Tag / Hobbies

by Jana Rawling

The Suicide Disease

Let’s Not Accept that Label

Pain management is critical for living a hopeful life with CRPS. We use and we try various medications and treatments, but the pain is relentless. We have sleepless nights and excruciating days, but we can persevere. There is hope.

My first suggestion is getting a Dorsal Root Ganglion Spinal Cord Stimulator in addition to a Neurontin, and other supportive medications as prescribed by your physician. High-quality CBDs work as well.

Joyful Distractions for Living

All that said, we can fight depression and suicidal thoughts and tendencies with distraction. There are so many ways to distract ourselves from the pain.

A Few Ways to Distract Ourselves:

  • Exercise: Move those CRPS limbs and strengthen muscles surrounding the affected area. This will help prevent Atrophy and Dystonia.
  • Entertainment: Watch positive movies, TV and videos. Staying positive helps our bodies to recover from the pain. Watching negative (death, violence, etc.) shows stresses our bodies and we can become anxious and depressed.
  • People: Friends and families give us relationship and fellowship which we need as human beings. We are made for relationships and community. People can offer us love and care.
  • Pets: Having pets gives us joy. We often laugh and play when we have pets which works to heal our bodies, minds and spirits.
  • Hobbies: Find one if you don’t have one. Take pictures, write, sing, dance, play… and do it like nobody’s watching. Anything we can do to keep our minds busy can help reduce the pain.

Get Creative

Whatever you do, unleash your creativity. Being creative unquestionably gives life meaning. When we have a reason to live for the living, we are less likely to fall into hopelessness.

Be safe,

Jana

P.S.: How do you distract yourself? Please, let me know in the comments.

Photo credits:

Sergey Shmidt on Unsplash | Gaetano Cessati on Unsplash | Jonas Vincent on Unsplash | Manuel Meza on Unsplash | philippe collard on Unsplash

by Jana Rawling

Filling Time

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My distractions lately… Here are some recent sculptures drying. I’m still not sure how I will finish them after they are fired in the kiln. They will have crowns on their heads.

Finding Distractions

Distraction is a key component of my life with pain. It helps me with pain management, and it helps psychologically to keep me from focusing on the dis-ease of CRPS, POTS and PNES symptoms. I’m alone a lot of the time as well, so distraction becomes a pretty good friend.

One of the things I do is make art, and I love to sculpt the human figure. I just finished a couple of pieces that I plan to design and sculpt tiaras and crowns for. I plan to finish about five of them for an Expo early next year.

My conceptual framework for the pieces is that we are all precious treasures. We are a royal priesthood of princes, princesses, kings, and queens as children of God (Check out Revelations for more about our eternal future as Christians born again.)

Regardless of the religious aspect of the work, I want to show people that we are important as humans on earth. We each have a kingdom, or our sphere of influence, that we rule and reign for. We lead others, whether we are aware of it or not. People watch people and learn from them.

It’s time we “own” our position as royalty with love and care for others. It’s time to teach people how we want to be treated. And to live a more effectual life that fulfills our calling and purpose.

Okay, you got me preaching… I’ll stop and just say that it’s great to find a passion for something that also distracts me from the pain.

Have a low pain day,

Jana

P.S.: Fill your time doing something enjoyable. Do it for you.