Fun: are you getting any?

Clients often look at me as though I'm speaking in a foreign tongue when I ask them what they enjoy doing. What they do for recreation, and pleasure. Whether they have hobbies, or interests, activities they do just for fun. Perhaps I've lost you, too...

It strikes me that fun is an important, if not crucial, component of recovery and life generally. Research suggests that those of us who are fortunate enough to have things we enjoy, and time to engage in these, are likely to report better quality of life. Hardly surprising.

What is surprising, worrying even, is how little time we spend enjoying ourselves.

Fun, smiles, and laughter are all good for our health. Doing things we enjoy, and things we are good at, are both equally important. Pleasure and mastery fight depression and other ailments.

I have deliberately introduced fun into my life. I am who I am because of my friends, and some of my closest friends are my 'fun police'. They too realise the importance of having fun, and we make sure to make time to do so.

There are certain things I try to do every day, as basic maintenance, which enables me to maintain a sense of balance, and purpose during my waking hours. Then I have things I do weekly, or at least several times a month. These give me a sense of progress, and are markers I plan ahead, and organise, as celebrations of achievements, or things to look forward to. Finally, there are some things I maybe do only annually, which also form part of my 'fun' routine. Holidays and breaks away from my usual routine add to my motivation, and provide me with opportunities to both reflect on what's been and what's yet to come.

So, I cycle and I swim.

I read things that interest me.

I practice yoga.

I buy flowers when I visit the supermarket.

I get my hair cut and my toenails painted.

I keep in touch with people I care about.

I get to the cinema, and to the theatre.

I drive to beautiful places.

I visit art galleries and exhibitions.

I enjoy drinking tea with friends.

I travel to different parts of the world, with different climates (and, in particular, good snow).

And, I think about what I'd like to do on my next day off...

No one said that life was easy. No one said it was meant to be miserable, either.

Comments

Table. Apple. Penny.

Whilst there were several places I might have been that morning, I wouldn't have been anywhere else. The practitioner from the Memory Service arrived promptly. I liked her instantly. Mum was nervous. I think I was a little, too. It's been a difficult year. "It's Friday, it's the fourteenth of December and I'm at home..." No problems there. CAMCOG, or the Cambridge Cognitive Examination is a thorough assessment tool used to assess the extent of extent of dementia, and to assess the level of cognitive impairment. The standardised measure assesses orientation, language, memory, praxis, attention, abstract thinking, perception and calculation. "Table. Apple. Penny." Three everyday items that were introduced at one point, and then referred to again later on. Again, Mum was able to recall each. I am reminded that the...

Glass half full? Glass half empty? Or perhaps the glass is broken

I am, constitutionally, a glass half empty gal. I will always first acknowledge what I don't have, what I have lost, and what it is that I am seeking. I tend to overlook my strengths, concentrating only on those bits of me that are underdeveloped or weak. I refer to myself as a realist, but in doing so compliment myself and insult those who genuinely are simply realistic. My modus operandi is to identify what's not working and acknowledge this before seeing more clearly what functions perfectly well. This has its place: I edit others' written work pretty well. My fastidious attention to detail serves me, and the author. Accuracy counts, for me and I have an excellent memory. I can remember a great many of my sessions with clients verbatim. Even this asset is something I can, and do, diminish the true value of, by concentrating on 'I should have said...' or 'why didn't.... occur to me during the session?' Earlier this we...

Pausing in the sunshine

And so, chemo is over. My best friend's diary has been chocker... Line cleans, blood tests, scans and 18 weekly doses of the gruelling treatment itself. Summer seems at last to have arrived and with it, we hope, some time, peace and space. She is, we acknowledged over a rather yummy luncheon served to us beneath the beautiful canopy of creepers and climbers at Petersham Nurseries, an inspiration. A small group of us gathered to celebrate her forthcoming marriage. The sun's rays joined the warmth we all have for this very special woman. Warmth and, in my case at least, pride. It is the greatest privilege to call this woman my best friend. She continues to epitomise my understanding of grace. Our bodies are fragile things. Our minds are frailer still. In her composure and wisdom, she possesses an outlook I can only aspire to adopt. From you, dear Charlotte, I learn and I learn and I learn. The ...

The Reward is the Journey

Search This Blog