A disability appeal might take upwards of two years from the time you filed your appeal to the time you sit with your disability attorney in front of a judge.
As we spring into the Summer season, perhaps it makes sense to take a step back, ease up a little and consider some of these things you might be able to do to pass the time while waiting for your disability appeal to process.
Re-kindle a Passion for Reading
As you’ve probably heard before, “an idle mind is the devil’s workshop,” so why not keep yourself busy and stay away from potential negative thoughts about the frustrating process that is a disability appeal?
Reading is a perfect way to occupy your mind and escape from time to time. In addition to this, reading has immense health benefits. It stimulates the mind and even helps prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Reading also reduces stress and helps your mind to relax; it also serves as a great tool to prevent memory loss.
Try Meditation
Depending on your physical or mental condition, and on the severity of your disability, meditation may be an excellent option for you.
One of the great allures of meditation is that it can be accomplished while standing, sitting or even lying down. It is accessible in some form to nearly everyone.
In mediation, you learn to focus on relaxing your mind and listening to your body.
One popular and effective way to meditate is Yoga. Yoga has numerous positions including many beginner’s level ones that you can even do sitting in a chair. YouTube has a number of channels for free Yoga.
If Yoga is not your cup-o-tea then Spotify, youTube, and other sources also have tons of free channels for meditation music. Listening to relaxing music with a pair of headphones will relax you. If you focus on breathing and thinking inward, you’ll slip into a meditative state in no time at all. In fact, you will be amazed at how fast time flies by and how effective the results of your meditation will be.
Day Trips to Local Parks
Leaving the house to get some fresh air is always a good idea. If you have a park nearby, try to take an hour of your day and make it a habit to wander through it. Fresh O2, a change in the environment, and a sense of exploration can be great time-killers. As a bonus, you might also have a chance to meet new friends while you are out and about!
Check-in to the Library for Local Affinity Groups
Affinity groups can be something to look forward to and plan your schedule around. If you join a club, a board, or social group, you might find out that your whole calendar ends up starting to coordinate around the daily, weekly, or monthly meeting. This is certainly not a bad thing!
Create an Annual Calendar with All Your Medical & Legal Appointments
Another great way to pass some time while you wait for your disability appeal to process is taking out all of your documents, and organizing them.
If you’re the type of person that hates order and organization this idea may not be for you. Then again, this may be exactly what you need to gain a sense of control over the multiple variables in your disability claim, and other concerns.
Organizing your life and documents helps you to get a feel for what and when things are coming up. A secondary benefit is that you can use that advanced planning to get ahead of things that might have otherwise held you back before.
Sometimes the best way to de-stress is to get everything in order. Your house, your checkbook, and maybe even your Social Security notes.
Talk to Your Family
Family time can be a relaxing time and a time to reconnect. This is, of course, notwithstanding the dynamics that can accompany some family gatherings!
Merely when you’re in the presence of people who know you, get you, and understand you can provide psychological benefits that you cannot get elsewhere. Family time can be therapeutic and can provide you with ideas and options for new directions, and activities, to pursue while you wait for your disability appeal to process.
Work With an Attorney to Establish an Estate Plan
While the wait may seem forever, there are other tasks you can cross off while waiting for your disability appeal to be processed.
For example, if you haven’t already made an Estate Plan, you should take a look at some of our other articles and learn why you’ll want to talk to an estate planning attorney. You’re already filing for a disability appeal, so there is some pressing medical condition that is having a large impact on your life. In light of those healthcare challenges, right now might be the perfect time to start thinking about who can access your medical and financial documents, why they would need to, and in which circumstances (you becoming further disabled) this would all be a great idea to have squared away!
English