Hobbies are known as activities that one engages in for fun and relaxation, but not related to an occupation.
Prior to my illness, I had a few hobbies that I really enjoyed, most of which involved being outside and playing with my kids. Backyard baseball, softball, basketball, football, fishing, and swimming kept me busy while providing quality time with the ones I loved most. I also enjoyed reading, mostly Nicholas Sparks, and writing poetry. It's no secret that having hobbies can be beneficial when living with a chronic illness. Anything that can help take your mind away from your symptoms is well worth it. For a while, I was able to keep these hobbies after my diagnosis. However, in the past year, some of my hobbies have been changing. My symptoms have been in a whirlwind. Constant nausea, abdominal pain, and fatigue keep me from being able to actively engage or enjoy my once valued hobbies. As much as I love the idea of going outside and playing ball with my kids, I just don't have enough energy, not to mention the other symptoms. Knowing how important it is to relax my mind and focus on other things besides my body, I have searched and searched for new hobbies. I would love to say that I crochet and knit. I actually welcomed the idea and my husband purchased a load full of yarn. The yarn is neatly packed in a box beside my recliner. I downloaded countless youtube videos and went crazy pinning craft ideas on pinterest. I was so excited and had great plans. I was going to create scarves, beanies, little animals, etc to donate to the children's hospital and sell to raise money for Gastroparesis research. Unfortunately, I have not been successful at learning how to do any of this. For some reason, I couldn't stay focused what I was doing. Hopefully, one day I can add this to my list of hobbies. Sometimes reading or watching movies are hobbies for me. It just depends on how my day is, symptom wise. If my symptoms are low, I can become engaged in the storyline and find real enjoyment. Even finding myself lost in the story, feeling all the emotions of the characters. I love it when that happens. I wish reading and watching movies could take me away from my everyday symptoms more often. I would like to say that researching and online advocacy for Gastroparesis is a hobby. In some ways it is. Creating T-shirts, creating videos, blogging, FB messages, tweets, etc are all ways that I try to escape the way that I'm feeling and help improve the overall prognosis of living with Gastroparesis. I find the information and knowledge insightful, while also enjoying the connections and friendships that are made. Attending my daughter's softball games are also a hobby of mine. I loved playing softball, throughout my years in school, and seeing her play brings back many fond memories. I love watching her play, she makes me so proud. Yet, sometimes it takes all of my energy just to get there. It would be nice if I said that going to her ballgames, helps hide and mask my symptoms, but sadly that's not the case. While enjoying being out and being at her game, I still have to battle the abdominal pain and nausea, which the heat increases. I also have to be extra careful not to become more dehydrated than I already am. Yes, I enjoy the time and will continue to push myself to attend the games. I'll just need extra rest the following day. Listening to music has become a new hobby of mine. I never really listened to music, unless I was in the car or my husband was grilling out. However, now I spend hours of the day listening to the music with my ear buds. I have gained an appreciation for contemporary Christian music. Artist such as Matthew West, Josh Wilson, Tenth Avenue North, and Chris Tomlin are a few favorites of mine that help me relax. I may not have many hobbies, yet the ones I do have keep me going from day to day. New ones will surely arise eventually. Maybe one of yours? Now that you know more about me, I'd enjoy hearing from you. What are your favorite hobbies and why?
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Trisha BundyA proud mother, educator, Gastroparesis & GI Motility Disorder Advocate, Like my content? Want to thank me with a small token of appreciation? https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1LH7R639ORBML?ref_=wl_share
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