10 Low Energy Hobbies You Can Do Without Leaving Bed When Living With ME/CFS or Fibromyalgia
Low Energy Hobbies You Can Do Without Leaving Bed
Before becoming ill, I never imagined that something as simple as getting out of bed could require so much thought and planning. Now, living with ME/CFS and fibromyalgia, I know that some days my body makes the decision for me before I’ve even opened my eyes.
Those are the days when my world becomes much smaller.
For a long time, I fought against it. I automatically felt that staying in bed meant I was being lazy or somehow giving in to my illness. Looking back now, I wish I had shown myself more kindness. I spent so much time battling my own body, when what it really needed was understanding, patience, and rest
Over the years, I have slowly come to realise that life does not have to stop just because I cannot leave my bed. My life may look different now, slower and quieter than before, but that does not make it any less meaningful. I have found gentle hobbies that give me something to look forward to, help distract me from the pain, and make the harder days feel a little lighter. More than that, they remind me that beneath the pain and exhaustion, I am still me.
If you are searching for low energy hobbies you can do without leaving bed, I hope some of these ideas bring you a little comfort too.
Why finding low energy hobbies matters
One of the hardest parts of living with chronic illness is the isolation that comes with it. Even in a house full of people, it can still feel incredibly lonely. I live with my husband, my adult children and my younger teens, so I am never truly alone, but so much of my time is still spent stuck upstairs in my bedroom.
My family are wonderful. My kids, their girlfriends and my husband all make the effort to come and sit on my bed for a chat or simply spend time with me. My daughter loves doing my hair and makeup, which always makes me smile, and I am so grateful for those moments. I know I am loved, and I know they care.
But there is still a different kind of loneliness that comes with being the one left behind. Sitting upstairs in bed while life carries on downstairs. Hearing them all talking, laughing and just being together. I love hearing it because it brings me so much joy knowing they are happy, but at the same time, it is a reminder that I am not part of it in that moment.
That is the part people do not always see when they talk about chronic illness. You can be surrounded by love and still feel isolated.
When your energy is limited, even the hobbies you once loved can suddenly feel out of reach. Things that other people find relaxing or enjoyable can leave me completely drained, sometimes for days afterwards. It took me a long time to accept that I needed to stop fighting against my body and start finding ways to work with it instead.
That shift in mindset changed so much for me.
Instead of focusing on everything I could no longer do, I started looking for gentle, low energy hobbies that fitted within my limits. Things that worked within my energy envelope instead of pushing me beyond it. They might seem small or insignificant to someone else, but on the harder days they help protect my mental wellbeing just as much as they help pass the time. More than that, they give me something to look forward to and remind me that even when my world feels small, there is still life to be lived within it.
1 Reading when my brain allows it
Some days my brain fog makes reading impossible. The words blur together and I can read the same page over and over without taking any of it in. But on the better days, losing myself in a good book is one of the easiest low energy hobbies I can enjoy from bed.
Fantasy books have always been my favourite genre. I love anything with vampires, fey, magic and worlds far removed from my own. There is something comforting about escaping into a completely different world for a while.
I have also learned not to pressure myself. If I only manage one chapter, that is enough. Reading may look different for me now, but it still brings me comfort, and that is what matters.
2 Listening instead of reading
When concentrating becomes too difficult, I swap reading for listening.
Audiobooks and podcasts have become wonderful companions during flare ups. They allow me to rest with my eyes closed while still feeling entertained or learning something new.
Sometimes I choose true crime. Other times I listen to celeb podcasts, lifestyle conversations or comforting fiction. It depends entirely on how much my brain can cope with that day.
3 Adult colouring
There is something calming about slowly filling a page with colour. It gives my mind something gentle to focus on instead of the pain, and there is no pressure to finish it quickly.
I usually keep a small colouring book beside my bed so it is always within reach. Some days it can be harder though, especially as I live with chronic tennis elbow, so even holding pens or pencils for too long can be painful. On those days, I have learned to stop when I need to and pick it back up another time. That is the thing with chronic illness, you learn to work with your body, not against it.
4 Looking after my indoor plants
I already have a few plants dotted around my room and the house, and over time I have found so much comfort in caring for them. It is something small, but checking on them, watering them, and noticing new growth gives me a quiet sense of purpose. On days where everything feels slow or stuck, seeing something grow reminds me that progress does not always have to be big to matter.
I would love to add a bonsai tree to my collection one day. There is something about the patience and care they need that feels fitting somehow, a reminder that growth can be slow, delicate and still beautiful.
5 Gentle puzzle books
Crosswords are usually far too much for my brain fog, but simple word searches, sudoku and puzzle books can be surprisingly relaxing when my concentration allows.
Some days I complete one puzzle.
Other days I simply close the book after five minutes.
Both are perfectly acceptable.
6 Blogging without pressure
There was a time when I thought blogging meant being consistent, posting regularly, and always having something polished to say.
Now my blogging looks very different.
Some posts are long and deeply personal. Some are short updates or random thoughts I need to get out of my head. Sometimes I go quiet for a while because my health has to come first.
I have learned there are no rules. My blog is there to support me, to give me an outlet and a place to share my reality. It is not another task on my to do list or something to feel guilty about when my body needs rest.
7 Browsing Pinterest for inspiration
Pinterest has become one of my favourite ways to pass the time when I need complete rest.
I save ideas for my garden, home projects, recipes I might one day have enough energy to try, and future blog inspiration.
Planning for the future reminds me that bad flare days do eventually pass.
8 Watching easy comfort programmes
I have learned that not every television programme is right for me when my fatigue is bad.
Fast paced dramas or anything too heavy can leave me feeling overwhelmed and mentally drained. On those days, I tend to stick to easy watching programmes that do not need too much concentration.
