One Handed Entertainment

Very recently a good friend of mine broke her arm in a fall. I haven't been able to call to see her cause she's in another city but from our online chats, and texts I can tell that she is already super bored of sitting still. Just before Christmas my brother was also in an accident and ended up getting in cast on his arm too. He was equally frustrated with sitting around and waiting to heal. So I thought that I would list a couple of things that you can do one handed that would keep you a little entertained. Most of these suggestions are gender neutral but some will be more for the ladies...

Try out a new nail polish. Prettify your toes. When you are feeling kinda yuck and icky because it's a pain in the ass to take a shower without getting your cast wet at least you can look down and smile at your pretty toes. I recommend good quality cling film to keep your cast dry or one of these shower sleeves if you don't have someone to put on the cling film for you.

Make a personal cookbook out of all your favourite recipes.  You know all  of those great sounding recipes that you have been bookmarking for ages? And those family favourites that you keep meaning to write down and put somewhere safe? Well now is the time to get through it all. Make a scrapbook style book, or type them out and print out your own cook book.

Write letters to far flung friends. We all have friends who have emigrated. Spend a little time writing them a thoughtful letter. There's nothing quite like a hand written letter to make someone feel special. The content is a little irrelevant... it's the significance of sending something that you took time out of your day to created that counts.

Pick out your favourite TV show and re-watch those box sets. I remember visiting Mr. T when he lived in the wilds of Connemara, without any TV or internet connection. While he was at work all day I entertained myself by watching all six seasons of Sex and the City. Sure... you might get fed up of hearing the theme tune after the first 15 episodes but you get to live in the shoes of your favourite characters for a little while again. 

Start a new book series. Buy them online and feel excited when the postman arrives. I love getting a parcel from the postman and knowing that I can't get stuck into a new book until I get home from work drives me crazy... You're off work... you can get stuck in right now. I recommend The Book Depository for their free shipping policy and the fact that they send each book out separately so that you don't have to wait for any order that is currently out of stock.

Start a tumblr or pinterest boards of all your favourite images. All of those pictures that you love to look at and that inspire you... will probably inspire others. Imagine how cute you'll feel after spending a whole afternoon looking at pictures of puppies and kittens, and other cute and wonderful things. Create a collection of images to inspire your next holiday, once you get all healed... or your ideal house interior... or your favourite pieces of artwork.

Catch up on your blog reading... or start a blog. I lived without internet connection for the Christmas season and when I got back online in the New Year I found over 2,000 blog posts to catch up on. Whew... I've only managed to clear them in the past week or so. While you're off work you can browse through all your favourite blogs, leaving comments and checking out links to your hearts content. 

Most of all remember that your friends are there for you. You are not a burden. If you need help with something... however mundane... just ask. Don't fill your day by eating junk food or drinking soft drinks... you will not heal quickly unless you feed your body good, clean food. Get a little fresh air every day. Ask the people who bring you a lovely bunch of flowers to put them into a vase and onto a table so that you can enjoy looking at them. Get plenty of sleep. Try to keep a good routine... you will have to go back to work at some stage and you don't want to have to reset your body clock from spending countless nights online and watching TV. Let people know that you appreciate the nice things that they are doing for you. Don't moan to the people who visit you about how crap your life is... there will always be someone worse off than you. But don't feel like you can't talk honestly to your friends about feeling down about your situation. Do your physical therapy exercises. 

Hope you feel better soon!