How do people spend their time when not working?

[[ne...]]

I long to work but I am too sick at the moment. I want to structure my day a bit,  but I am afraid to drive my car with my symptoms. I long for the intellectual stimulation that my work gave me. What things do people do when out of work? How do you pass time and keep yourself engaged enough to keep depression more manageable?

[[ne...]]

I'm in the same boat as you. I'm in awe of people who can or must work through all this. To fill the time, I love to read. I joined kindle unlimited and you can read an unlimited number of books from their library of thousands of books. There are times I find reading difficult so I watch tv and movies. There are also a handful of games I play on my phone which can take up quite a bit of time. My favorite time of day is when my youngest gets home from school. He's a teen so he always has interesting things to talk about. In the evenings my husband and I usually watch baseball and we're both interested in politics so, if you live in the US, there are daily dramas. All that seems pretty lame but it's all my poor brain can handle right now. Sometimes I do get so bored I can barely stand it. Hope you can find something you enjoy to pass the time.

[[Gr...]]

Video games.  Audio books.  Cooking.  TV.  Walks.

[[ne...]]

I am trying to do some -from home. I just run out of things to do, and I am too sick to do the things I really want to do. This is such a change of life.

[[si...]]

I spend a lot of time in bed.  We go lie in bed and watch tv around 10 pm. usually turn tv off around midnight and then i start trying to fall asleep. i usually dont  sleep  a lot but doze off and on  and finally crawl out of bed around 10 am.  Then i get on my puter and look at news and sports stuff until about 12-12.30. Thats mostly for some distraction and when my anxiety is usually the highest.  Then if i have errands i make my self go do them but most of the time i just force myself to go to the gym and walk for an hr or so. Just trying to get out  of the house for a while.  After the gym i come back home and usually lay in bed for an hr or so trying to nap and listen to breathing/relaxation tapes. after that i try to do some reading or get back on puter and  look at some of sites i look at regularly .  Mostly I enjoy college football. particularly the georgia bulldogs and i follow them on several sites. I also sspend a lot of time on facebook. I have a couple friends that i private chat with everyday on there .  I dont like much stuff on tv but do watch some of the  Alaska shows, Mountain men, etc and news.  I just try to be as calm and quiet as i can. Some days are so bad i just try to survive.  Thats when i have to spend even more time in bed.  Finally i have 6 active grandchildren  involved in sports and i try to attend as much of their stuff as possible. None of this is easy and i just have to decide what i can and cannot do everyday.  I  hope you can find some things to distract and help with the boredom!

[Guest [Fu...]]

I have the same issue and lately with light sensitivity can't really watch TV or go on the computer much and with the agoraphobia can't really go on errands or walks either. I'm past the point of going stir crazy.

[[li...]]

Initially during my valium taper I tried to do simple crossword puzzles, crochet, and listen to audio books.

I did some volunteer work that wasn't too demanding but still forced me to be accountable to others and

focus on other people instead of my symptoms. Next I started going on Ancestry.com and working on my

family history. I have Italian ancestors so that took up a lot of time. I spent a whole week trying to translate

a marriage record from Italian using Google Translate. Then I starting going back to the YMCA to do yoga.

Then I added riding bikes with my husband. Month by month I've continued adding things. I still have some

burning symptoms while trying to taper off Mirt but generally I am much more functional than I was even a

few months ago. Despite the lingering symptoms trying to keep as busy as possible has been a key for my

sanity and helping time pass more quickly.

[[Re...]]

Following... This is an issue for me too. I don't work and I'm not able to do much.

[[Ma...]]

I am a planner. 

 

Every day I make a list of things I want to do or have to do and then I work myself through it.

In the first weeks I did that exactly the way a doctor in rehab would do it. Exercising unit, meditation unit, "connect to other people"-unit, and so on. I made my own program to recover and I forced myself to do it, no matter what.

 

When my brain came back and my body was still too weak to do things, I learned new things, translated a book, watched 1001 DIY youtube videos and dreamt about how to do stuff in the future.. I learned how to cook healthy food, I learned meditation strategies and so on... (I LOVE THE INTERNET).

 

I am still not able to work - but every day has its structure. thats very important.

[Guest [su...]]

I am way to sick to go out....This is 4 months soon after my detox and my relapse was managable but I start to feel bad again. I wish I could do things. I paint mandalas if it is a good day. Watch Netflix and wait for this crap to stop....

