Dad has always been an outgoing person with many hobbies.
He loved water skiing, management meticulously our lawn and pool, and travel. When mesothelioma has taken a toll on his body, he also disrupted leisure activities.
Not being able to do some of the things he had always liked affected emotional well-being of my father. He felt desperate.
In psychology and student council, I can completely understand the emotions that my father felt. Life had never offered him a dull moment - until he got cancer.
His social life took a devastating blow, and we could see all the effects.
Emotional Benefits of Leisure
During an appointment with the oncologist, the doctor expressed concerns about the mental well-being dad. Dad told the doctor that hopeless feeling because of his inability to do all the things he once enjoyed. He deeply felt the sadness of the situation.
Papa felt the impact of mesothelioma on her body and mind.
The doctor told him he should think about taking a new hobby. He said he had a new hobby would keep active, which could help him to feel better emotionally. In addition, the doctor said he could help Dad get his mind treatment and financial problems he was dealing.
Iron Chef Rick
Eating had become a struggle for dad during chemotherapy. Suddenly he could not tolerate most foods has already known. Curiously, it was a strange pear jam desire that sent a mission to explore a new hobby.
Nobody should adventure dad in the world of culinary arts. A rare opportunity, he took it to the kitchen, the results were usually disastrous. He made an average tuna salad, but he could not cook anything besides that.
Because no shop in Greater Cincinnati made canned pears, my father decided to learn to make their own jams and homemade jellies. If we could not buy something for him to eat at the store, why not do it at home?
Although I must admit it was strange to see my dad explore the kitchen, it was nice to see him busy. He found a new passion, and soon hundreds of jars occupied every square inch of counter space.
Shifting Focus Far from mesothelioma
improved the emotional state of dad allowed him to explore other hobby, he has not thought of before. When he felt up to it, he was playing cards with friends and family. He loved spending time with them, and I could tell that he kept his mind off of his health problems.
He began to read more and listen to radio programs during the day. He leaned back in his chair, a book cradled in her lap, with the lowing of the kitchen radio.
At night our family took while watching TV to a whole new level. Instead Dad silently watching his replays "Matlock" alone, we started watching game shows together. "Jeopardy!" And "Wheel of Fortune" have become nightly tournaments.
Some of the simplest things had a meaning quite different now. We are not just sharing space and kill time. We made memories.
Keep her mind occupied with new pastime seemed to pass his attention away from mesothelioma. He really enjoyed his new projects, and he raised the spirits of the rut dug his diagnosis.
Leisure have many advantages
Many articles on the web extolling the physical and emotional benefits of hobbies. But when people find themselves struggling with mesothelioma, participate in activities they always loved is often difficult.
Despite the challenges, changes speeds and find a new hobby can be beneficial for people struggling against cancer. Keeping the mind busy with recreational activities helps reduce stress, which can have positive effects on health.
A study published in the Japanese Journal of Clinical Oncology found hobby improved the quality of life of cancer patients and even influenced survival.
"Patients who had a hobby lived longer than those who had no hobbies, and increased the number of hobbies, the risk of death has decreased," the study authors have said.
The study included 398 women who had surgery for breast cancer, and explores a variety of factors reported to influence survival and alleviate stress caused by the disease.
factors identified as significant predictors of survival included:
- Having a hobby
- Number of hobby
- Being married
- Number of female children
- smoking
- alcohol consumption
Although the results are not necessarily all cancers, they show that leisure has important benefits beyond just passing time.
The study authors reported having a hobby can provide opportunities for social interaction that reduce loneliness and sense of isolation. battle with mesothelioma my father so agitated these difficult emotions, and I could see that his hobby really helped to manage.
diagnosis of my father prevented him from doing some of the activities he loved once, but he had no problem finding a new hobby, he was capable of. His hobbies kept active, and he found them physically and mentally rewarding.
I do not know if the pastime played a role in the survival dad. What I know is they breathed new life into him, and certainly put a smile on her face.
