Escaping Pain through Hobbies

[Guest guest]

Escaping Pain through Hobbies - from The Neuropathy Association

http://www.neuropathy.org

Spielberg said, " Never lose your inner child. " Hobbies--avocations--are

the things we do because we want to, we love to. Wallace Stegner droned on

through workdays in the insurance business, but he wrote poetry at night to give

his life energy and purpose, and went on to become a renowned poet.

1. During those times when you are having a bad neuropathy flare and don't feel

like doing much, either you can do it anyway--and maybe that is the best thing

to do--or you can get involved with something you love. Maybe you work during

the day, so you must save your hobby as your after-supper evening treat. Let

yourself retreat. And then " re-treat " yourself often. A weekend is also a

wonderful time to become immersed in your hobbies.

2. A hobby we become passionate about today is often something we loved when we

were young. Figure out what appealed to you as a third grader and return to

those moments of contentment. Give yourself permission to enjoy whatever gave

you pleasure.

365 Tips is a weekly e-mail service brought to you by The Neuropathy Association

in cooperation with DemosHealth publications and author Mims Cushing. It is

based on and features excerpts from the new book, You Can Cope with Peripheral

Neuropathy: 365 Tips for Living a Full Life, by Mims Cushing and Norman Latov,

M.D., Ph.D.