used to have of “Why bother?” I finally realized that I’m doing it for me, and that’s what matters!
Did we miss any? What are some ways that you like to distract yourself? Let us know in the comments!
Jennifer has been a writer for over a decade, writing everything from blog posts to buying guides. She is the author of the 2015 book, “Positivity In Pain: Finding Joy & Happiness Despite Chronic Pain.” She has written primarily for parenting websites like What To Expect and Moms.com and currently writes for PassportHealth.com. She founded Positivity In Pain in 2008 after realizing there was a need for support and help online.