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How do you pass the time in the dreaded waiting rooms?
What do you all do to help you pass the time in the waiting rooms?
We all know that sometimes you are only waiting for a short amount of time and other times you are waiting over an hour to even be called into the doctor. This can be a time filled with anxiety and tons of anticipation.
Having distractions has always been something that has helped me through these times. I usually just bring something small with me like my phone to go on the internet, browse Pinterest, and catch up with members on the forums. I also try to “read ” but sometimes find that reading is a little too mindful and I end up forgetting what I read under stress. So technology is my “go to!”
What do you do to keep yourself occupied and to keep the stress from getting to you while waiting in the doctor’s office to be seen?
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6 Replies
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I always have my Kindle with me. I think it is now another appendage. I’m always in the middle of a book and just pick up where I left off. Fortunately, I’m the type that I must stop because it’s time to move on to the next waiting room or the doctor is ready for me I can mark my place and then pick up again. I like my Kindle because if I finish a book I have another on there that I can start. Before Kindle I would finish a book and have to wait until I went back home to find another book to start. Now I can carry my entire library with me.
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Hi Janet !
Such a great idea, it’s like having your own personal library with you. I like to read books while I’m in the hospital that I don’t have to think too much about. I loved reading the book “Wonder” while I was in the hospital. It was a quick teen read but had an amazing message that was also very inspiring. Teen type books are my books of choice while in the hospital. I enjoyed reading the Twilight series so that’s usually my book to return back to. I definitely will be on the lookout for a good kindle. I have one at home but I use it more of a tablet because I don’t like the glare from it for reading. Is yours the one without the glare that looks more like an actual book page without getting any background light on it? Those are the best ! And they aren’t as hard on your eyes at nighttime with the light and they supposedly don’t disrupt sleep that much which is a good thing !
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Unfortunately there is no cell service whatsoever at my doc’s office, so I can’t entertain myself in what would be the most logical way — on my iphone. I usually just talk to my hubby or to the office staff, whom we’ve gotten to know well. What I NEVER do is touch any magazines (or the arms of chairs.) I’ve turned into a bit of a germaphobe. LOL! I wish I could still do cross-stitch, but some neuropathy in my left hand and some cataracts make it kind of hard to do that. To anyone who can do it, I recommend it, because it’s very calming.
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Hi Robin,
Yes! I totally agree with your with the magazines. I don’t usually buy magazines for myself anymore but when I get visitors in the hospital I like to get magazines as gifts because even if I don’t feel like reading or don’t have the brain capacity to read a book, it’s still fun to look at pictures and catch up on the gossip. But I get what you mean by the GERMS that would be all over those things ! I always wanted to learn how to crochet or something. By this point I probably would have made so many hats and scarves ! I’m glad you are able to bring people with you and hold conversations while in the waiting room. Good social interaction definitely helps to pass the time for sure! -
Brittany, there are many non-glare Kindles — in fact, any Kindle that isn’t a Kindle Fire should be non-glare. Mine is a Paperwhite, which has a backlight that lets me read in the dark. There’s also the waterproof Oasis and the basic Kindle e-reader. I don’t know about the other models, but my Paperwhite comes with 3G Internet. With 3G, it doesn’t matter if I have WiFi access to buy/download another book. If you get a Kindle with 3G, there is no monthly fee, as Amazon covers it.
If you’re interested, you can see what Amazon has to offer here: https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Kindle-Ereader-Family/b/?node=6669702011 (no affiliation, just a satisfied customer)
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That’s such useful info to know ! I will definitely have to look into this. I am still kind of the type that likes to hold a book in my hands. I guess I always try to pack extras with me. But it would be way better on my eyes if I had something that was like a kindle size and could also use the internet from it! Starting either at a laptop screen (which isn’t always feasible to whip out the laptop during the day) or just my small smartphone must not be doing me any good as far as my vision goes! I’ll have to check this brand out though. Thank you for the suggestions!
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