Novel Patient » boredom

Art Therapy

Novel Patient — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 01:38:30 +0000

It’s hard to stave off the boredom that sets in when you are sick all the time with multiple chronic illnesses. I have hard time focusing for long on things like TV and movies. I can’t read for hours and hours like I used to. The brain fog gets in the way. And as big of a computer nerd as I am, I can only spend so much time on it. So I have to find other ways to fill my time, and I mostly fill it with arts and crafts.

I have a huge passion for scrapbooking! I do it almost everyday. I even do it from bed to conserve energy which is in short supply lately. My caregiver Melissa is also obsessed withscrapbooking , so she helps me with the things I have trouble with. Cutting straight when my tremor is bad or my the arthritis in my hands is acting up. Not only doesscrapbooking give me something to do, it’s extremely therapeutic to exercise my creativity. I’m also making something I will treasure forever. It can be bittersweet looking back on times when I was healthier and just plain sadscrapbooking pictures from long hospitalizations, but its a part of my life and it’s good to remember. The good and the bad and the in between.

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I spend a lot of time in my room being ill, so I also enjoy making items to decorate it with. Over the last few days Melissa and I decoupaged my lapdesk I use to put my keyboard and mouse on while I work at my computer from bed.

Finally I enjoy painting. I usually use watercolor-colored pencils because they are neat enough to do even from bed. I like to paint things that symbolize my internal process. It helps me process the experience of living with a chronic illness. My often abstract and surrealistic art makes it more tangible. I think this one I did earlier this week speaks for itself.

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Keeping Busy in the Hospital

Novel Patient — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 21:40:35 +0000

As I round out a total of TWO weeks spent in the hospital with this kidney infection nonsense, I thought I'd take a moment to share how I've kept myself from going insane with boredom. My first line of defense is and will always be the computer Share

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A Moment

Novel Patient — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 01:13:47 +0000

Laying here. Trying to stave off boredom. The IV goes drip drip drip. Slow ironic poison. Hopeful poison. Poisoning my attacking immune system for a better future. The oxygen tank hisses. Keeping my headache and blue nails at bay. T Share

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Post tags: boredom, headache, moment, novel, oxygen, poison

Busy Busy Busy

Novel Patient — Wed, 20 May 2009 04:52:37 +0000

In an effort to stay constantly busy and stave off boredom (every Novel Patient's ultimate enemy), I tend to take on a lot of projects. And lately I think I may have taken on a few too many. I tend to have a hard time finding that balance between Share

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© Novel Patient for Novel Patient, 2009. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: atrophy, balance, boredom, brain, Busy, Diseases, hard time, mind, novel, patient, question, stress, wasting my life