I Am Not Going to Soldier on!

There is a popular cold and flu medication that encourages us to “soldier on” despite being sick. The implication is that if we take the medication our cold and flu symptoms will be alleviated, allowing us to be brave and strong and continue meeting demands of our busy lives with no interruptions to work and home. I find it kind of sad. If we do get sick, our bodies are telling us to stop what we are doing and rest and recover. I believe that if we are in optimal health and getting adequate amounts of high quality nutrient rich food and plenty of water combined with moderate exercise, balanced with rest and relaxation then we won’t get sick. There is evidence to prove that when experiencing optimal health we are resistant to most viruses. However many of us don’t take great care of ourselves and our health is less than optimal and so we will eventually succumb to an illness of some kind.

I have been guilty of not taking care of myself very well at all these past few months and this week my body decided to scream very loudly at me that enough is enough. Yes I’m sick, I admit it – I’m sick. I was feeling so happy with myself, wearing it like a badge of honour that I hadn’t even had a sniffle this horrible flu season, but now I have it. Sore eyes, runny nose, no appetite, no energy and the list goes on. I will not soldier on, I will rest. I have taken a few days off work and am happily doing lots of nothing. If you look at what our wonderful bodies tell us it’s quite remarkable. All of the symptoms point to only one thing – rest, rest and more rest. Sore throat – stop talking. Sore eyes – stop watching and reading. No appetite – stop eating. Runny nose – massive cleansing. No energy – stop stop stop! So I am. I am drinking tea, resting and saying no – a lot. It feels good. It’s also a great time to reflect and to renew promises to myself to take better care of my body in the future. I am in awe of my amazing body, not how it looks, although I am a great advocate for healthy body image and self love, no I am in awe of the fact that it has carried me through a whole lot of stuff this year and I have not been very kind to it. I don’t drink, smoke or take drugs, but I have been under a fair bit of stress and have not been eating well, or drinking enough water and exercise has completely disappeared from my life. That’s a whole other story for another day, and maybe even another blog, but I promise myself that once I have recovered, a whole new lifestyle for a whole new me awaits! In the meantime I’m going look a bit like this guy….

About Me

Recovery Coach Rea-Anne

Hi, my name is Rae-Anne. I am a facilitator, manager, counsellor, NDIS support coordinator, psychosocial recovery coach and published author with over 25 years experience in leadership development, change management and developing and delivering training within government, social and community services.

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