The disabled are under tremendous pressure to lead a normal life in spite of the physical challenges they will have to face, while doing so. For many, life becomes one long stressful experience that they have to face day in and day out. One of the reasons why they are unable to relieve all this stress is because they are unable to come to terms with their disability and secondly, they’re not exploring new avenues that can provide them with the much needed stress relief.

Let’s take a look at 5 ways disabled people can relieve stress and stop themselves from worrying about their disability all the time:

1. Take up a Hobby

Reading, Philately, Listening to Music, Cooking, Blogging, Writing, are just some of the many hobbies that you could take up. Most people love doing something specific, something that gives them a lot of pleasure, but if your disability has made you forget what was it that you loved to do, think about your interests and preferences. Ask yourself, which is that one activity that will keep you occupied for hours, energize your mind, and help you forget your disability and its associated challenges. When you identify that activity, make sure you indulge in that activity at some point of time in the day. This should be your ‘me time’, wherein you engross yourself in your hobby. Forget the world around you and all your troubles while indulging in your hobby. A hobby is a stress buster like no other.

2. Learn Something

Don’t allow your disability to come in the way of your learning. If making the rounds of a school college is not something you can do, zero in on one out of the many degrees/certifications that you can earn online. If you don’t want to go this route, why not learn a skill, a musical instrument for instance; the options are limitless. Learning something, will help you spend time doing something useful rather than feeling sorry for yourself. There is absolutely no doubt you’ve been dealt a bad hand because of your disability, but its important to accept it and move on. Spending time learning a specific subject, or a skill set will allow you to feel better about yourself and not worry too much about your disability.

3. Socialize

This is a really important point. If you’ve stopped socializing or reduced inter personal interactions, you need to start socializing again. Catch up with your friends and I am not talking about interacting with them on social media sites alone. Go out, hang out with them, go to a restaurant, go to a pub, meet them at a park; essentially do everything you would as a part of a normal socially active life. Meeting people you know, talking to them, and generally having fun is one of the best stress busters ever. So, don’t retreat into your shell just because you’ve a disability. This will just bring down the quality of your life to a huge extent. You don’t want that to happen do you?

You could even get in touch with some of the community groups out there, to connect with other people who are facing the same disability challenges, you are. Meeting these people, sharing your problems and solutions will help you relieve a large part of the stress that you’ve been feeling because of your condition.

4. Go out More

Going out to nearest park, shopping at the departmental store or having a coffee at your favorite diner has never been simpler. With the availability of assistive devices like power chairs and mobility scooters, your physical disability shouldn’t see you leading a largely indoor life. A scooter like the Go Go Scooter can improve your mobility and play a significant role in improving the quality of your life. You will no longer have to depend on anybody to take you out for shopping or visiting a restaurant of your choice or just taking a short round of the neighborhood. Whenever the mood takes you, just use your powered assistive device to make the trip. This will go a long way in improving your sense of confidence and getting rid of any depression you might be experiencing because of your condition. Overall they will make you feel more in charge of your life.

5. Plan your Day and your Life

No doubt disability is a challenge, but it must be faced. One of the reasons why somebody suffering from disability ends up experiencing a lot of stress is because he finds himself unable to do all the things he should be doing or he wants to do. For e.g. the doctor might have told you to eat 4 meals a day and if possible cook them fresh and avoid precooked meals. You might be getting stressed out because you aren’t able to follow the doctor’s advice.

The key here is proper planning. You will need to plan your day in detail to make sure you have the time to do everything you want to do. The meal plan is just one example of why a person can stress themselves out. Something that careful planning will solve quite easily.

Likewise you will need to plan your life to get more out of it. Make sure you don’t make disability the focal point of your life. Identify a goal that you want to achieve, and work towards that goal. There are plenty of people leading very successful and immensely satisfying lives in spite of their disability. There is no reason why you can’t do the same. Just don’t allow your stress to get the better of you.