There are numerous reasons why you might find yourself confined to your bed for a period of time. The most obvious are those regarding health; an injury or illness that means you have to follow doctor’s orders until you’re back to your best.
The idea of being on bed rest sounds, to the average busy person, pretty ideal. Bed is the space we all love; that we have to reluctantly drag ourselves from every morning, and leave behind when we go to work with a forlorn last longing glance. How could bed rest – staying in bed because you’ve been told to! – ever be a bad thing?
What at first feels like a luxury has a tendency to soon feel stifling. Being confined to a single room becomes boring; you find yourself wanting to get up and about, just see something different. While there is an element of enjoyment to be found in a period of bed rest – especially if you are usually always on the go – it’s not quite so enjoyable when you have to be there.
So if you find yourself in a situation where your life is going to revolve around a bed and not much else for a period of time, here is a simple guide to ensuring you stay comfortable both mentally and physically for the duration.
Get Comfortable
Whatever it takes; get comfortable. If this means you have to buy enough pillows to feel like you would never need to buy pillows again, then buy them. Actually, you might find that sofa cushions – which have less give, and are thus more supportive – are more comfortable than standard pillows.
Get Access
If you’re going to need to entertain yourself for long swathes of time, there’s only so much TV you’re going to be able to stand. It’s wise to look right here and choose yourself an overbed table, which you can use as you would a desk. This opens up comfortable laptop usage, as well as giving you the option to write, work crosswords, or just rest your smartphone when you’re feeling sleepy.
Get Smart
One of the biggest issues you may face when it comes to bed rest is the ever-present threat of pressure sores. You need to ensure you’re moving every 20 minutes, alleviating the pressure on any one part of your body. Pressure sores can get painful, fast, so if you notice any discomfort then it might be best to invest in a support pillow to keep them at bay.
Get Company
While it might seem strange to host company while you’re effectively in a bed, it’s worth battling through the strangeness so you can still see your closest family and friends. You can dress in normal outdoors clothes and use a throw rather than a duvet, to help you feel more presentable and less like someone has disturbed you in your bedroom.
Bed rest is tough, but hopefully by following the above, you’ll be able to get through it with a minimum of boredom and discomfort. Best wishes for a speedy recovery!
Thanks Christy… thankfully not had any extended need for bed rest although by Friday’s I do feel I could use a few days.. However, my mother when not well would wear her pink frilly bed jacket and hold court… xxx
Your comment about your mother certainly created an image! Thanks Sally for sharing the post on your Friday feature ~ Very kind! And may we enjoy a good rest in bed tonight after another busy week xx
As nice as bed rest can sound for some of us, lol, it can become tedious, so great ideas Christy, :) xo
I certainly hope I don’t have to be bed ridden anytime soon – doesn’t sound like much fun.
Play Scrabble or Chess with a pal, actually anyone who loves playing long mentally exercising games. :D You may even find you have a pal you didn’t now you had. :D
Great post, whilst bed rest sounds like a nice way to spend a day.. any more than this and I think I would definitely be climbing the walls! Great tips on how to keep sane throughout! X
Exactly! It sounds nice in theory.. Cheers to staying sane in a crazy world! xx
I will always cheers to that 😊xx
I am more of ‘sofa’ person when i have to take a rest. Somehow i feel bed is meant only for nighttime :P
Bed rest really is tough. I’ve never been good at it.
My friend recently went through months of it during a high risk pregnancy.
I’ve found bed rest to be quite difficult (at least when heavy meds after an op have worn off..!) Knowing you’re not well and needing a day in bed is the hardest I think, so you’ve given some great tips! :)
Caz x
Awww Caz, thank you xx
Great “Get” tips Christy.
I will try to use them for better recovery :)
Thank you
Being forced to rest is, indeed, a very different thing to choosing to rest. One really needs to be kind to themselves. Especially busy people, like me, who struggle with state of mind after sitting around for too many days! After two years of being “forced” to rest, I have to recognize the signs of going down the rabbit hole and preventing it!
I don’t want you to go down the rabbit hole so be kind to yourself! And I love that you call yourself “rawandcompletelybeautiful” <3
Thank you 😊 💜
I haven’t read a lot of tips about this, so thanks for this post!
Abby
Great post. Be smart section is very nice. Because it represent our sensitiveness.
I have to say, if you need help with the last one just let me know :-)
Haha ~ I knew that last paragraph would create some comments ;)
Great tips and post!
The last section made me giggle.. :D Great post, CB… xxoo
Haha I thought it might ;) Thanks for being here, Aqui! :) <3
My pleasure, honey… xxoo :D <3
https://superduque777.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/suec3b1o.jpg
Exactly ~ No words needed :)