Getting sick sucks, especially when you think its COVID. Thankfully I didn’t get COVID (tested negative). I think I either got Valley Fever or a mild flu. I’ve noticed that I’m almost getting a similar progression of symptoms every time I get sick:
- sore throat
- runny nose + coughs
- pounding headaches
On a side note — one of the best feelings in life is when you can breathe through both your nostrils for 15 seconds before going back to being stuffy. It’s like God put his hands on your nose and just lifted you up into the heavens.
As I’m recovering, I wanted to share 2 bad habits that came up during my journey through Dante’s 7 circles of hell. I’m being dramatic here but during some points, it felt like it because it really hurt to swallow and it felt like I was a machine generating mucus every minute.
Don’t wait to do something until it gets bad
I admit this: I knew I wasn’t taking care of myself well before I got sick.
Here’s what I knew I was doing wrong before I got really sick:
- I wasn’t taking care of myself outside of work. For example, I wasn’t working out as much (maybe 1-2 times a week). Something also important: I wasn’t doing anything fun (I just went home and sat around like a couch potato). This made me getting easily frustrated because I was seeking pleasure in the wrong ways. As they say – idleness is the devil’s playground. All this stress was probably weakening my immune system.
- When I went to work, I didn’t make a choice to be sanitary. I was working next to sick people and didn’t wear a mask or wash my hands as often as I should’ve.
At first, I just didn’t do anything about my situation because I wasn’t getting sick. My body was handling the stress and poor habits so I thought – why do anything when I’m getting by. Waiting to do something until it gets bad is very nasty habit of mine. It’s something I struggle to replace.
As I am recovering, I’m making proactive decisions to implement reward systems and to get more involved in volleyball and this blog. The last couple of weeks before I got sick, I felt like I lost the joy from playing volleyball and writing this blog. I turned my attention to other sources of instant gratification like playing video games and watching the same Youtube videos. I’m trying to get myself back onto the path of doing things I enjoy and a part of that will require some motivation, which is where the reward system comes in.
Also – definitely going to wash my hands more and wear my mask at work.
Buy it if you can afford it and you need it
If,
- you know something can make your health better and
- you know you can afford it & need it.
Then
- BUY IT
Makes sense right?! Unfortunately, this is another bad habit of mine. I tend to steer toward saving money even if it costs me being sicker for a longer period of time. However, I spent money this time for my health when I was sick this time.
For example, I ended up buying a larger humidifier for my sore throat. One of the biggest reasons why my throat hurt so much was because my bedroom air was extremely dry. I figured this out when my throat felt better from breathing in the steam from my hot showers. My throat hurt so bad that I had to take 3 showers a day (I know…I am guilty of wasting water…). I was using a small humidifier to increase the humidity in the room when I went to sleep but it didn’t get the job done.
So that’s when I decided – I really need to get a bigger humidifier. I paid $60 to upgrade my humidifier. Easily one of the best investments I have ever made.
Be Confident. Stay Curious.
