After an operation or stay in hospital, the recovery time at home can feel like it drags on forever. Patients often look forward to getting home and having time to themselves, but they don’t consider their limited mobility, pain or fatigue, making it harder to do some of the things they had planned. Here are a few suggestions for activities you can do to keep you busy and stop the boredom.
Read
Set up a little library of books or magazines you have been wanting to read but haven't had time before. If you run out of paperbacks, ask someone to pick up some books at the local library. You can reserve them online or read the library's book and magazines online using your Kindle, phone or computer.
De-clutter
While it’s probably not wise to get down on your hands and knees to clean out the bathroom cabinet soon after surgery, there are less strenuous forms of de-cluttering you can do. Our home computers and phones can easily become cluttered with old emails, files, programs and apps you no longer need. Set yourself a task of deleting anything you don’t use and create a folder system to make it easy to file everything so you can find it at a later date.
Plan a Holiday
A holiday can take a couple of hours to weeks of planning time. Now is the perfect time to do all your online searches and calls. Write out your itinerary, look up Trip Advisor, blogs and websites for activities to do on holiday and book your accommodation and transport. Nothing puts you in a good mood like thinking ahead to your next holiday in a great location. If you are going with friends or family members, share your research and offer to help with their bookings.
Make a Photo Book
Sorting out the family photos is one of those jobs that we are often (years) behind in. If you are like most people, you take plenty of photos and download them to your computer never to be seen again. Get organised by making sure you have an adequate backup system in case the worse happens, and your computer or drive is lost, stolen or corrupted then choose a photo book company and start adding your favourite photos. You could make a book of your last holiday, your child’s birthday, a year in review or a wedding anniversary present. Your printed book will take up a fraction of the space of a traditional photo album and look great on the coffee table.
Do Some Brain Games
Just because you can’t move your body as much as you might like, there’s no reason for your brain to stop. Keep your mind active with a crossword or Sudoku from the newspaper or magazine. If you enjoy doing jigsaws, now is the perfect time to get out that huge puzzle from the back of the cupboard. If you prefer to go online, play Scrabble, Yahtzee or any other game or app that appeals to you.
Of course, if you run out of activities to do, there has never been a more guilt-free time to binge watch a TV or movie series.
HIF Hospital Cover
With five levels of hospital cover, you can choose the one that suits your requirements. From basic cover for accidental injuries and minor surgeries to top level private room cover with all the bells and whistles, it’s your choice.