If you are laid up form having major surgery or have to be on bed rest during pregnancy those of us who have been there can tell you how quickly the hours become tedious. I scoured the internet for articles on things to do while bedridden and over half the list was about watching television. I’m not a HUGE fan of television. Having taught my children to find something else to do besides watch television I wasn’t about to become the ultimate hypocrite right in front of them. This list is short. It is short because it is useful, comprehensive, and will consume a great deal of your time.
My motto is that you are never “out” of school. Life is school and there is always something new to learn. I’ve tried to compile a list of useful, mostly free, and legitimate life skills that one can do while reclining and recovering. So without further ado…
- Learn how to design your own website. Lissa Explains it All is an excellent place to for the very ignorant to start.
- Learn/Practice how to draw. My personal favorite book is You Can Draw in 30 Days. I’m sure there are drawing lessons for free online somewhere but since I already had the book…. well… I’m taking advantage of it.
- If you like to cook and your recipes are scattered at various websites across the internet now is a good time to print and compile. I use a three ring binder and slip the recipe in a page protector. Don’t forget to organize it as you go! Or you can collect recipes and make a gift cookbook for friends or family. You could do the same for any kind of paper document that you need to have on hand. Make a bill folder, a house hold notebook, a calender…
- Explore an entirely foreign idea to gain understanding. This is an area only you can pick out. (e.g. I don’t know much about Indian culture (India) but I know a lot of people from India that now live here. Understanding the history, traditions, and the social norm they grew up in can really give some insight.) Send someone to the library or learn online. The world is at our fingertips now! No excuses!
- Everyone could always use a grammar brush up! Grammar Book is an excellent place to read and take a few quizzes to test your knowledge and all for free! I just used it to find out the difference between using i.e. and e.g.
- Do Pilates on the parts of your body you are allowed to use so you don’t lose your strength and stamina. Did you know Joseph Pilates actually created his exercises for bedridden patients?
- Learn how to crochet, knit, felt, tat, weave, bead, embroider or any other skill similar that you can do while sitting. This may cost you but the tutorials to learn online are so numerous!
- Mend wardrobes… sew those buttons back on that have been missing for so long!
- Write… in your journal, a letter, a poem, a blog, in calligraphy, to improve your handwriting, a story… you get the idea.
- Sharpen your brain and learn more at a websites like Khan Academy. The possibilities are endless so no more whining that you don’t have anything to do. Buck up and learn something new today!!
