Reading other blogs I am reminded of some of the things that I need to do or have done.

Be Inspired suggest to

Get Yourself Out

Some people with PTSD groan at this point and say, “I can’t walk outside my front door.”  I spent 3 years basically bed ridden… so I found adventures in books.  Read something different.  Check out a movie you never seen before.  One of my adventures is to explore one of the “stacks” hiding in my messy sewing room.  However, I do recommend caution.  I opened up a box from the high school years and really did a number on myself.  Stuff I wasn’t ready to deal with, however I did.  I was in counseling and able to talk about things I would not remember on my own.  Take a junk drawer and explore its contents.  Able to wander further, google the city you live in.  I discovered the children’s museum that I went to with my daughter and her kids.  If you go walking, check out a new path or look through a store you have never been to before.  Too often we limit our adventures to big out of town trips.

Another type of adventure is to try something new.  I discovered a few years ago that I really like crocheting smaller projects.  I try new stitches and turn them into washcloths.   I get the added pleasure of giving them away.  They usually cost less than a dollar to make and I find the work soothing.  Or try a process art….if someone else asks, ‘What is it?’  It is probably process art, look up pour painting, collage, montage* or any variety of “art” ideas that do not require “artistic” talent just a desire to put things together in a new way.  Buy a chunk of clay and mold it and squish it and destruct it and rearrange it.  Can’t afford clay, try making salt dough.  I had the privileged of sharing salt dough with an 8 year old that never played with clay before.  It was fun exploring making snakes, balls, and wrapping it around plastic toys.  Nice thing about it, we could throw it away when we were done.  Getting messy is an adventure.

Take a class with a local store, parks and recreation or perhaps a community college.  Trying something new can be beneficial because others may help motivate you to keep going and try things.  I took a wood working class as part of my art degree.  Online classes are also easily available.  Some can cost as little as $10.  Online videos are many times free.  That is how I am learning about pour painting.  I take notes while watching the videos then try the stuff myself.  I’m enjoy the exploration.

Can you afford a trip?  Great, plan one and take someone you trust with you.  Or perhaps join a group that has a good reputation and try out new things.  Sadly, one of the thrumming undertows of PTSD/CPTSD is fear of trying new things.  Routines help us survive….adventures tend to mess up routines.  Start small with something that fits in your routines then expand to other ideas.

Adventure doesn’t need to be big and scary, small and fun adds variety to our life that can challenge us to start growing again.  Growing is thriving.

*the technique of producing a new composite whole from fragments of pictures, text, or music.  Google dictionary

Project I made from the objects I found in the box from high school. Non-silver photography and wood box, yes I made the box too.

On the road again….