Hello everyone and welcome back, I am so delighted that you are here!
Today we are going to talk about rest and relaxation and why it is essential especially for us with illnesses.

What kind are you?

They say that there are two types of relaxation.
1. The ones who needs to do all the chores first if not they can’t relax relax.
They probably grew up watching their parents doing chores before they relaxed. Or was being told that chores and/or homework needed to be done before they got to rest. They probably are people who feels like they rest better when the house is tidy.
It’s also a possibility that they have been growing up in a cluttered home. And then promised themselves that they are not going to end up the same way.

2. The ones who needs to relax before doing the chores.
They probably grew up watching their parents relax before doing chores. They probably are people who has figured out that they get more done buy relaxing first.
There’s is possibility that they grew up where chores and/or homework needed to be done first and struggled with it. There is also a possibility that they grew up in a cluttered home and simply adopted that lifestyle. They probably have the mentality that “it’s not that big of a deal”.

Which kind I am.

I was the type 1 relaxer. I couldn’t really relax unless the room I had planned to relax in was tidy.
Of course I procrastinated often (and still do sometimes) on doing the chores. I ended up on the couch scrolling on my phone.
Even when the whole house was tidy and clean. I often find myself being restless and looking for things to do.

My man on the other hand is more the second type of relaxer. He prefers to relax before doing anything. The argument he is using is: “If I relax before I start doing stuff. I would have more energy to do the stuff. And maybe even be capable to do more stuff”.
Not easy to argue about that statement.
It should be noted that often times when “we” relax before doing anything we often end up doing nothing.

Fibromyalgia and relaxation

Why do I talk about relaxation? Well, after being diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, and been learning about it. I have learned that relaxation needs to be one of the top priorities for us with Fibromyalgia. With that I had to reprogram my brain and start thinking it’s okay if I don’t get everything done. My family and myself included need me to be in the best form I can be.

So to all of you who struggles with different kinds of illnesses, remember this! Both you and your family need you to be in the best form that you can be. And sometimes (maybe often) that means the chores has to wait. There is nothing wrong with taking time to relax.

With us being in constant pain and our nervous-system is on high alert all the times. We need to priority rest and relaxation so we can be our best self. I have found that it helps a great deal to have hobbies that can be done while resting.

Things to do while resting

Many of people have the need to do something while we are resting. I am one of them.
And after smartphones and Social Media came around most of us end up doomscrolling.
Luckily there is other options out there that can be done while resting. I am going to make a list of things that you can try. I will tell you the ones I use. I love them for specific reasons.

• Reading
• Knitting
• Embroidering and/or cross-stitching
• Jigsaw
• Scrapbooking
• Crochet
• Sew
• Learn a new skill
• Writing
• Drawing/sketching/painting

These are some of the things I found while googling “things to do while sitting down”.

I love to read books and I read all the genre except crime (unless it’s Agatha Christie or Sherlock Holmes). I have at least one book with me at all times, if not two. And I always have at least two or more books that I am reading at the same time. The mood dictates which book I am reading at the time. If you are a reader you know what I am talking about.

One year ago I got the impulse to try and knit a cardigan for myself. Since then the yarnstock is getting bigger and I have something on the knittingneedles. Also I am allergic to wool so I am knitting with cotton, bamboo and linen. I am going to try and knit something with Mohair yarn. Since it’s from the angora-goat and therefor more a “hair”-type of yarn instead of wool.

My latest finished knitting project. A sweater for my son.

I will write more about my hobbies in a different post.
There I will go more in to depth of why I find these hobbies so restful. How it all started (if I remember of course, some of them I have had since my childhood).

Did you find any of this interesting or helpful?
Do you want to know more about this topic?
What hobbies do you have?

Love
Emilie Cathrin