It's officially cold season. My first cold of the autumn has arrived and it feels...horrible haha! No surprises there! But as an MS sufferer it's a bit of a drag on the old immune system. It's an achy body x10 compared to the average Joe and it is literally an effort to stay awake. However, not all is terrible and I see this as a chance to practice some much needed self-compassion and self-care. I push myself into overdrive most of the time. Between working, exercising, volunteering and travelling around and about, I don't really leave much time to just chill out. Actually, it was something I had to schedule into my diary last Sunday, but I managed to find other things I really needed to do. This is probably most of us, not really slowing down until we really have to and even then, kind of ignoring our needs to the point of crumbling. This was a real exercise of knowing my boundaries and think this time I'll commend myself for cutting the gym and sentencing myself straight to bed after work with a 9.30pm lights-out.
As I sit typing here, pyjama-clad and wishing my throat didn't feel like someone had been trying to sand it throughout last night, I realise that avoiding illness is impossible. But here's what I'm doing to keep myself perky. I've been drinking green tea and camomile by the gallon, not forgetting to add honey to it (naturally soothing and antiseptic). I've been conserving energy, making sure not to do anything to exert myself any more than necessary. The trick is to really look after yourself when you have a cold, because pushing just that little further is cause for relapse and if it's avoidable, I'm going to be avoiding away. Admittedly I've still been walking to work but it's a short trip and the fresh air can hopefully do me nothing but good (wrapping up big time though, it's getting chilly as those leaves are starting to turn). I'm not personally a massive fan of taking cold and flu relief as I don't feel it's more effective than natural remedies, but that's just how I roll. A good nasal spray is actually pretty useful and obviously treat yourself as suits your body. I figure I have enough chemicals racing round my body as it is, but any extra vitamin D or C is more than welcome. I'm packing in all the fruits and veg to pull myself out of this one fast.
I find with colds it clouds my orientation and that's just something I have to learn to get used to. It's not too drastic, but I definitely notice I can be a little off balance and just not my usual self. I used to really worry about this right at the start, but I realise now that this slightly slower coordination and orientation is my new sense of normal when it comes to colds and I need not worry too much. I recall the fear that would strike our house when I'd say I had caught a cold last winter as we were so worried it would lead to relapse (I'd had a series of heavy relapses all worsened by cold previous to that), but we all realise now that we just need to take things as they come. Sometimes it's easy to rush to the worst and take our negative thoughts as facts. Really, all we have is rumours and gossip whizzing around in our minds. Nothing is true until it actually happens and that its the attitude I've been trying to adopt into all aspects of my life, particularly my health. I can't assume the worst, it has not and might not ever happen.
So that's me for now, I'm going to rest, get my energy up and be on top of it all sooner than I have previously. Here's to learning from experience ;)
From quickmeme,com
As I sit typing here, pyjama-clad and wishing my throat didn't feel like someone had been trying to sand it throughout last night, I realise that avoiding illness is impossible. But here's what I'm doing to keep myself perky. I've been drinking green tea and camomile by the gallon, not forgetting to add honey to it (naturally soothing and antiseptic). I've been conserving energy, making sure not to do anything to exert myself any more than necessary. The trick is to really look after yourself when you have a cold, because pushing just that little further is cause for relapse and if it's avoidable, I'm going to be avoiding away. Admittedly I've still been walking to work but it's a short trip and the fresh air can hopefully do me nothing but good (wrapping up big time though, it's getting chilly as those leaves are starting to turn). I'm not personally a massive fan of taking cold and flu relief as I don't feel it's more effective than natural remedies, but that's just how I roll. A good nasal spray is actually pretty useful and obviously treat yourself as suits your body. I figure I have enough chemicals racing round my body as it is, but any extra vitamin D or C is more than welcome. I'm packing in all the fruits and veg to pull myself out of this one fast.
I find with colds it clouds my orientation and that's just something I have to learn to get used to. It's not too drastic, but I definitely notice I can be a little off balance and just not my usual self. I used to really worry about this right at the start, but I realise now that this slightly slower coordination and orientation is my new sense of normal when it comes to colds and I need not worry too much. I recall the fear that would strike our house when I'd say I had caught a cold last winter as we were so worried it would lead to relapse (I'd had a series of heavy relapses all worsened by cold previous to that), but we all realise now that we just need to take things as they come. Sometimes it's easy to rush to the worst and take our negative thoughts as facts. Really, all we have is rumours and gossip whizzing around in our minds. Nothing is true until it actually happens and that its the attitude I've been trying to adopt into all aspects of my life, particularly my health. I can't assume the worst, it has not and might not ever happen.
So that's me for now, I'm going to rest, get my energy up and be on top of it all sooner than I have previously. Here's to learning from experience ;)
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