Dealing with not working full-time, understimulated

Sounds like you have a bad case of cabin fever.

I hate being cooped up in the house. Since I live in Georgia the winter is very mild and summer is fast approaching. Already 85 degrees today.

I find that when I'm very restless I go to the movies or go window shopping.
Hobbies help too.

Thank you for the input. You all gave good suggestions.

I should have mentioned that my husband and I share 1 car. I don't usually have it during the day and driving isn't easy for me anymore. Lack of focus/makes me sleepy ... probably a whole other post topic. That said, I live in the Burbs with a great park in walking distance. But that's it. I go to the park often during the summer. Winter and Fall have me cooped up though. It's not walking weather for at least half the year.

I read voraciously, paint... I've been painting for about a year and getting fairly good. I love to paint and sometimes spend all day doing that.

I guess I'm thinking a lot about being outside. I LOVE the outdoors. I used to do horseback trips in the mountains every year. That isn't possible now because it's too painful. I really miss my outdoor time. A walk to the park isn't cutting it for me. I love nature and animals. I'm craving for scenery... and not the kind on my canvas!

We've been talking about moving to Vancouver. I love the ocean and the forest. Love sea life and Vancouver has it all. I feel bad for my hubby though because he is a home-body who has never lived in a different city than the one we're in. He's willing to move but I am aware of what a huge sacrifice it is for him. He has a group of friends here that he's known for a loooong time.

In the meantime, my social life is almost nil. Friendships are hard to maintain because of this stupid illness. I'm sure you are all aware. I have a friend here who is lovely. Her 2 kids call me auntie... that's sweet. I've known her for a couple of years. Other than that neither myself nor my hubby have family here.

I'd still be able to keep my current job in Vancouver. My hubby has to get a new job anyway because he got laid off from his 10-year position. We live in a province that has oil and gas as the main industry and tens of thousands of people have lost their jobs.

So.... I guess what I was really asking but didn't in my first post is; am I selfish for wanting to move? It took writing this post for me to admit that is really what I want.

It seems like perfect timing... I don't want to hurt my hubby though. I want him to be happy, of course. So now that I've admitted to myself and to all of you what is really on my mind; what do you think?

I email friends to stay in touch. Actually, it seems just about everyone is so busy these days that even those who don't have fibro have little time for outings. So maybe we're more on track than we know!

I think it's easiest to plan an outing on the spur of the moment, if possible. It's fun to attend things you can deal with (not a lot of walking, when not in much pain, etc..), but not always easy.

One thing I enjoy is doing phone work (prayer line) for our church. I phone 6 ladies when a request comes up. Sometimes, it's just a quick passing along the prayer request; other times, some people really want to talk!

Sometimes my husband and I will go to local fairs and events. Nothing far away, usually, and a nice chance to connect with friends and acquaintances we run into there. Summer and Fall are the peak times for that.

Maybe planning is the key---will there be much walking? Places to rest a bit? Things like that.

As for moving, who knows? Sherrine raises some good points. The other day my doctor said ideally it would be nice to move to a warmer climate with fibro. But as he added and as others here have mentioned, just because a place is warmer year round doesn't always make it 'the' place to be. However, I certainly have to remind myself of that when it's 30 below here, LOL!

Understand. I've been disabled since 1993 with my Depression. Haven't worked at all. I found some Volunteer work for a cause I am passionate about. I spend at least 40 hours a week with those activities. It keeps me occupied and I'm doing great things.