NOTE: Please copy and paste into Google Translate to
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I've said before that I know playing a flute isn't
something everyone is striving for, but I believe that a lot of what I'm
working on and trying to figure out is applicable for whatever kind of rehab
goals people have.
I feel, in a way, as if I need to approach flute playing as
if I were a beginner. OK, not a complete beginner, learning to blow into the
mouthpiece, but still very basic given how long chronologically I've been
playing. My brain needs to learn new
routes, new habits that work well for me, rather than going down well-worn routes
that did not. I also need to do some reintegration
post trauma - the trauma of getting sick.
So what am I actually going to try to do?
It
isn't all about actually playing my flute - some of the activities I do impact the skills
I need for flute playing, so even if I'm not playing my flute, I'm still doing
something that counts. Standing and
washing a pot, or looking through my local paper is relevant. There's a lot of activities that incorporate
important balance/vision skills.
Timing
matters - it occurred to me that I need to play my flute - or do
anything challenging for that matter - when I'm fresh. So I don't play when I'm getting tired. Doing anything difficult when I'm running out
of gas doesn't make sense; my brain's not going to absorb learning well when
I'm tired.
Making
sure I DO my rehab exercises - this means figuring out at
least a rough schedule of when I do things.
When new things are added, I have to see what works for me, so I'll
actually do whatever I need to do. And
some of my exercises actually make sense to do before I rest; sleep is the best
way for my brain to absorb and learn these kinds of new skills.
Joyce has commented that sometimes she recommends
something and then her client doesn't do it.
Dr. Margolis has talked about this as well, and I've seen comments about
this on FB groups. When you get to the
point that you can do your homework, you've really got to do it. The good part about doing my exercises is
that I feel like I'm doing something positive for myself, which is good since doing
rehab is at least a part-time job. In my
opinion, it's more demanding than many paying jobs!
Don't
go that route again - Back when I first started playing sheet
music again, I tried to move forward too quickly. Neurologically speaking, I have a combo of
functional and not-so-functional skills, and my brain needs to get the message
that new functional stuff is the way to go.
I need to build my reading skills back up, reworking what wasn't working
well before. I also need to rebuild my
posture and VOR skills (this is partly about where my body is in space). This requires some awareness so I can adjust
when I notice something that doesn't work well.
Routines - I
have, and still am, developing some routines which help me remember what I've
done re rehab. I'm also more likely to do my exercises with
this kind of structure. Even with breaks
or pauses in between, it works better for me not to do all my challenging exercises
at once.
Teaching
myself - a flute student often has weekly lessons, so I said to
myself "OK, so you're your own student." My goal is to put in one small bit of
challenge once a week. I may do the same
challenging bit for a month - four times over four weeks - before I move
on. I don't know yet. The way I see it, I think I can figure on at
least one good enough day each week. I
don't need fabulous days, just good enough days.
I'm not going to treat myself like a complete beginner,
but I will do something that's basic. This
is frustrating, but I think it's the only way for me to be successful. I'll need to be flexible re figuring out when
to add in a new challenge, or when it's a good day to do that something.
Curiosity
-
This is a tough one, but I'm trying to notice, be aware of how something feels,
in more of a curious way rather than getting scared and anxious. Getting anxious is easy, but usually just
makes the situation worse. If I can be mindful and notice something, then hopefully I can try to adjust.
And I might even notice something positive.
