Sick day Routine
Welcome back everyone, hope everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving. As you know the seasons here in Canada haven't quite decided between mid-summer, fall or pre-spring. With a mix of rain one day, falling leaves another followed by a very random opportunity to wear shorts; my clothing choices, sense of stability and health are all taking a toll. I came down with a head cold a little bit before Thanksgiving and have had my fair shares of sneezing, a headache that felt like I got hit with one of those foam baseball bats (don't ask how I know I that feels like), and a runny nose all day paired with a stuffed nose all night. The following is basically my sick day routine that honestly keeps me entertained, productive and alive.
Drink enough water
Lie down
Watch a movie- I watched Coco again because it's literally medicine to my soul and To All the Boys I've Loved Before which was rejuvenating for some reason
Listen to music- I don't know why but last year I couple hours before realizing I had food poisoning, I woke up a 5am and couldn't go back to sleep so stayed up listening to Ed Sheeran (the album 5 to be specific and old Taylor Swift songs. I wish I had a reason for this but it was just so soothing and is still my go to songs but with a little more Hunter Hayes in the mix
Go for a walk
Stretch- for 10 mins or find a restorative practice to replace your current workout or stretch in bed (strange but try it)
Have tea- I find that peppermint helps with nausea and ginger tea with congestion and also nausea
Don’t eat/do anything that will upset you- so avoiding not only things that upset your stomach but you as a whole (coffee, making plans you can’t own up to etc.)
Find 50 things to be happy about- Be thankful for the people that take care of you when your sick, access to everything you need to heal, access to a decent healthcare system etc.
Know that this too shall pass- Just like everything else, this sickness that feels never ending is going to be just a distant memory. Feel what it’s like to be alive today, it doesn’t always feel great but that's life
Get a babysitter- Get someone to check on you every few hours to make sure you’re still alive or if you just need anything. If you live alone, call a friend just so you don’t feel super alone and so others can monitor your symptoms. Also, depending on your situation get someone you trust to make you dinner, pick up your stuff, water your plants, watch your kids/pets and in my case pay my sister to wash my dishes so I can rest up (it's a win win)
Have some soup
Keep it warm and light- Oatmeal is always a good idea especially if your not feeling super well, it’s light and super filling. Bland foods like toast with butter, a banana and oatmeal are boring but don’t aggravate the stomach like salty foods, fried foods or dairy does. So for the time being, I'll try staying away from fries, tofu buffalo wraps and Blonde coffees.
Eat a vegetable or two- Oh how I would love to use sickness as a time to eat unhealthy but the older I get the more I realize it honestly makes me feel worse. Eat intuitively but give yourself a free pass here and there because you deserve celebratory ice cream for getting out of bed
Take it easy- Accept that this is where you are right now and that there’s no point of going through sickness feeling guilty over missing obligations (after all we didn’t choose this for ourselves). STORYTIME! So last year I had the stomach flu and I took it upon myself to get dressed and go to school anyways because I was working on a project with my TA. This didn’t end with me conquering the day but instead throwing up in every single trash can that I passed on campus (which was 1. pretty embarrassing, 2. inconsiderate to others and 3. selfish towards my body)
Sleep mask time- Because I’ve been sleeping during the say it helps to have decent curtains or sleeping mask or both. Also turning off notifications helps a lot...
Essentials- I’m currently all out of Lavendar essential oil but I usually dabble some on my wrist before snoozing. Also, peppermint essential oil works miracles for headaches which I apply on my temples (and forehead)
Take what you gotta take- I’m not big on taking pills or even my vitamins but it's just one of the many things I have to get over and just do it
Bedside manners- Make sure to have everything you need at your bedside for convenience. A fan (because I get hot), as well as a beanie (because I get cold), a box of kleenex, a sweater, cough drops, vaporized rub, ibuprofen, lip balm, water and a trash can, you know for like the kleenex and such
Work from home- Work on things that you are able to do from your bed/couch ex: check emails, edit a video, write, read, fold laundry etc. Do the tasks you’ve been avoiding because you just didn’t have the time (tadahhh now you have all the time in the world). Feel free to just make a to do list of everything you’ll do when you feel better and calling it a day
Listen to your body temp- If you need to bundle up or bundle down or maybe have a popsicle over a cup of tea or a heat pad over an ice pack or even taking a cold shower over a hot one or a bath, just go with the flow and listen to your body
Turn off the movie- Yes, I know I said to watch a movie but personally I get a headache after too much screen time and will move on to reading, talking or bullet journaling. Or also watching a movie in a group setting instead of having a laptop directly in my face helps fight the strain on my eyes (that do influence my headaches)
Blow out the candles- As big as I am about candles and diffusing oils, I like to keep the air pretty neutral and steer clear of strong scents to avoid nausea (except for topically applying peppermint oil of course)
Get clean and get cleaning- getting clean when you're sick is very difficult to do and I say this as a person who’s shower is a little less then two meters from their bed! But when you have a random jolt of energy jump in the shower, wash your hair, your hands properly and change in a new set of pjs. Maybe you guys have no idea what I’m talking about when I say “random jolt of energy” but I personally find that there’s a moment when you're sick where things don’t feel so bad and you have an open window of time to do whatever you want before your body rudely interrupts you to remind you that you're still sick. Psst you could always have someone else do it, after all we are sick…
Be considerate- Keep your germs to yourself! I am very guilty of attempting to share my sandwich with someone else completely forgetting about my current state. Make sure to drink from your own cup, wash your hands properly, sanitize your laptop and phone, stay away from little ones, don’t pick up a shift, cancel plans and note to self: please keep your sweaters, blankets, pens and sandwiches to yourself!
Bake a little something something- I am not a huge baker and I think it's just the fall inspired recipes speaking to me but in the past week I have made chocolate chip cookies, carrot cake, many batches of peanut butter cookies and a very decent loaf of banana bread. Next stop is pumpkin loaves!
Spa treatment- Plan a mani, massage, an outing or just something small to look forward to after you get back on your feet
Go through Pinterest
Sweat it out- I don't suggest you do any physical activity whist your body is recovering and especially if your experiencing a high fever, dizziness etc. But personally when I'm at the end of my sickness I like to hit the elliptical for about 15 mins and I don't know why but I just feel so much more alert and productive before starting my day. If not this, you can also walk around the block (just make sure to check the weather, otherwise you can find yourself caught in the rain like I did and only worsening your symptoms). By the way, my mix matched socks say hi...
Reflect about the last week or so- What have you missed the most when you were ill? What did you realize? What are you grateful for? How did your priorities change in this period? How did your mindset/emotions change throughout these days? How do you feel now? Take time to reflect on the frailty and gift of life.
It's so easy to be frustrated and resentful when sick and forget that it's temporary, out of our control and mid-October in Canada. All we can do is be grateful for everything in our lives that doesn't suck, those who call or take care of us and access to everything we need to get better. Happy healing loves!
“My life was mess, but at least I could clean”
- Lara Jean, To All the Boys I've Loved Before
