Edited 28/4/21
Taking time out for pleasurable activities
After a traumatic event many people are feeling tired and stressed, and they know that their daily struggle isn’t going to be over any time soon. Disasters often disrupt routines or activities that have given people pleasure and a sense of control in the past, and people often don’t make as much time as they used to for fun things. These recreational activities might have been sport, clubs or classes, walks or bike rides, visits to a favourite cafe, board games with the family, or regular get-togethers with friends. Sometimes the disruption to recreation activities comes about because the places where they were held have been destroyed or cannot be accessed for reasons beyond your control, or because club members have died or moved away. For some people, the grief and shock of the traumatic event, and the overwhelming task of recovery and rebuilding may have led them to withdraw from the activities or not make the time for the things they used to find pleasure in.
After a traumatic event many people are feeling tired and stressed, and they know that their daily struggle isn’t going to be over any time soon. Disasters often disrupt routines or activities that have given people pleasure and a sense of control in the past, and people often don’t make as much time as they used to for fun things. These recreational activities might have been sport, clubs or classes, walks or bike rides, visits to a favourite cafe, board games with the family, or regular get-togethers with friends. Sometimes the disruption to recreation activities comes about because the places where they were held have been destroyed or cannot be accessed for reasons beyond your control, or because club members have died or moved away. For some people, the grief and shock of the traumatic event, and the overwhelming task of recovery and rebuilding may have led them to withdraw from the activities or not make the time for the things they used to find pleasure in.
Things you enjoyDoing things you enjoy is good for you. Doing activities that are enjoyable is very important as a way of gaining a sense of control and purpose in life, and for giving pleasure. Indeed, one of the most successful ways of improving people’s mood, giving them a ‘lift’, and restoring a sense of control, is to increase their activity, create routines, and increase the number of positive events in their lives. When lives are unbalanced by a traumatic event, finding a new balance between work and pleasure gains importance. Pleasurable activities are important for our health, and for our connections with other people. It is important, too, that people have more positive experiences than negative experiences
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Time out to socialiseSo, take some time out from the endless paperwork and the huge job that lies ahead, and give yourself permission to do some of the things you have enjoyed in the past – watching a DVD, kicking a football, going out for a bush walk, or just playing a game of scrabble. Try to plan ahead so that you’ve got things to look forward to. Try also to make sure that some of the pleasurable activities also involve enjoying your social connections with others. This is a great combination. Sometimes it can be easier to talk and share with people when you are busy doing something together.
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Taking a breakYou may find as you start picking up some of the activities you used to enjoy before the traumatic event, that you’re not enjoying them as much as you used to. This is very normal, and not a reason to give up. Sometimes after very traumatic experiences people’s ability to enjoy themselves is diminished for the present. One important way in which you can help is by doing things that help to rebuild some normal routines and a sense of wellbeing. And when you ‘down tools’ for a while and take time out for a bit, you will probably pick up again with time to re-evaluate and adjust to a changed world.
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