Today I thought I’d start something new. To thrive with a chronic illness, we have to find ways of making rest pleasurable. Unfortunately though, modern entertainment seems to be designed for stimulation and it can be really challenging to find entertainment that keeps stimulation to a minimum but still entertains. I need my entertainment to have a minimum of tension and suspense and not too much heavy going emotional content, otherwise it will use up too much of my energy.
Sometimes I’ll choose to spend more of my precious energy on more stimulating entertainment but I’m really grateful when I find myself entertained in a way that keeps my stimulation levels low. I have a couple of favourite authors I rely on for easy to read, low stimulation romance novels, but I came across a surprising new section in the library recently under the health section. They were novels recommended by cancer patients for their uplifting and easy-going content. I decided to give one a try and found I wasn’t disappointed. It gave me the idea that perhaps we could recommend entertainment to each other that keeps our stimulation levels low. Here’s the book I picked up from that newly discovered section in the library:
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
Entertainment: 5/5 Low stimulation rating: 4/5
Set in South Carolina in the 60’s, this book explores many potentially serious issues in a gentle and inspiring way. It covers racism and civil rights, abuse, guilt, depression and loss, but in a way that gently opens your mind without overwhelming you with harsh realities or heaviness. At its heart, it is a book about the healing power of acceptance and love. It’s beautifully written and softly paced.
Although, I was keen to read it every time I picked it up, it wasn’t so overwhelmingly compelling that it pushes you to read for longer that you want to. The emotional content was a little wrenching at times, so not completely unstimulating. But somehow there was always a flavour of underlying hope which kind of softened the impact of the difficult emotions.
Perhaps not a book to read when your resources are really low, and probably best kept away from when struggling with the low mood of a crash, but great entertainment if you’re well enough for a little bit of stimulation from time to time.
Have you read this book? How would you rate it as entertainment? Would you rate it as low stimulation? Is it something you’d recommend for making rest more enjoyable?
Could you recommend any other low stimulation entertainment? Perhaps you could write a brief review as a guest blog? Email me at info@mecfsselfhelp.guru if you have a review you’d like me to blog in your name. If writing isn’t your thing send me some suggestion and I’ll aim to review the ones that appeal to me, myself.
