I spend a lot of time helping people be healthy and proactive so they avoid becoming sick. However, sometimes, we just get sick, and oftentimes, we just carry on as if nothing is wrong.

While I understand our work culture has driven a lot of this, carrying on as if nothing is wrong is not healthy.  

The body needs a break from normal daily activity so it can spend its precious resources fighting whatever germ invasion we have succumbed to. Now, the body's ability to do this depends on a lot of things: our current stress levels, our stress tolerance, past severe sickness, pre-existing health concerns, our energy levels, our gut health, etc.  

This is why, when people ask me for my top tips to beat a sickness, my main one is this: REST. You need to rest. You have to conserve as much of your energy as possible so that your body can use everything it has to fight the illness. Rest will look different for different people, I have the freedom to pretty much drop everything, hole up in bed, and sleep my way through it. If you’re a parent (especially a woman), you typically won’t have that freedom. My best advice for this is triage. Lower your standards as much as possible. Let the house be messy, let the dishes sit for an extra day or 2, get your groceries delivered if you can (not only does this conserve energy but it also limits you spreading sickness to your fellow humans), keep meals simple, and stay hydrated.

Some other top tips: 

1- rest

2- ask for extensions or push back deadlines as much as possible. The work will still be there when you’re feeling better, so as much as you can, even if it’s uncomfortable, ask for the time.

3- stay hydrated. I love my herbal teas from Traditional Medicinals and yogi. In a pinch, I’ll make a hot toddy with honey, lemon juice and some bourbon or whiskey. And drink a lot of water.

4- keep foods simple. As much as you can, avoid sugar, dairy and gluten. I know this isn’t always possible, but these foods in particular are much lower in the nutrients your body needs when fighting an illness. They contribute to phlegm production in the body (something we want to limit especially when we’re dealing with an illness that has increased phlegm production), and they typically cause an increase in systemic inflammation, also not something the body needs when it’s already inflamed and fighting an illness.

5- bone broth and soup. Try to keep to clear broth based soups on hand. These will help your gut flora which affects your immune system directly. Bone broth is dense in nutrients and easy on the gut and is generally easily handled by systems torn up by an illness.

6- drug up as needed. And by drug up, I mean, take any herbs, OTC meds or medications your doctor prescribes. I surprise a lot of people when I say this. I personally stick to the herbal formulas that I know work for me and I increase my dosage of CBD. Some people will use their nyquil and dayquil, some will stick to their doctor’s recommendations. Here’s a major caveat: if you are using these things to keep going like you aren’t sick, you’re doing it wrong. I don’t often speak in absolutes, but this is one of those rare times. Using medicine so that your life isn’t interrupted is NOT THE POINT OF MEDICINE. At that point, you’re simply using it to mask symptoms and hope that you wait your illness out. This rarely works and honestly tends to do more harm (that you’ll eventually have to deal with) to the immune system overall. 

7- when you start feeling human again, give yourself an extra 48 hours of rest. I know this seems extreme. But often, it’s not that we’re necessarily feeling better, it’s that we’re sick of laying around and sick of being sick. Giving yourself this extra time to rest will help ensure that you won’t relapse and that you won’t over do it. If you absolutely cannot wait longer, then commit to only working at 50% of your max capacity. This is a mental battle that can be very hard to wage. We know how behind we are with work from being out, we often feel guilty for needing to take a break, and our house is generally a bit of a mess at this point. I cannot stress this enough: GIVE YOURSELF SOME FREAKING GRACE. You are not a robot. There is absolutely no need for you to feel guilty for being sick, let alone resting.

Yes, people will probably be frustrated with you being gone, not making meals, not keeping a house clean, not making food and generally not performing like you typically do. But here’s the deal, when you are sick, NOTHING IS TYPICAL. 

Now, I know American work culture makes it hard to take sick time. I know kids don’t stop being kids and needing their parents just because their parents are ill. So, do what you can with the resources you have. Just know, the more you can rest and offload some of what you have to do, the better off your body will be. Also, for the love of all that is holy, please do your best to not go to work sick. Your coworkers don’t want your cold. I know this is easier said than done and that I have a lot of privilege in even being able to suggest this, but, it matters.

If you need more support with your health, you can send me a message via the envelope icon at the top of the page.