Thursday, December 11, 2014

Getting Back into Your Life After Being Sick


The last week and a half (along with all the stress that finals week brings), I've had a nasty bout of flu/cold/sore throat/ridiculously loud and socially inconvenient cough. There's no other way to say it, being sick just sucks. And when you're sick, sometimes the only way to handle it is to baby yourself a bit. Let yourself lounge in bed, watching Netflix. Take up friends on their offers to go get food for you. Let work just wait a little while.

But what about when you're feeling better? I think that how you treat yourself when you're getting back into the swing of things matters just as much as how you treat yourself while you're sick. Here are my little goals as I recover and get back to class + work.

Plan positively / It's easy to feel like I'm so far behind because of the time I took off from being sick but focusing on all that I have left to do isn't productive. When you write down all that you have to do, try to remember to prioritize + really--I know it's hard--but try not to stress yourself out too much.

Be realistic / Your first day back (wherever back is) you won't be able to do anything, most likely. Maybe you need to take a mid-day nap, or opt out of some non-essential plans you had made for the day. Ease yourself back into things.

Treat yourself kindly /  I like this as a rule of thumb for myself all the time but especially after an illness. I've been trying to listen to my body a little more closely since I know I'm not still 100%. My throat's still a bit sore, so I'm not scarfing down raw veggies, I'm still eating oatmeal and soft foods. The first few days after a cold, you're probably tired. Let yourself sleep early instead of going out. Listen to your body and give it what it needs.

How are you handling flu season? Are any of you babies about being sick like I am? (No? Just me?)

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