On Tuesday, I started to feel like crap. Being me, I decided to ignore it and power through. After all, there’s no way that I could have been exposed to COVID. There’s no way I could get sick.
Let me be clear, I suck at being sick. I get actually angry with myself. I am downright mean to myself. The negative self talk is nearly unbearable which is why I power through.
After the denial came guilt. What if I have COVID and I’ve exposed others. Should I get tested? What if I catch it from being tested (yes, this is an irrational fear I have that the person testing me will have it and I will end up infected. I also loathe the thought of anything being stuck up my nose).
So I did what any other asshole would do, I started googling. I didn’t have a temperature. A runny nose is not a sign of COVID. I had no body aches. I could still breathe, smell, and taste. So this asshole self diagnosed herself as being COVID free.
With the self diagnosis behind me, I decided that I was going to prevent myself from being sick (still in denial). This did not mean slowing down and resting, but included a combination of:
hot lemon water – something I do every morning, but more of it.
elderberry gummies; again I take these daily but I upped the dose
fire cider which I also have been taking daily since the start of the pandemic which is why I was kind of super pissed about catching a cold.
And of course being super diligent about mask wearing and hand washing which I always am.
I was hesitant to take any OTC medication because I wasn’t sick (denial). But I’ve also heard that some medications can make COVID worse, so just in case (even though I wasn’t sick). Plus, I am trying to educate and embrace natural and herbal solutions and be less reliant on pharmaceuticals anyway.
Unfortunately, I felt shittier and shittier in the coming days. Until Saturday, when I surrendered. I allowed myself to feel sick. I allowed myself to rest (I literally sat in a chair in my living room and did NOTHING). On Sunday, I slept til 10 AM, which is really like 11 AM with the time change.
And guess what…I am feeling better. Not 100%, but better. So lesson learned…again. Getting sick is the body’s way of communicating that you need rest. It’s a warning sign. All of the above things I mentioned will help you to heal but nothing can replace actual rest. So as the work week hits, I will not pressure myself into getting up at 5 to exercise. When I am tired I will stop working.
Because I don’t want to feel that shitty again any time soon.
