Five Hobbies to Try During Your Injury Recovery
Following an injury, especially a serious injury resulting in surgery, your calendar likely consists of lots of bedrest or light activity to ensure your body is healing well. While those first few days of sleeping and binging TV shows might be welcome, eventually, many injured California residents hit a wall. They’re bored. They’re struggling to move around. They just want something new to occupy the long hours spent recovering at home. Luckily, you can try all kinds of new hobbies during recovery that won’t disrupt your healing journey. Read on to learn about some of the most common hobbies to try during recovery.
Benefits of Trying a New Hobby During Recovery
There is always something comforting in the familiar. Your favorite Netflix show or your favorite book can feel like home when you are struggling with pain and movement following an injury. However, depending on how long your recovery takes, you may find your brain yearns for something different to stimulate it. Just because your body can’t be quite as active as it was before, doesn’t mean your brain has to be idle. Keeping your mind sharp by challenging it with a new skill or hobby during recovery can ensure your days are spent improving your capabilities and are different enough to feel like you’re making progress toward a goal, even as you’re on bedrest.
1. Reading
For some, reading is an everyday activity. Whether you’re a born reader or are just dipping your toes into it, reading new books can help you expand your knowledge and understanding of the world around you. Reading something new keeps you on your toes, so to speak, and ensures you’re engaging your mind throughout the long hours.
2. Art
Creating art is one of the most common and challenging hobbies many injured Californians take up during their recovery. You may dabble in sketching, paint on canvas, or even sculpt from clay. Whatever your artistic medium, the skill of making art is an excellent way to push your mind creatively and practice your dexterity with your hands. The best part? It doesn’t have to be good. So many would-be artists give up on art hobbies during recovery because they feel their work isn’t museum-quality. However, creating for the sake of it is equally valid and beautiful.
3. Woodcarving
If you prefer a medium that feels more robust, woodcarving can be an excellent outlet. Like art, learning how to carve wood is a skill that requires much practice and can challenge those that are recovering from injuries involving their arms or hands. However, creating practical instruments, as well as decorative pieces, can feel satisfying and help you feel as though you are progressing toward an end goal each time you carve.
4. Gardening
For those that aren’t necessarily on bedrest but still need a hobby that’s gentle on their body, gardening may be the right fit. This hobby requires patience, but the satisfaction of nurturing a living thing and watching it grow can give many injured people excitement and hope for their futures. Plus, there’s the added bonus of eating any fruits or vegetables you grow – a healthy and delicious way to fill your days.
5. Sewing and Embroidery
Whether you prefer the practical skill of mending or making your own clothes or would like to adorn existing fabric with beautiful designs, learning to sew and embroider is an excellent low-impact hobby to try during recovery. This must-have skill ensures you can make clothing last longer and you can enhance existing clothes to breathe new life into your wardrobe. Great for your dexterity, sewing and embroidery require some tools to start up but pay off in the long run.
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