Bed rest can mean anything from reduced activity to being confined to a hospital bed. Bed rest can be prescribed for a number of different reasons. Seniors may be stuck in bed due to ailing health, and you may be prescribed bed rest after recovering from surgery or for pregnancy complications. In order to make bed rest easier, there are a few things you can do and some products to invest in, such as the AtHand® adjustable overbed table.
Keep Your Sanity: Being on bed rest can be a lot like running a mental marathon. You want to surround yourself with positive people and not those who are going to be bring you down. Negativity can be contagious. Pick your favorite song and visualize some happy moments and memories. If you don’t have a lot of friends or family nearby, you can use Skype or FaceTime to have some people to talk to and not go stir crazy.
Add Structure: Plan each day so you have something to accomplish. This can be paying bills online on a certain day of the week or shopping online for necessities. Still try to wake up at the same time each day. If you are able to shower, plan out your shower days. Make your day and night routines different. Use a different pillow during the day and change out of your pajamas during the day. Then change into clean pajamas at night to indicate that it’s time to go to sleep.
Accept the Help You Can: When you are on bed rest, you will need all the help you can get. Don’t say no when someone offers to help. You may have to relax on your standards a bit when it comes to household chores and just go with the flow with the way other people do things.
The Right Products: Find products that can make your life a little easier. The AtHand® adjustable overbed table can help you keep what you need within easy reach and provide additional storage. It can give you a place to do some work, prop up a tablet to watch TV, or even give you a convenient place to store your electronics. Body pillows and bed rest pillows can make sitting up in bed easier and allow you to read or be more comfortable watching television.
Create a Sanctuary: Staying stuck in the same place all the time can be rough. Create a mini sanctuary so you feel safe when you are having a tough time. This can be a colorful blanket, a favorite pillow, or a fancy smelling cream. Use a whiteboard with positive quotes for motivation.
Laughter: Laughter can be the best medicine. Use Netflix or another subscription service to watch some comedy. It may be hard to dive into books, so watch something that will make you laugh and keep you distracted.
