Yay! Hobbies!

So, being stuck at home most of the time can drive a person to do some weird or crazy things. Or in my case, to severe boredom. This can be a definite bad thing for those who have to live with me. Believe me, I can make a person go from happy to annoyed in under 10 seconds if I try hard enough. Still not sure how my husband puts up with it. Guess it's just part of his job of being married to me.

To keep me from being a nuisance, I try to channel the energy and creativity into different projects. Before PsA really took hold of my body, I was a fairly active person. I could get up and go wherever I wanted or needed with little or no problems. If I felt the urge to go to the local library and spend the day lost in the aisles, I very well could. I didn't have to plan out how long I could be away before I would have to use the restroom or if I would have to take medications. I wasn't a very sports-oriented person. Although I do enjoy watching them on television, I wasn't involved in those activities. But if I wanted to go to the park and walk around or engage in some form of exercise, I didn't have to pace myself. I didn't have to worry about paying for all that activity the next day either.

Looking back, I can see where I was forced to discover other ways of keeping myself out of trouble. I still write (obviously) and read any time I get a chance. My greatest love is the written word. It has helped me through a lot of dark hours when all I could was hold a book in my lap. My output has decreased due to the way my hands are now as well as the fact I was trying to come to terms with my brother's passing. Since I was homebound a lot of the time, I turned my attention to crafts that I could do while sitting. With the PsA in my feet, I'm not able to stand for long periods of time. My hands are more deformed than years past but I can still get them going if I push myself. I found myself doing cross-stitch projects to keep my fingers and wrists limber. It wasn't long until I learned to crochet. For many years I had wanted to learn how to knit and/or crochet. I think the homemade blankets, scarves, etc are so beautiful and made with large amounts of love. I just had to learn!

I was tricked into crocheting, if I'm going to honest about it. A few years ago, my husband and I went down to one of our local department stores to pick up a few things. I decided to get another cross-stitch project. You know, to keep me out of trouble. My lovely other half decides that he's going to get a few skeins of yarn, some crochet hooks and a guidebook on teaching one's self to crochet. Of course, I should have known that he didn't have time to really sit and crochet. He did tell me about his aunt's projects and it piqued my interest. So I ended up playing around with the guidebook and presto! I began crocheting. It wasn't until a couple of years ago when I finally decided to learn more than just the basic stitches. Just last year I figured out how to do granny squares and almost have making hats down. It's not easy at times with the way my hands are, but I will admit that it keeps them moving.

To keep my mind moving, I often play games online that test my memory and the like. Sometimes I go for the mindless games but I like to challenge myself. When we have the money, my husband will often get a book of puzzles or logic problems. We'll take turns with book, working on the puzzles until we get frustrated with them. It just helps keep my mind from going all foggy. I mean, the brain fog is bad enough. I want to keep it from completely taking over. Within the past couple of years, I've also began to work on my family history. I've flirted with the idea since before my brother passed. It's just become a true interest and passion recently. In my family, there's a handful of people that have done a tremendous amount of work already. I am hoping to contribute a little if I can.

What do you find yourself doing to keep busy? Do you find it helps to have something to do? I know that there are a great many who have PsA or fibro who still work, have children, etc. But I think you have to have something that you alone enjoy. Something that makes it all worthwhile some days when the pain, stiffness and depression are too much. In my heart, I honestly think that if I can keep my mind distracted from focusing on the pain, I don't that bad that moment. I don't have to take as much medication and feel all wonky. Hobbies can be a great way to keep us active, physically or mentally. Take time for you. Do something to make you smile at least once in a while.

Until next time,
Kay