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When I was trying to decide what to write about this week, it felt obvious: sick day self care. I got hit with a bug on Sunday and have needed to tap into some of my self care techniques for those under the weather days.
Here is a short list of my sick day self care tips:
1. Shower: Showers always make me feel like a new person. When I have a bad cold, I swear the steam from the shower is the only thing that helps me breathe. Sometimes I’ll bring some eucalyptus essential oil into the shower to sniff or put on my chest after the shower.
2. Drink Tons of Fluids: This is pretty obvious but also very important. My mom always stressed pushing fluids to “flush out the sickness”. I’ll go for anything that soothes my throat but these are some of my favorites: Lemon Ginger Echinacea Drink, NingXia Red, and fresh orange juice.
3. Say No: When you’re able to, say no! We want to fit so much in – work, school, social life, etc. Unfortunately when we’re under the weather, the fastest way to heal is to have some serious downtime.
4. Be Gentle With Yourself: You won’t be in your regular routine and that’s ok. We don’t need to keep up with everything we regularly do. We don’t need to have perfect, productive days every day [or ever!].
5. Disinfect Your Toothbrush: This may be the most crucial tip for getting better faster. My mom taught me this when I was growing up. I boil water and let my toothbrush head sit for 5-10 minutes. I make sure to disinfect after every use while I’m sick.
6. Make a Sick Day Kit: We always get sick at the least convenient times. It can be really helpful to keep a sick day kit on hand in your linen closet or pantry. For my kit, I’d include chicken noodle soup, crackers, daytime cold medicine, nighttime cold medicine, tissues, and cough drops.
What are your self-care go to’s when you’re sick?
