20
Aug
2009
Health
Recently I had a bad cold that lasted over two weeks. No one likes to be sick in the summertime. I am usually an outdoors type of person and so having to lie around in bed waiting for the illness to pass was no fun for me.
When I’m sick I tend to think the worst - oh no I have Swine Flu or maybe I’ll have to go into the hospital for the first time ever because I have this really bad cough. Funny isn’t it? I am not a pessimist about other things in my life; only on the occasion of illness.
Perhaps it’s my haven to embrace empathy for myself. Perhaps it is my response to the stress of being ill (and not being able to accomplish work that needs to be completed). Whatever the cause I think it’s good therapy.
Sometimes we just need to allow ourselves a break to release energy. When I’m sick that’s what I do. I lie around and watch old movies, sleep, take short slow walks with my 15 year old dog, or read a chapter in a novel and then take a nap. Fortunately I do not get sick often and if it lasted longer than two weeks I’d begin a new cycle of stress but that is a topic for another blog – as I know many people have endured prolonged illness.
The lesson for me is to remember to listen to outside input. If your doctor says “you need to rest” then find time to do that. If your employers say “go home, we can live without you for a few days,” believe them. Require other people in your life to allow you to rest. Your health is a precious asset. Even if illness comes at a time that seems impossible to slow down; I invite you to question the logic of what you’ve deemed to be “impossible”. If you do not slow down for the illness; the illness may slow you down for a longer period than you’d like.
We live in a high-powered, fast-paced society but even the force of all the events and demands in our lives cannot keep us from getting ill from time to time. Believe me; you’ll make a better contribution to others when the illness has passed.
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