Back in October my brother and I moved my parents back from Florida. He is 93 and she is 86. I had to suspend all running and work on the layout because of the time I was spending with them trying to get them settled and helping out whenever possible. A few weeks ago dad went into hospice. The other day I went downstairs, turned on the power, ran a few trains and realized how I was being taken into that imaginery world I had created. I have been down there everyday since and it’s been a great source of therapy during this time of life.
So all is to say we construct these things for all different reasons and for me it’s a form of therapy from the time the family is facing. I am sure many of you have had the same experience.
Absolutely! When I go down to the shop and work on a project, the heart rate goes down and the stresses of day to day living simply vanish into the background!
Harold, I’m sorry to hear about your Dad. I hope your family can look back on a life well lived.
A day spent putting together a structure or detailing a scene is a day well spent for me. At the end, I’m a calm and happy person with a sense of accomplishment. Compared to where I am as I close the garage door after a frustrating, unproductive day at work and an irritating commute home…well, there really isn’t much of a comparison, is there?
At 65, not only am I still learning new things and developing new skills, I find that my fingers seem more nimble and capable and my painting hand is steadier than they were a few years back. It’s not just mental therapy. The fine coordination needed for detail work is improving, too.
Until you try to put that building together that’s WAY beyond our modeling skills, and you end up with a box full of wood scraps that might come in handy for kitbashing into something else.
It helps to not bite off more than one can chew, in life and in model railroading. I think it’s easier to make compromises in our personal expectations that help us deal with pressure with model railroading, than in real-life where it’s others’ expectations that often drive what we feel obligated to do.
Been there, done that myself. I usually have multiple options in what to do with the layout and the job queue that feeds its improvements, so what I do when I get to a frustrating task is to switch to something else that better fits my mood. There’s no real deadlines, except for the occasional op session with my buddies, for me to worry about.
Once you’ve embraced that philosophy with your trains, then it’s easier to start applying the principle of de-stressing and intentional effort to take the time we need to relax and adjust in our non-modeling lives.
Not only is it a better way to decompress after the work life gets the better of you, but I used it as actual physical therapy after suffering a stroke. When I could do this 3 months after my stroke,
Absolutely this hobby has help me through the passing of my father in '68, unemployment,lower back operation times two,the death of my wife and of course my major heart attack I had in '05,the great Bucyrus flood of '07 and other such troubled times…Of course the many blessings from God also help me through these times as well…
I took the weekend off from work, didn’t do much math HW finished a couple things but overall I just disengaged from the world when I set the tracks up.
Yes, theropy from watching trains is not new. As a child I wanted to make my Lionel go, stop, back up, etc, etc. I didn’t know it at the time, but my father just wanted to lay in bed (the folks room was the only place to set up the table), turn out the lights and watch the train go round and round. Wish he was still here to watch them with me now that I have learned their theroputic value.
Ah the washing machine theory. I used to be memorized and relaxed at the laundromat watching the clothes spin. Same can be said about watching the trains sometimes.
I dunno … there’s been a few occasions, like when I was installing my signalling system, that I thought I was going to NEED therapy before I ever saw it complete ! [(-D]
You and Carl bring up another good point. Model railroading can be very good physical therapy, too. I did most of my benchwork in a two year period following shoulder surgery. Started off slow, but things got better and I was killing two birds with one stone. While the surgery helped the shoulder, it was also supposed to help my back, so when I found that some things came back well, other physical capacities didn’t, which was kind of a good thing to know.
I won’t bother with all that came after (%&$# criminals!) but it could’ve turned out worse if I had relied on someone else totally to explain what I could and couldn’t do. Model railroading told me a lot about myself then. And it countered the effects of corporate mind control that was doing everything it could to make me think I was the problem, not them. Eventually got that sorta sorted out, but when I couldn’t do a whole lot of things, working on something on the layout often was something that I could do. It helped both mentally and physically.
I agree … this hobby definitely helps me decompress. I think it has to do with the large number of different aspects to the hobby. You can always move onto a different project.
Model Railroading has been my “pacifier” - especially during difficult times. Whether its working on the layout or on a structure/car kit, it just chases all the bad stuff away.
Now sometimes working on the layout can be a source of stress. And when that happens, I pull the plugs, walk out, and shut the door…
I never thought of it this way when I returned to the hobby but over the last few years I find myself taking quick little tours during the morning before work and at night along with the extended session…it seems a form of Zen that has not yet been defined. It seems normal and I don’t realize the effect till I am not able to visit the train room while away on business or visiting. Creating our own world…usually of times long past (40’s to 50’s for me) and channeling those who have helped along the way (my Dad…) and are now gone. There is a book in this somewhere (or at least a healthy term paper!) Enjoying it myself and more than I realized…
Gidday, [soapbox] Having recently returned home from a meeting of what is rapidly turning into a highly dysfunctional Model Railway Club, I think I need therapy!!! [:(!]
Really though, I can only agree with the previous sentiments, the hobby is a great place for me to “escape” to.
I am bipolar, prominent feature depression. During the winter months the depression gets worse. I don’t go out of the house during the winter months.I am very reclusive.
I like to build kits during the winter months as a “therapy” to keep me somewhat occupied and keep my mind going and not “numb” with depression.
If I have kits built, I then take the time to “super detail” them.
Working on kits can sometimes throw me into a frenetic “manic” mode, too.
I also can watch trains go round and round for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours straight and not “get bored” doing so.
