This year has started as well as today’s United v Arsenal game. Close, but no cigar. It started okay then it was bad. Then it was okay again and now it is worse. For somebody that literally sits at home by myself doing nothing but watching Dynasty (terrible programme btw) I can’t believe how often things go wrong for me.
It was quite a few years ago that I took accountability for some of the poorer things that were happening in my life. I’m a moaner by nature so I could be having the best day ever but I *have* to at least moan about one thing in order to survive the day. While my moans were always in jest or just simply me voicing things out loud, I recognised that like attracts like and I wasn’t going to feel anymore fulfilled if I kept focusing on things that were bothering me.
Now when things aren’t great, particularly health wise, I might vent a little to get it off my chest but ultimately I look for solutions and try and take as much of an organic approach to things as possible. I had a very bad flu at the beginning of Jan and for the first time I stuck to natural remedies instead of masking my symptoms with lots of otc medication. It lasted a good 6 days but I felt better knowing I had flushed it out naturally and in turn I think I beat the illness quicker than if I had gone overboard on ‘please help me’ Sainsbury’s tablets.
I’m in a position now where I had to endure a hospital visit this weekend and I’ve got 14 tabs a day for the next 2 weeks so I can’t really take that same approach, but moral of this post is that for the second time this year already I’ve been significantly unwell and as a very independent person (which is incredibly ironic seeing as last weeks post was on hyper independence. You can read that here) I always try and deal with things on my own. I live alone so there is no one to change my sheets, bring me groceries or check my temperature (though I have amazing friends who would be at my doorstep if I just asked them to). It takes a toll mentally and sometimes I get really upset at being alone but these couple of things have helped keep me going through the past couple of illnesses I’ve had. They’re super simple things but I thought it may help anybody that feels a bit helpless in time of need:
How to pass the time through sickness and in health
- Read. No seriously, read. Sometimes when you’re at home and you’re weak, you’re essentially lying in your own dirt and you haven’t eaten in 3 days you really start to spiral. Reading is what distracted me from that feeling. I actually can’t get out of bed so what else should I do? Reading a couple of chapters multiple times a day calmed my anxiety and stopped me overthinking the chores I was unable to do.
- Journal. Crying in frustration happens when you feel really, really ill and getting it down on paper can lift some of that weight. You might not even journal about your illness, but again it is a good distraction tool and later on you can look back on it and realise how much better you are and feel since then.
- Stretching your neck. Okay hear me out lol. I started neck stretching when I was suffering with constant headaches. The cracking and popping sounds became addictive and it felt so satisfying that I now stretch my neck throughout the day on any day. To do this, start with pointing your chin towards the floor, then while in that position very slowly tilt your head left, then right. You should hear some cracking sounds. Then very slowly look up to the sky and hold it a few seconds. Following this do some around the world stretches, rotating your head all the way round clockwise and anticlockwise. This is great for relieving tension and promotes better flexibility and mobility.
- Salt water mouth wash. Often when we’re ill even though we’re brushing our teeth as usual there is a build up of bacteria in our mouths. I noticed that when I brushed my teeth, momentarily I felt better. You may already know salt water helps with sore throats so I tried doing this a few times throughout my flu and it helped relieve some of the heaviness that I felt in my jaw/mouth area. One teaspoon with warm water will work fine.
- Choosing one task a day only. If you have one hour during illness where your energy is pretty normal and you don’t feel like death, complete one very basic task. Could be as simple as taking the cups back to the kitchen. Mentally this will declutter your brain and make you think you’re keeping on top of things.
- Squash. Just water when you’re ill is actually some dumb shit. Why does it make you feel so sick?! Catch 22 when it’s vital to stay hydrated. You need some electrolytes so have some squash handy to help get through it.
- Choose social media wisely. You might think it’s not affecting you but when you’re at your worst and you’re looking at people at their best, it can mentally throw you back. Choose a platform that bring you more joy than comparison. I usually stay on twitter and spend less time on insta.
- Spend the money. You’re not well, the money will return. Spend the painstaking 20 quid on Deliveroo groceries. You need small things you can snack on when your energy is low. Fruits, bread, squash, cereal are all basic things you can nibble on before you can can eat properly again. Your first meal can be a takeaway, too. Issok. When you’re able to get fresh air and go shop you can get some nutritious ingredients for a good post illness meal.
As I say, they’re not groundbreaking but you may not be dealing with illness as well as you could be and the above small actions can help progress things along nicely.
On a side note, unrelated but health related – for my women it is really important that you are going for your cervical screening tests when invited.
I tweeted this on 22nd June 2022 and I stand by it today and every day:
Our NHS is falling apart but what they are good at is ensuring women have the ability to regularly check their cervix for any changes to their cells. And if there are changes, they are on top of it as quickly as possible. Please don’t put it off, you will not regret it. If you want some advice or have any questions you can contact me on my contact page, or on any of my socials if you follow me 🙂 x