MS and the power of hobbies

It’s a beautiful morning. As I sit here, through my window I can see the bright, blue sky with the sun shining brightly. It makes me feel happy and optimistic. And it makes me want to get outside. I’m now planning a trip out in my wheelchair this afternoon in the fresh air and amongst nature, while the weather is so nice. Which is one of my hobbies now. I can’t wait!

If I’m honest, having MS in my life isn’t always easy. I’ve had – and still do experience – some very down or ‘dark’ days. Sometimes, it’s been hard to think of anything other than the negative ways it’s affected me. Unfortunately, the MS is here to stay, and I don’t want this to become my permanent way of thinking. So I’ve had to find ways to live better with MS, so that it fits into my life as just one part of it, rather than being my main focus. One of the ways I’ve been able to do this is through keeping busy, both physically and mentally, to focus my attention on the positive.

Living alongside MS

I’ve realised the best way to live with MS in my life is to live alongside it, whilst not giving it my whole attention one hundred percent of the time, or thinking about the negative aspects. I’ve been focussing on filling my time with as many other things that I enjoy as I can possibly fit in to my days – without getting to the point where it exacerbates my fatigue, of course.

One of the ways I’ve been working on this is by getting busy, doing things that work for me, today. Even if they’re not the same things I would’ve done before I was affected by MS. And it’s worked! I now find that I’m having to decide between which of my hobbies I feel like doing, instead of sitting around dwelling on my symptoms or pointlessly watching TV, or scrolling through social media.

A different approach

Along the way, I’ve had to learn to take a different approach to keeping busy than I used to. 

For example, my main ways to keep fit and active used to be walking and swimming. But fatigue and mobility issues now mean those are difficult for me to do. However, I can still experience the joy of being outdoors and in nature by using my wheelchair to get outside. If I’m feeling up to it, I can even get out and push my wheelchair for a short way so that I get some exercise. 

In the same way, I can go swimming but stay on my back and use my arms to move. (I can’t swim the conventional way I used to anymore because one of my legs refuses to kick and I find myself going around in circles!) All movement is exercise and, more to the point, it’s good for me if I’m doing something I enjoy.

My mental health is benefitting as well as my physical health.

Rediscovering old hobbies

Another thing I’ve been doing is taking up an old pastime of mine, which is playing the piano. I’ve been playing since the age of two, and it was a big part of my life growing up, involving lots of practising and exams. I even became a piano teacher a few years ago for a short while. But for many years it was sidelined as a hobby and I rarely thought about it. I’m very happy to say, though, that in the last few months I’ve been playing regularly, purely for my own enjoyment, and I’m loving it. 

I also love reading, but I‘d noticed that I hadn’t even felt inclined to do that. So I’ve become a member of a book group that meets online and started to read much, much more. The problem I have now is that I sometimes struggle to find enough time to read!

At Christmas, my eldest daughter introduced me to crochet, having recently taken it up as a hobby herself. At first, I was very doubtful, because I tried and failed at crocheting when I was younger. But I persevered, and I’ve made great progress in just a couple of weeks. 

I’ve discovered that crocheting has multiple benefits. Not only do I enjoy the process of doing it, but it makes time pass quickly because I’m completely absorbed in it. It’s also given me a huge sense of achievement because I kept going and have managed to improve a lot. And I can make actual things, perhaps presents to give away or items I can donate to raise money for MS (once I’ve had a little more practise, of course). It’s given me a new purpose.

Living life to the full despite MS

I’ve found that hobbies are a great way to keep the mind active in a positive way. And if you can factor in something that keeps you physically active as well, then great. But most importantly, I’d say the key is to take up things you enjoy. I’m now on the lookout for my next hobby. 

I’ve realised that many of the activities I love the most are solitary. But I don’t mind, because that’s what I like doing and it means I can keep doing them even on worse MS days when I can’t get out. However, as I’ve heard that being sociable is also good for mental health and wellbeing, next I’m going to try joining a group.

My focus nowadays is to fill my time with activities I enjoy and to stay busy. I would highly recommend hobbies as one way to help keep those negative thoughts and feelings at bay, and to live life to the full despite MS. It may be worth a try – it’s certainly been invaluable to me.