[[Ma...]]

I am way to sick to go out....This is 4 months soon after my detox and my relapse was managable but I start to feel bad again. I wish I could do things. I paint mandalas if it is a good day. Watch Netflix and wait for this crap to stop....

 

I am still a big netflix and amazon watcher... I probably have seen everything there.. really... too much nights awake and days full of pain. thank god that we have the internet these days...

 

[[ne...]]

So, I have started volunteering from home. There are several sites that allow for simple volunteering acts from your computer--things like clicking on websites to make donations happen, or tagging photos for organizations. Today, I spent a little time learning to tag houses in earthquake zones, to help aid workers with sending out relief (a friend showed me the way to that one). This is helping the tiniest bit with my need for meaning. It's not easy. I am grieving a lot. I have big holes of pain to plug. but these are small steps, I suppose.

[[ti...]]

Dogs and kids will keep you busy!  I wake up early and walk the dogs, one at a time.  I have two. I go to the Y and swim, I take my kids places, skating, baseball.  It may be too late in the season now, but community teams like baseball and soccer are always looking for coaches so even if you don't have kids its something to consider.  I try to work out for a half hour three times a day. The dog walk, swimming, riding my bike, weight lifting, stretching.  There is always shopping, housework, yardwork.  I am starting to look for a job now too.  Just part time because we need the extra money. I am going to shoot for a telecommuting job with flexible hours so I can work around my symptoms.  Plus I spend a LOT of time on social media.  My kids laugh because THEY are supposed to be the ones doing that.

[[An...]]

I play video games, read, play on my tablet, go for walks with my dogs, watch mindless TV, color by number with Prisma color pencils- I love them and talk to my mother on the phone every day. I also pray a lot for a healing.

 

Plus I do take care of the house, cook, clean, laundry and take care of all our finances. Every 10 weeks I take the dogs to the groomers- they are poodles and I go grocery shopping every Friday. I am retired so I don't have to work anymore. Lucky in that department.

[[li...]]

So, I have started volunteering from home. There are several sites that allow for simple volunteering acts from your computer--things like clicking on websites to make donations happen, or tagging photos for organizations. Today, I spent a little time learning to tag houses in earthquake zones, to help aid workers with sending out relief (a friend showed me the way to that one)...

 

This is something I didn't know about newgrl. How do you find out about the opportunities?

[[ti...]]

I have two kids so there is work. It's unpaid work, but it's work nonetheless. But they are school aged. Right now I am transitioning to a new, ultra early school schedule which has brought about a return of insomnia and hot flashes.

I am actually trying to find time to look for work. My current project is going through and trying to find ways to cut expenses. Getting rid of phone line, cutting cable, pricing home insurance, etc.

I also take my dogs for a walk, ride my bike, swim, some strength training and stretching.

And I Netflix a lot. Keep up on politics via YouTube and Facebook.

Trying to get my daughter to the ice rink more often but it's such a long drive

[[Ar...]]

I take care of my kids..keeps me tired and run down due to lack of sleep but gives me structure.... Go for walks, do yoga, try to workout ( a little hard to do atm) Netflix is a savior.... I connect with people and friends...helping or even just listening to their problems seems to take the focus away from mine. I try to play video games but have been finding it kinda hard to do so lately...I also play guitar.Beaides those things I now (being stay at home dad) keep my house as clean as possible the laundry and dishes always done and I have started to do all the choresyself...that really helps occupy me...whenever I have a panic attack once I can move I start cleaning.

[[Ma...]]

I do a lot of research about healthy food and search the internet to find recipes, and cooking is exhausting so that after having cooked I can always nap...

[[ma...]]

1) Exercise is essential for me. If I'm OK I go to the gym or walk outside. If not, I do simple sequences at home - there are a lot on the internet.

2) Spend as much time as possible outside, even if only sitting or lying on a garden; catch some sun, it's good for depression and anxiety.

3) Read or, if I'm too tired, look for and watch good Netflix movies.

4) Organize my stuff - eliminating unnecessary stuff always makes me feel better; the more I throw away, the better I feel

5) Write a diary, as if I would one day publish the story - who knows?

6) Listen music or, if I'm really down, nature sounds on youtube

7) Plan my next vacations

 

Hope some of this helps