I have been really on point of late. I have been reaching my goals creating new ones and taking all opportunities life has thrown at me. Of course that means I have had no time so when my body decided it wanted a break it shouted very loudly and I have been flat on my back for a week. In fact I am gonna be here for a few more weeks -yay! My first reaction, after the initial three days of mugginess, was simply ‘I don’t have time for this!’ As an ambitious self employed person my business and progress depends upon me and me alone. And yet as my business is life coaching what kind of coach would I be if I didn’t take this opportunity to listen to the universe and learn from my experiences.
And what have I found out? Simply that in today’s busy work culture there are many of us that feel that we don’t have time to be ill. We push, and push, and hop out of the sick bed as quickly as we can to get back on the treadmill. However realistically this just turns us into a person working at half of our capacity. We we aren’t working properly then our business isn’t going to work properly. Now if we want to be efficient with our time the best thing we can do when we are ill is to stop stressing about what we think we should be doing and put our energy into healing ourselves as efficiently and completely as possible.
So if illness has jumped up and knocked you down try these tips to get you off your sick bed in the best of health as quickly as possible.
Reschedule EVERYTHING
Get your diary out and reschedule everything for a week from now. If you can’t reschedule then delegate to someone else. Your clients and business partners will understand if you explain that you would rather be working at full capacity to do your job at your best and give the best service. Allow yourself a week to recuperate. Then make sure the first few days back at work are working from home. The meetings you have are on the phone so you can work from home. It helps. People are a lot more considerate than you give them credit for and honestly if you have something that can be passed on people won’t thank you for sharing your germs.
Flop like you did as a child
Being an adult (or a child) and being ill is frustrating and often boring. However we most of us have memories of illness from childhood of the things we did when we were ill. Allow your inner child to lead you. For me that meant a few days of 1950s musical marathon and toasted cheese sandwiches. Whatever you did when you were a child to amuse yourself on your sick bed then do that. It helps.
Avoid Social Media
Avoid social media it’s frustrating. I mean who wants to look at posts of everyone else reminding you of what you could be doing. Switch off for at least 48 hours and give yourself a break. Your body and mind needs it.
Eat for your health
Due to the wonderful art of google-fu knowledge is at your fingertips. There are plenty of helpful websites out there that will tell you what you need to eat to boost your immune system and help heal whatever it is ailing you. I don’t recommend this as an alternative to doctors advise but it doesn’t help to give your body the chance it needs and the ammunition it needs to recover.
Call in the cavalry
Some of us are lucky to have a helpful partner to lift the slack and take over the reins when we are ill. I have been the most fortunate girl in the world to have Mr T who has been the most dedicated nurse in this last week. However if you are not so lucky call in the cavalry to help with the daily tasks of cleaning, washing and making food. People like to help and you would of course do the same for them. Just one word of advice make sure you are clear about what type of help you need. People often like to help how they want to help so get clear about who and how before you ask.
Take the easy road back
Once you have had your week go slow on the way back. You can’t expect to get up with the same energy you had before. Take it slow. Try half days, early nights and a few weeks of low activity. There is no point in winding up flat on your back again and believe me it hurts more the second time. Healing takes time so give it time. You can’t achieve anything with a half rusty motor so give yourself the time you need to get your oil changed.
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It’s so easy to put ourselves and our bodies needs second when we are striving to get to the top or make ends meet. However without you nothing is going to get achieved. If you want half-hearted success then do it when you are run down. If you want peak performance then let your body rest when the universe tells you it needs it. After all the next time it decides to tell you to take a risk it might be a lot more painful. Keep in mind the benefits for business of taking care of yourself reap the best rewards. And by putting yourself and your bodies needs first you are showing the world how much you respect yourself, which will inspire everyone else to respect you too!
Get better soon xx
