Creatively coping with chronic pain
March 19th, 2011 -- Posted in EZ-blog Oven, knitty/stitchy, pain / disability | 1 Comment »This a post I have been working on for a very long time (almost a year actually!), so it seemed fitting to post it after a long “hiatus” of being unable to post (has it really been 4 months?). Let’s just say it’s been a stressful and painful holiday season and aftermath… I’ve had a difficult time coping with the pain lately, which means sitting up at the keys and having enough brain-power to be verbal is a much more rare occasion (this while already having to pick from my few waking hours of the day when not involved in eating, stretching, family care, driving, resting, icing, heating, and moving very slowly around my small little paths in the world!).
My creative methods of coping with pain have always there in the background so I really wanted to write about it… every time I create a card or bake something or work on a home decor project, it is very heavily impacted by my pain. But the message I want to send is that you can still be creative despite of your limitations. And not only that but it can help turn you around and distract you from your pain and take you away from your pain…
 A compromise: using a cake mix, but still making my own icing. Taking the time to ice the cupcakes, but only a few at once, and doing it seated. |
Work within your comfort zone, go at it very slowly and cautiously, and you can still create… The projects you see here in my blog were not each created all at one time. I have a very different schedule and routine, but I’m slowly able to still piece things together. And I have found that to be very worthwhile! The life of a chronic pain patient is very much like a scarf or quilt – you may only be able to make very small rows or blocks at a time, but they eventually add up into a larger whole that is noticeable… and beautiful. |
I have always been creative, so it’s no wonder it has been something I’ve clung to, even through this difficult time of coping with new spinal injuries, chronic pain, and relentless headaches.
