I like to pride myself on taking pretty good care of myself. I
rarely get sick. But, like everyone else, now and then, a virus latches on and I end up with a cold.
I woke up four days ago with a scratchy throat and immediately started my anti-cold
remedies, like Emergen-C, Zicam, etc. They often help, but unfortunately they were not strong enough to fend my cold off this time.
Grrrr...it's no fun being sick.
That being said, I took action to help myself and embraced the downtime as well.
1. Try not to be around people. I immediately cancelled all in-person business appointments and personal engagements I had for the week. My body was telling me to slow down. Plus,
there's no sense or grace in potentially getting someone else sick.
2. Get someone else to shop for you. I'm usually the grocery shopper, but I sent my husband to the store instead this time. I included all nutritious items on the list...oranges, Greek yogurt, blueberries, spinach,
garlic, apples, and other heathy choices.
Nobody to send to the store? Take advantage of the many services available to have someone else shop for you and you can pick up or have
delivered.
3. Eat soup. While Joe was out shopping, I mustered up some energy and cooked up two big pots of soup, one chicken noodle, and the other Greek lemon rice. Luckily, I had all of the ingredients to make both on hand. And I made a lot, so it would last three or four
days.
4. Hydrate. Like REALLY hydrate. I filled my twenty-four ounce water bottle with water, and added a twist of lemon. I sipped constantly, and ended up drinking about four to five of these daily.
5. Do work that you can do while sitting. I brought my laptop to the sofa, sat back, and wrote a few newsletters. I typically get inspired when I'm "sitting around."
This is also a good time to sort through a box of photos, or weed out a few file folders.
6. Watch TV. When I felt my eyes getting tired, I put the laptop aside, covered myself
in a blanket, and turned on Food Network on TV. I may have dosed off once or twice and they were still cooking when I woke up.
7. Escape in a book. I sipped herbal tea and read a book for a few hours at a time. Reading makes being sick more tolerable in my mind.
8. Sleep...a lot more than usual. I went to bed early...like really early. My normal bedtime is 11 p.m. I went to bed at 8:00 p.m...three days in a row.
9. Work out. Contrary to popular belief,
exercise is OK when you don't have a fever...and it actually opened up my nasal passages.
10. Indulge in shower/bath time. I did take a long, hot shower each day. One day, I took a bath...which is something I rarely do. Showers and baths are like big warm hugs, encouraging us to feel
better.
11. Eat garlic. Congestion is no fun. Eating raw garlic worked to clear up my nasal passages. It also fended off vampires (smile).
I'm Italian and am very used to garlic. But if you can't stand the "hotness" of raw garlic, make yourself some garlic bread or garlic soup.
12. Just relax. I didn't worry about laundry, cleaning, or work TO DOs. Sometimes it's better to just relax and get better.
I didn't have any tight deadlines; yet another reason why it's important to learn and practice good time management.
Some folks may feel they don't have the luxury of doing nothing for a few days. But really,
if you go to work or keep pushing yourself, you're just going to get others sick and probably wear yourself out even more.
If you overdo it, you're not giving your body what it needs...time
to rest and repair.
Yes, you may be Superman or Superwoman...but even superheroes benefit from downtime now and then.
A few days later, the cold is still present. Most colds take around 10 days to completely go away. But it's not as bad as it was when it began, so I can see that hopeful light at the end of the tunnel.
It's usually when I get rid of a cold that I'm doubly reminded of how important it is to do what I can to avoid them...washing my hands often, not touching my eyes, nose, and mouth unless I wash my hands, eating ample green, leafy vegetables, Vitamin C foods (oranges, strawberries) and Vitamin D foods (salmon). Most important (and this is a big one), getting enough sleep is crucial.
Next time you're feeling under-the-weather, take that downtime so that you're back on your feet sooner than later!
