WHEN YOU GET SICK
By Mickey Reed
It’s that time of year. It seems like everyone is getting sick. We take care to wash our hands, keep everything clean, and stay away from others who are ill. But it happens to the best of us. We still catch something and get sick sometimes. It’s a great excuse to lie in bed and read, of course. Yet we still have lives to take care of. We have kids, jobs, meals to make, lunches to pack, houses to clean, and pets to tend to.
There’s so much to do, so what do we do when we get sick?
Like we talked about last month, we need to practice self-care. We have to make sure we get back to a healthy state before we hit the ground running again. That can feel tough because we’re so used to taking care of everything else first. But we’ll never get back to normal speed if we neglect our health. If we push too hard or too fast while we’re under the weather, it takes even longer to get better. So we must make sure to rest, take it easy, and heal.
How hard is it to take it easy?
In this day and age, we’re constantly reminded that we should practice meditation to slow down and relax. Yet, even when we are sick, we have a hard time taking that advice. As much as we want to binge-watch The Office on Netflix for the third time or binge-read all of the Harry Potter books for the eighth time, we all struggle with finding the time. When you’re sick, though, it’s the perfect time to settle in for some major relaxation.
We may want to push through things, but who’s done their best work when they’re ill? We’re not all Michael Jordan, who had one of his best games while he had the flu. Not many of us have that much on the line that we can’t go at least a day or two on slow mode. Yes, we have a lot of responsibilities as adults. But we can’t run ourselves ragged and expect to keep going at that pace. We aren’t machines. We need to take some time to slow our roll and take care of ourselves.
How do we do it?
We rest! Easier said than done. I know it. I’ve been sick with con crud for a week and a half now, so I totally get it. But when we fall ill, it’s imperative for us to rest and relax so we can recover. Sure, you’ll get better at some point even if you don’t, but how much longer will you be sick if you don’t take the time to heal properly? Rushing through life while you’re sick can extend the illness or, worse, make you even sicker.