Ways of quietly resting
 

Hi everyone,

I looked for a thread like this but couldn't find one, and figured it might be useful. Quiet rest is touted around here as the best medicine for recovery, but with lots of anxiety for many of us, doing absolutely nothing is tough. What are people's strategies for quiet rest? Any particular activities that you find useful in occupying the mind just enough from getting too anxious, but not overworking it?

Manual tasks and activities are likely the best way to occupy a PCS mind without over-stimulating it. The hands can not work faster that a struggling mind can tolerate. Things like knitting, playing solitaire with real cards, practicing a musical instrument (not drums), and a variety of hand crafts give the brain quiet stimulation.

I'm sure there are plenty of activities others have used to occupy their minds safely.

I went on a baking binge when I first got my concussion. It was the only thing I enjoyed doing. Avoid complicated recipes with lots of details or ingredients. I enjoyed making cookies, cakes, and brownies.

A work-around that may help with long recipes is to pre-measure all the ingredients into separate containers like you see them do on TV shows. This will prevent wondering, Did I add the salt already?

I'm cracking up over here because I totally do that! I remember ruining a few loaves of bread recently because I kept forgetting whether I had added yeast.

Another thing that works for me is immediately putting away each ingredient after I add it, like sticking the milk back in the fridge or the salt back in the pantry. When my counter is empty, my dish is ready for the oven. :)

I was about to add a similar tip but the pre-measured ingredients also addresses the "Did I already add 2 or 3 teaspoon fulls ?" Adding ingredients directly into the mixing bowl can be a counting challenge for some of us.

I use a 'move the item from one end of the counter to the other end' system sometimes.

Laupala,

Hi. I find using my hands to be very relaxing. I make jewelry and the twisting looping braiding parts become hand memory and my brain is chillin.

A few weeks ago my family made egg rolls and I found wrapping them very relaxing.

I also like looking at pictures on my iPad or phone. Pictures don't bother me like looking at other things. Doctor said it involves a different part of the brain. There are many websites with a huge variety of pictures.

I hope this helps.

Jace

I did a lot of coloring while I was recovering. Buy the biggest box of colored pencils or crayons you can find and Google "coloring pages for adults" or "mandalas to color free."

I also spent a lot of time walking outdoors (weather permitting).

Other ideas:
*take a bubble bath
*do your hair in some fancy way
*give yourself a manicure and/or pedicure
*download a guided relaxation podcast and listen to it
*fill a bird feeder in your backyard and watch it
*pet your dog or cat
*get sample perfume cards from stores and smell them to see how the fragrance notes change over time (got that one from Jane McGonigal of SuperBetter)
*practice meditation (podcasts available for this as well)

I would recommend Flickr.com if you like pictures, some great stuff on there for everyone.

Oh my, I'm laughing about the adding the salt business...do it all the time, can't tell you the number of times I've either forgotten or asked myself did I put this or that in a recipe.

Also, will walk away from putting something in the oven and completely forget about it, have even put a sticky note on my forearm to remind me and forgot it was there :)

I do the same thing... I have to do what Mark said and pre-measure everything... I will also do the same thing in the shower with shampoo...

When using the stove, set the timer for 5 minutes. Then, when you walk away, the longest you will be away is 5 minutes. Reset the timer each time it goes off. You can also get a pocket timer and carry the timer in your pocket so you will always hear it.

Premesuring and the timer is great!

I'm going to start a meditation class soon. I'll Write a review.

Other things to calm my brain:

-folding laundry
-petting the dog or cat
-sitting on the couch looking out the window
-resting on the patio listening to birds
-crocheting beads on socks for little girls
-sitting in the sun soaking up some vitamin D for a bit
-short walk
-short nap
-bath

Jace

Oh shoot....of course, thanks Mark, put the timer on, forgot there was one!!

and yes, the shampoo in the shower...did I already do that or what, total confusion, I try to place the bottle somewhere completely different so I realize yes I've already used it.

I also copy recipes then check marked the step i just did so I could mark where I was in the recipe. I know--short term memory!

These are great suggestions. It's so good to know we all have ways of living full and meaningful days.

:)

I've seen you guys mention painting mandalas a few times on here and then today I saw this video and thought it was neat. I've not tried it... I've honestly not been able to get into any of these types of things, but this one does look more interesting than some.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7u7...&feature=share

As for the shampooing your hair issue... the only thing that has worked for me is to immediately shampoo my hair when I get in the shower and leave the shampoo in my hair while I wash the rest of me and then rinse everything at the end. As long as I have shampoo in my hair, I know I've washed it. If I rinse it right after I soap it up, I will end up having to soap it again because I can not remember if I did it or not.

I worked with my OT for months trying different strategies before we finally settled on this one (I know it sounds stupid, but this was an ongoing problem!!). We tried moving the bottle to a different place after using it, but I share the shampoo with my husband and he often puts it different places, so I'm used to it being in odd places.

We tried drawing a smiley face on the shower curtain with the suds after I had used the shampoo (she often uses this strategy with her younger clients) but I found that because our shower is on the small side, it often sprayed off before I was done and then I had no reminder.

We even tried putting the bottle of shampoo outside the shower after using it but then part way through my shower I had already forgotten and would think that my husband finished the shampoo and didn't put in a new bottle and it caused problems that way. Talk about poor memory! :o

So, just leaving the shampoo in my hair has worked consistently! Sometimes the stupidest, seemingly simplest things can just trip you up! LOL!!

Starr

I'm so glad that I'm not the only one who forgets whether I washed my hair. I also used to forget if I had even showered in the first place, but I can usually remember that now.

Brushing my teeth still trips me up, though. I probably brush them like 4 or 5 times a day since I can't remember lol.