Reality TV has become one of my go to comforts. Shows like Married at First Sight and Love Island are perfect because they are easy to dip in and out of, and they give my brain something light to focus on when everything else feels too much. Sometimes familiar shows are even better because I already know what happens and can just switch off for a while.
9 Planning for brighter days
One thing chronic illness has never managed to take away from me is hope.
On the days when I cannot get out of bed, I often find myself planning instead. I might browse holiday destinations, save ideas for the garden or think about places we’d love to visit together as a family.
I especially enjoy writing lists. Whether it’s places I’d like to explore, books I want to read, recipes I’d love to try or little projects for around the house, putting pen to paper helps me focus on happier days ahead.
Will every plan happen exactly as I imagine it? Probably not.
Living with ME/CFS and fibromyalgia has taught me to hold plans lightly, knowing they may need to change. Even so, I still enjoy dreaming about the future because it reminds me that better days will come again.
Sometimes simply making a list is enough to lift my spirits.
10 Writing blog ideas
Some of my favourite blog posts have started life while I have been lying in bed.
There is something about being forced to slow down that allows ideas to surface. My body might be resting, but my mind is often busy thinking about things I want to write, experiences I want to share or topics that I hope might help someone else.
I keep my phone nearby so I can use voice to text in my Notes app or straight into the Squarespace app before brain fog steals those ideas away again. I’ve learned the hard way that if I tell myself I’ll remember it later, I almost certainly won’t.
Writing has become so much more than a hobby. It has given purpose to some of my hardest days, helped me process my own experiences and connected me with people who truly understand what it is like to live with chronic illness.
Giving myself permission to rest
This has probably been one of the hardest lessons for me to learn.
For years I felt guilty every time I needed to rest. If I was lying in bed, I felt like I should be doing something more productive. I worried people would think I was lazy or assume I was exaggerating how unwell I really felt.
Living with ME/CFS has slowly changed the way I think about rest.
I have come to realise that resting is not giving up. It is one of the ways I look after myself. If spending today in bed means I have a better chance of avoiding a bigger crash tomorrow, then that time has been well spent.
That does not mean I always find it easy. There are still days when the guilt creeps in and I have to remind myself that my body is not asking me to rest for no reason.
Being kinder to myself is something I am still learning, but I know now that listening to my body is far better than constantly fighting against it.
My advice if you are having a difficult day
If today is one of those days where getting out of bed simply is not possible, please know you are not failing.
Your worth is not measured by how productive you are.
Some days surviving is enough.
Choose a hobby that feels comforting rather than demanding. If it only holds your attention for five minutes before you need another rest, that is still five minutes of joy.
Living with chronic illness has completely changed what hobbies look like for me. They are slower, quieter and often much simpler than they once were.
Strangely, they have also taught me to appreciate the little things far more than I ever did before.
A good audiobook.
A completed word search.
A new blog idea scribbled into a notebook.
None of these hobbies cure ME/CFS or fibromyalgia, and they certainly do not make the difficult days disappear. What they do give me is comfort, distraction and small moments of joy when I need them most. Sometimes that is more than enough.
If you are looking for more gentle ways to make life with limited energy a little easier, you might also enjoy my guide to low energy hobbies for chronic illness and gentle activities for flare days where I share even more realistic ideas that work around fatigue rather than fighting against it.
You may also find my article about pacing with ME/CFS and fibromyalgia to avoid post exertional malaise helpful if, like me, you are still learning how to balance activity with rest.
Living with chronic illness has taught me that joy does not always have to come from doing something big.
Sometimes it is found in the quiet moments, tucked beneath a cosy blanket, with a hobby that asks for nothing more than the little energy you have available today.
About me
I am a married mother of four children. One of those four children is our granddaughter, for whom we are SGO (legal guardians)/kinship carers. I run a small business and enjoy writing, so I blog. My blog focuses on my family life as well as my experiences of living with chronic illnesses and disabilities such as ME/CFS, spinal stenosis, chronic pain, and fibromyalgia. Oh, and I am only in my mid-40s.
FAQ Section
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Low energy hobbies are gentle activities that do not require much physical effort, concentration or preparation. For me, they are the hobbies I can still manage on difficult ME/CFS or fibromyalgia days, especially when I need to rest but still want something comforting to focus on.
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Some of my favourite hobbies to do from bed include reading, listening to audiobooks, adult colouring, diamond painting, word searches, journalling, watching comfort programmes, browsing Pinterest and making gentle plans for better days. The key is choosing something that feels calming rather than demanding.
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They can be. They do not fix a flare, but they can help the day feel a little less lonely. When I am stuck in bed, having something small and gentle to focus on can give me comfort, distraction and a tiny sense of normality.
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When my brain fog is bad, I find listening to audiobooks or podcasts easier than reading. Simple word searches, comfort TV, Pinterest browsing and gentle journalling can also work well because they do not need too much concentration.
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Good hobbies for ME/CFS and fibromyalgia are usually flexible, gentle and easy to stop and start. For me, that includes colouring, audiobooks, diamond painting, puzzle books, journalling and quiet creative activities that can be done while resting.
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I try to choose the easiest option available and remind myself that I do not have to finish anything. A hobby can last five minutes and still count. On very low energy days, even listening to something comforting while resting can be enough.
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Resting itself is not really a hobby, but it is still important. When you live with chronic illness, rest is not laziness. Sometimes the kindest thing you can do for your body is allow yourself to stop, recover and choose something gentle only if it feels manageable.
Disclaimer: I am not a qualified expert. This FAQ is based on my own experiences as a parent and what I have learned while raising my child. It reflects personal insight, not professional advice.