Things to do when you are restless

May 11, 2022 9:25 AM

I've been restless af for a few days, probably owing to a med change (akathisia). It will settle but is obnoxious-- I put on a movie and don't want it, try other projects and don't want them, can't seem to quite get comfortable. I'm taking lots of walks. Is there anything this level of restlessness is good for? Bonus for any art / writing projects that don't take much attention.
posted by mermaidcafe to Grab Bag (12 answers total)

Cleaning, maybe? Lots of movement, but also lots of constant changes like what tools and cleaners you are using, the different shapes and surfaces, what kind of grossness you are dealing with, etc. Also, if you get distracted halfway through you will have at least cleaned something partially which is better than not at all.
posted by Mizu at 9:31 AM on May 11, 2022 [11 favorites]

+1 to cleaning. Maybe pick some challenges from Unfuck Your Habitat and finally do some tasks that you might have been putting off. Time to finally organise all of your kitchen cabinets and so on.
posted by fight or flight at 9:34 AM on May 11, 2022 [2 favorites]

Best answer: I was thinking of clearing/reorganizing cabinets or drawers too. Pull everything out, shuffle shuffle shuffle, trash, at the second-worst I just cram everything back in.

UFYH has a bunch of short tasks especially.

Lots of walks sounds pretty good, though. Assuming that while you’re restless nothing will feel exactly right.
posted by clew at 9:38 AM on May 11, 2022 [3 favorites]

Do you need to wind any skeins of yarn? When I was slightly manic from an anti-emetic post-surgery I weirded my friend out by winding some yarn I'd had lying around.
posted by praemunire at 9:46 AM on May 11, 2022 [4 favorites]

That kind of energy is great for spinning with a spurtzleur. It takes very little attention, but the motion of my hands moving the stick and manipulating the fiber allows me to sit and watch tv when I feel restless.
posted by darchildre at 9:50 AM on May 11, 2022 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Maybe shelling peas or something? Like chopping food? Or squeezing chickpeas out of the skins before creaming them into hummus? Mmmmm picky-skins…
posted by Dressed to Kill at 10:27 AM on May 11, 2022 [3 favorites]

Do you have any small pieces of furniture to paint?

Could you put on a youtube playlist of favorite childhood videos and have a little dance party?

Jump rope?
posted by bluedaisy at 10:32 AM on May 11, 2022

Any kind of yard work if you have a yard.

Also, knitting or crocheting.
posted by wondermouse at 11:46 AM on May 11, 2022 [1 favorite]

Response by poster:
Maybe shelling peas or something? Like chopping food? Or squeezing chickpeas out of the skins before creaming them into hummus? Mmmmm picky-skins…

As soon as I started reading that I thought about chickpeas. They're more delicious when peeled. Great idea!
posted by mermaidcafe at 12:06 PM on May 11, 2022 [1 favorite]

It might be fresh fava bean season where you are, and they are tasty and a great intercrop but a terrible hassle to peel.
posted by clew at 1:48 PM on May 11, 2022

Cooking and cleaning, as folks have said, but also gardening if you have access. Dig a hole, prune a tree, notice some weird aphids and pick them off, pull up whichever weeds annoy you.
posted by Lady Li at 3:29 PM on May 11, 2022 [1 favorite]

Similar to cleaning, now might be a great time to tackle a reorganization project, or rearrange a room.

Alternate activity: dance breaks.
posted by koucha at 12:16 PM on May 18, 2022