SICK AS A DOG!

I had a wonderful holiday in Cabo, Mexico without one negative or glitch.  When I landed in Calgary though, I had a funny feeling in my throat.  Well, that was just the beginning of the trouble.  Before I knew it, I had a full-blown case of laryngitis.  Now for those of you who know me, that is like watching salmon swimming downstream!  I love to talk and actually earn my living by doing so!

Family and friends gave me tons of advice as to what to do and I made a large online order for various vapor rubs and lozenges.  

Fortunately, my practice is now only two days a week and my telehealth clients were extremely kind when they saw me grasp my throat and whisper “laryngitis”.  Some just took over the conversation, updating me with their goings on while others kindly suggested that I just go back to bed.  (By the way, it pays to give a little extra to others when you are well as the blessings do return when you need them).

So, I practiced all the common-sense things that I had learned over the years.  The main thing was to ensure that I got enough rest.  Think of the times that you weren’t feeling well but kept pushing yourself beyond what was healthy – not good!  Then I drank a lot of water to flush out the germs.  Finally, I made a point of not going out into the world to spread the illness to others. 

I also took advantage of my daughter and son-in-law who offered to change my bedding and clean up the kitchen which looked like a bomb had gone off! 

Being sick reminded me of the days of my youth when our doctor made house calls.  We would lie in bed all day only to have him show up “sometime” without notice.  Then he would tell us to stay in bed, drink plenty of fluids and perhaps consume a hot toddy with lemon, honey and boiling water in order to sweat it out! These were things that we had actually already been doing before he arrived.

There are two great things about being sick.  One is that you have lots of time to rest, read, think and retreat from the stress of the world.  (Most of us even have sick leave or grace to do this).  The second is that you then develop a strong awareness of how wonderful it is to be healthy!

Think about it: We don’t appreciate spring until after a long, harsh winter.  Sun is more beautiful after a hailstorm.  And health is more valued after an illness.

So, it took about three weeks until I was back to being myself again.  Oh, I wasn’t sick the whole time, but I was weak for a few days.

I am wondering how you handle illness.  Do you just keep pushing yourself to do the things on your calendar, all the time, infecting everyone who comes close to you?  Or do you follow the sage advice of our old family doctor and go to bed nursing yourself until you are well again?

Things change over time but there are some tried and true processes that need to be observed from generation to generation.

Do whatever you can to be well!

By the way, isn’t “Sick as a dog” a strange expression?  Wonder who came up with that one.

Dr. Linda Hancock, the author of “Life is An Adventure…every step of the way” and “Open for Business Success” is a Registered Psychologist who has a private practice in Medicine Hat.  She can be reached at 403-529-6877or through email office@drlindahancock.com