Thing Number One - in
December I wrote about four activities that I can do that are meaningful -
audio books, internet (FB and e-mail), writing, and music/flute. These are not equal in time spent (music
isn't a lot of time), and I can't over-do it on the computer. So, I'm thinking, thinking, about what I can
do that's not on the computer. The
"what I can do" is the tricky part.
It's ok to come up with something from which I need to take a break -
that's a given. So I'm looking around
our house, and thinking.**
Thing Number Two - my last
piece was about my Vision Therapy (VT), and how to progress. One of the things I talked about was
motivation; how to make home therapy meaningful, so that it doesn't feel so
tedious.
I decided to come up with
a list of activities that I could print out, and refer to - I'm thinking this
will help me stay focused.
1) Using a young reader's
book - I have, for example, some Henry and Mudge books that work well for this.
2) Letter squares - these
are from VT. There are different
activities I can do with these, and this could actually be fun.
3) Using my iPad
4) Looking at sheet music
5) Using the piano
keyboard - I've found that because of the "stripes" of the keys, and
positioning, this functions as an exercise on multiple levels.
6) Playing my flute a bit
more, various things I can try - spatial, visual - I have to remember this is
good for me on multiple levels.
I may come up with some
other stuff, but this is a decent start.
Not everything - obviously - is a new activity. But it's about how I think about it. When I
use my iPad, I can listen to audio books, so once I get past the log-in, etc.
this is an activity that takes more time.
The other activities, for now, do not take more than a few minutes. However, they all feel better than
"doing exercises," which is, I realized, important with long-term
rehab. Everything is connected, builds
on everything. So I'm going to see how
it works if I put in a little bit here, and a little bit there. See how I can structure my rehab; the self
discipline can be difficult at times.
I'll still do regular,
titrated exercises. And I may have days
when I can't do much that's on this list, but hopefully there will be at least
ONE thing I can think of that I'll be up to doing. I don't want to feel fragmented, which is a
potential problem with too many little bits, so I'll have to see how to put
this all together. Hopefully at the end
of each week, I can look back and say "yes, I did this," or
"yup, I did that." Each little
bit counts. The most important thing is
for me to remember that all of this helps me move - slowly to be sure -
forward. Forward towards what is
currently missing for me. Can't get more
important than that. Especially since moving forward ties in, I think, to Thing
Number One.
**After posting this, I realized I could spend more time listening to music. I don't have to actually WATCH every YT video, because I don't have to be facing the screen. I also have a lot of John Denver podcasts (my FB friend Willie does a great job with these), and I'm not even missing any visuals if I don't look at my computer. And of course, I also have my trusty iPod.
**After posting this, I realized I could spend more time listening to music. I don't have to actually WATCH every YT video, because I don't have to be facing the screen. I also have a lot of John Denver podcasts (my FB friend Willie does a great job with these), and I'm not even missing any visuals if I don't look at my computer. And of course, I also have my trusty iPod.
Listening to music is a start; not overdoing it on my
computer is a challenge, but it's important.
Hi Tamar! I too have both vision and vestibular issues as well as Vestibular migraines.. I was diagnosed with Amplyopia as a child so I have convergence issues. I have also been diagnosed with Bilateral Vestibular Hypofunction which I have started VRT for. The most challenging part is the vision exercises and they really create havoc with my system. It is nice to know I am not alone with these combined difficulties and I have enjoyed reading your blogs. Thanks for sharing your story, it has helped my mindset today which sometimes struggles with this whole journey.
ReplyDeletethank you for reading, and for sharing that! I'm glad my blog has helped you, and your comment helps me :-) ... yes the rehab stuff can be SO challenging...
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