It was a day like any other. A family member needed me to watch one of their littles for a few hours, I needed to work, Fox was at his newish school, and the grass was growing. It wasn’t until around lunch time that I began to feel a tickle in my throat. My first assumption was it was carryover grogginess from the morning (I’m not a morning person). My second? I was just tired, I work too much. By the evening I was exhausted more than normal and my throat pain was increasing. The next morning, I could barely get out of bed (not an exaggeration) and looked like Jerry Smith in Episode 8 Season 2 of Rick and Morty.
As a mom, we shrug off the possibility of being super sick. Even if we do become super sick we still shrug it off. It’s not healthy. Why? Because then we end up like me. In and out of bed for over a week, incapable of thinking clearly, and allowing our kids to eat cookies for breakfast (okay, it was just one day). Staying healthy is an important part of being a mom – mental health included.
Before I lend you my newly discovered tips for putting yourself on the track towards healing I will preface with this. I completely get it, just because you’re sick doesn’t mean you’re going to give up your duty as a mama, but there are ways in which you can give it up, even when you’re a single mom like me.
Stop Ignoring The Signs
This one is obvious I know, but I’m being totally serious. If you notice you’re throating feeling a little more than groggy, or your eyes puffing up unlike that delicious puff pastry in the freezer, take some vitamin C, swing by a naturopath and gift yourself a nutrient IV. Squash the sickness before you get down with it.
Go To Bed Early
As much as you want to stay up and binge watch a few episodes of your new favorite show, don’t. When you feel the early pinch of illness you must rest. So what can you do if you’re absolutely hell bent on getting in a little me time? Grab a stemless wine glass, pour in a little NyQuil, and snuggle on up to your body/man pillow and live in the sound of silence (it’s rare of us).
Swap Out The Coffee For Green Tea
Caffeine isn’t exactly the best thing for you when you’re sick. Why? It’ll dehydrate you more than you already are. While this step mainly equates to removing coffee from our daily habits during our time of sickness I suggest just trading places with green tea. A nice peppermint tea or herbal remedy is great for your body and will help along with the remaining new habits you’ll be incorporating.
Quick bit: Green tea is good for you because it’s loaded with antioxidants and nutrients that have powerful effects on the body. This includes improved brain function, which is essential to momming.
Go To A Naturopathic Doctor
If your symptoms refuse to go away despite your best basic efforts, don’t go to a regular doctor and have them prescribe you a bunch of meds. See a naturopathic doctor as they will use methods that will naturally heal most if not all your symptoms. In fact, I visited a naturopath this last time I was sick and had a few things done. Check out the photos below of the treatments I had done at Vitalship.
Follow The BRAT Diet
Yes, it’s the good old Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, and Toast diet. With colds and flu it’s best to stay away from sugar, dairy, and gluten. Toss out the cream cheese and bagel and opt for a nice piece of buttered toast with an herbal tea. The doughnut and latte are tempting I know, trust me, but your body will be happy you decided to be tame.
Now that you’ve taken care of yourself (or at least re-positioned your mindset) we’d love to send you to Today’s Parents to learn more on toddler games you can play when you’re sick that’ll give your sinuses some time to release pressure. Just click here for five toddler games to play when you’re sick.
Pin this article:
