Creativitiy and relaxation

Good morning Medfree!

You are so correct that activity can and does help keep our minds off of the pain to a degree. I happen to use several things….cooking, chat, my puppy, tv….and a host of others. It's not easy to do at the higher levels of pain…..and I suppose that is where BT med's can help a bit.

One thing that is important, is that we get some sort of exercise, as the body is not meant to remain idle for long periods of time.

Thanks for sharing with us!

SE

I would like to chime in here -- about the general idea of how to distract oneself from pain.

When I can't concentrate on work because of the pain, I've started to turn to video games.

I bought my first video game machine about a month ago (Xbox) and have found that I can play for a few hours at a time, engrossed in the game, quite disconnected from the pain. It may be less tranquil and creative than crocheting, but for those looking for a distraction, it is another option to consider.

These may be more suited to men, but shooting games from a few years ago such as Half-life 2, Bioshock 1 &2, Gears of War 1&2, etc. can offer some very cheap distraction -- roughly $15 each, for 50-100hrs of play. I started with Half-life 2 when I got the machine, and after 50+hrs of play I am only about 3/4 finished it.

Also, for light exercise, we have the Kinect device and I enjoy the bowling, darts, golf, ping pong and other sports when feeling better. The rest of my family loves it for the dance games. I believe yoga and tai chi are also available.

…Cogito!….I never thought about video games…..might just give it a try! Thanks!

This is a prime example of why members need to stay engaged here and share their ideas! Good Stuff!

….and Medfree!…Thank you for starting this thread too!…Good Stuff as well!

SE

Medfree,

I can see what you mean about tension due to the action in the game, but it hasn't been a problem for me. I can't play Kinect games for long and some I simply cannot do -- such as one driving game because I can't raise my left arm without it causing problems. But the standard shoot-em-up games are great for me. One game I also played is called "Portal" it is also very engrossing but not as stressful as the shooting games.

Another genre that may work well is role-playing games. "Skyrim" is the current hot one. My guess is that they can be similarly engrossing but won't cause the physical stress that the more adrenaline generating games might.

Even games for tablets and smartphones (such as angry birds) may be a good distraction.

It might be a good idea to have this as a "talk about", asking that members list what they have found that helps distract them from pain. My father, who until recently was bedridden from pain, enjoyed music and I bought him a satellite radio, which he immensely enjoyed. That or an internet radio is a great option for more elderly folks.

Chartreux, I use to do counted cross stitch I love it.

I just purchased some silk yarn, its weight is fingering. It's like string. I tried putting the skein into a ball and it knotted up. So I'm looking into how to deal with this. The yarn is beautiful and multi-colored. I'm going to be making a cowl neck scarf.

Cognito, I don't know how to start a talk about. Good idea. Could you do that?

Thanks all.

Monty's Mom where do you buy your silk thread? I ordered mine from Mr. Yarn. But it comes as a skein. My b/f helped me wind it onto a paper towel roll. Then we placed that on a paper towel holder. What do you use? It does get knotted up so easily. But I love the material.

Lace tablecloth sounds so nice. I know what you mean by counted cross stitch. I wouldn't want to do all that counting any more.

I thought I'd answered here, must have closed without submitting...

I've just started doing counted cross-stitch, also making a big hook rug (rather bigger than I expected... I read the dimensions as 27x40cm ... what a surprise when it arrived and I realised it was actually 27x40 inches. LOL) and as many of you here know already, I make teddy bears.

I also play a lot of games on iPad because I can use it even lying flat in bed.

I agree with everyone else - thanks Medfree

Laura