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  • Simple Joys for Patients Living with Pulmonary Fibrosis

    Posted by Charlene Marshall on August 10, 2018 at 6:04 pm

    Living with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is hard. Regardless of a patient’s age, disease stage(s), treatment options or length of time since diagnosis; there is always a mental, physical and emotional impact of this disease on the patient. Due to this, it is important for patients to identify and seek out small moments of joy whenever they can to balance out the difficulties of this disease with happy moments.

    Last October I wrote a column about finding joy when the weather keeps you stuck inside, but what about when weather doesn’t play a factor? It is still important to find small bits of joy whenever possible in our lives. I’ve recently compiled a list of simple things that make me feel good physically and emotionally, and also bring me joy without exerting much mental, social or physical energy. They are also activities that have low, or zero costs associated with them.

    These are tasks that can be done any time, and (almost) anywhere. See below for my list of things that bring me joy as a patient living with IPF:

    • Enjoying coffee on your own or with a friend. A good up of coffee or tea usually makes me feel better, and more often than not, I enjoy doing this alone on a Saturday morning. Sometimes it is nice to enjoy this activity with a friend, although I find the most joy in doing this on my own in the mornings. I also love drinking coffee from a mug, as opposed to a to-go cup or thermos, which usually happens during the work week.
    • Having a warm bath. Not only is this relaxing, it is also good for you and thoroughly enjoyable if you had some epsom salts or essential oils.
    • Taking a break from being constantly connected to the world, and turning off your electronics. This is pretty self-explanatory, however, it is only something I’ve recently started doing. It brings me a lot of joy to just leave my devices for awhile, and enjoy doing something that is not electronic, such as crafting or reading.
    • Take a nap. Why young children fight afternoon naps is beyond me — this has recently become one of my favourite things to do, and I feel quite refreshed after a short nap in the afternoon.
    • Enjoy a movie night with warm blankets, pillows and maybe even take out: after a long week, it is not uncommon to find me bundled up on my couch with a number of different movies lined up to watch. It gives my mind a break, and physically is comforting for my body to be amidst warm blankets, pillows and comfort food.

    What are some simple tasks that bring you joy despite your IPF/PF diagnosis? If none of these appeal to you, I’d encourage you to give some thought to what simple tasks you can do (free of costs, and physical/emotional/mental exertion) and practice them regularly.

     

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