I hope you are all having a lovely Memorial Day weekend! I’m out of school Monday (thank goodness), and then I only have 4 days of ninth grade left! (Not including my Biology exam.)
Anyway, I haven’t been sick since I can remember, but since Saturday I’ve been feeling under the weather. I have a sore throat and an occasionally drippy nose, plus a dull headache.
This comes after a week of occasional and mild exercise. Besides normal walking around at school, I went running once and biking once, just 4 miles both times. I really left exercise in the ditch this past week. It’s a problem: it’s so hard for me to find balance. It’s either the 6-days-a-week track workouts or nothing.
Ugh. Now I can’t run because of the headache. I pray that I will feel better soon (also for my mom, who’s also sick).
This is more than just a physical problem. It’s a shock to my health-obsessed self. I take pride in my lack of sickness, headaches, weakness, fatigue, and allergies. I credit it to my healthy diet and lifestyle, including sleep and exercise.
I have this desire to transcend the physical problems that everyone else seems to struggle with. I want to always feel alive. I love to run fast and strong. I hate weakness, because I fear it in myself.
So now I’ve been taken back down to earth. I’m human. I co-exist with bacteria and viruses that think I’m a wonderful host (not a compliment in this case, I’m afraid). I hate being sick!
Do you have any tips for helping colds? To relieve my throat, I’ve gargled water with about 8 drops of tea tree essential oil, and I have these great ginger chews. I’ve heard vitamin C and zinc reduce the length of the cold. Any other ideas?
Do you ever struggle with balanced habits or health obsession?
PS – What kind of pictures do you put with a post like this? Bacteria dividing in my throat? Tea tree oil? I hope you still read it without pics to catch your eye!
I KNEW I should have knocked on wood when you told me you didn’t get sick anymore Friday night. And I didn’t. This is all my fault, I’m afraid, so sorry.
I’m actually sick a lot, come to think of it. I always have allergies–pollen in the summer and spring, dust in the winter and fall–and then I’ll have a headache or stomachache or I’ll just feel lethargic and icky. (Then there was that UTI in March that kept me at home for 5 days, and I missed 3 days of school…I learned the hard way that a fever of 106.2 degrees gives you chills that can easily be mistaken for seizures.)
I’d recommend just taking it easy, drinking hot tea and even taking warmer showers (the steam helps clear your sinuses and it just makes you feel good). It’s not your fault that you’re sick, unless you’re really certain that your WBC’s are inferior and deserve the blame.
No, it’s not your fault in any way! My mom said the same thing. No, it’s never good to blame each other for germs when we get sick! That’s silly.
What is UTI? Sounds horrible. Wow.
Thanks for the tips… tea sounds good. I’m so glad there’s no school tomorrow!
Hey! I’m sorry to hear that you’re feeling a bit in the dumps whatwith your recent cold! Have you heard, though, that it’s important to be sick once in a while? It’s true. It gives our immune system an opportunity to build new receptors and helper cells to recognize disease-causing agents. I know this may sound a bit weird, but I actually love being sick! Like you, I rarely ever catch colds, and thus I completely relish the opportunity to take it easy. Take it almost as nature’s gift to you for staying off of exercise, and anything else too rigorous.
An excuse to relax — how awesome is that? 
And don’t worry about slacking on exercise — your body expends extra energy during a cold, so it’ll probably actually need more for a swift recovery. As for extreme habits in terms of exercise, it’s always all or nothing for me too. It’s been almost nothing for me for nearly a year now, but I’m doing better than ever. Truly.
Tips for getting better sooner… minimize stress. Seriously. Eechinacea seems to work well too.
Warm wishes,
Aletheia
I don’t get colds to often either, but I hate it when I do!
The best thing that works for me is to chew little pieces of peeled, raw ginger and then take a big drink of ice water. It kinda hurts because it’s so spicy, but it actually makes it feel better really fast.
I hope you feel better soon!
Don’t worry on being down on exercise for a while. It’s good to have breaks from time to time and it’s a great practice time for patience.
Love,
Joy
Sorry you’re sick…that totally sucks! I hate being sick..it doesn’t happen to often for me either…I hate being cooped up doing NOTHING, and having to cut down on the raw veggies and fruit…I REALLY hate that! I drink mint tea…it seems to “open my airways”..hope you get better!
@aletheiazoe – I have heard that it’s good to be sick every once in a while. But it’s still miserable! I don’t know if I could ever LOVE being sick, but you’re right; it is nice to cut back on everything for a few days. Thanks for the advice!
@Joy – Thanks, and you’re right about patience. haha, I slept in every single class today! We’re not doing much, because it’s the week before exams. (I’m only taking one, so I don’t need the reviews!)
I love ginger!
@teenagehealthfreak – Tea is good! I’ve been putting a drop or two of rosemary essential oil in aloe vera gel and rubbing it under my eyes… that helps the sinuses, at least for a little while.