Tips for Maintaining Hobbies While Having Muscular Dystrophy

Everyone has a hobby that they enjoy doing, whether it be singing, dancing, drawing, writing, reading and the like. While there are a lot of people who can cultivate their hobbies without obstacles, there are some who are not able to work on their pastime because of certain reasons. Specifically, people who have muscular dystrophy have more limitations and more challenges with doing what they truly enjoy. Although muscular dystrophy doesn’t totally stop anyone from performing certain tasks, this could easily discourage patients since they are prone to muscle exhaustion if constantly faced with a continuous stimulus.  

Despite this, there is still a way for people with muscular dystrophy to enhance their hobbies without compromising their health. Since they tire easily, their routines must be changed altogether. Adjustments in their lifestyles are highly focused on when dealing with this condition, and many aim to preserve as much energy as possible--however, this could easily stop someone from pursuing their hobbies. Here is an easy guide for patients and caregivers to help maintain doing what they enjoy to do:

• Timing: It’s easy to get engrossed when getting involved with a favorite pastime. While this is fine for most people, patients with muscular dystrophy must take note of their time. It’s very common for these patients to get preoccupied easily, and sometimes, they’ll only stop doing their hobby when they realize that they are already exhausted, which is dangerous. Patients should have a timer by their side to remind him when to stop for a break. However, every patient has their own limit, so their break time varies.

• Taking breaks: Although this could disrupt a person’s flow, he or she should still consider taking a break. Cultivating one’s hobby is important, but preserving one’s health is much more essential, especially when he or she has muscular dystrophy. Taking breaks can significantly alleviate the soreness in a patient's muscles, and it can also make a person feel refreshed. Breaks could vary in duration. As long as one is fully rested, he or she could continue doing his hobby again. 

• Using technology: Now that people can take advantage of today’s technological advancements, one can incorporate such development into their hobbies. No matter what type of hobby a person has, he or she can find a particular software application or gadget that they can use to make their pastime convenient. This is a great way to not only develop one’s hobbies and skills, but this could also make everything else simpler, which is favorable for patients with muscular dystrophy.

• Organizing space: Arranging one’s supplies and tools for their hobbies can definitely make things efficient. A person with muscular dystrophy should be able to work on his or her pastime without wasting too much energy. So, finding an efficient method is crucial when it comes to preserving energy. People with muscular dystrophy should be able to have their own space where they could easily locate their things without too many steps involved.

• Prioritizing hobbies: A person with muscular dystrophy should be able to prioritize his or her hobbies according to what they value and enjoy the most. Because their time is limited, they should make a list and designate a particular time for each hobby that they would like to cultivate. In this way, they can follow an organized flow of activities without affecting their health.