I haven't been feeling too great for a few days, but I thought I was turning a corner yesterday. This morning, however, I woke up feeling like death. My sore throat came back with a vengeance, and I was worried about my congestion moving in the wrong direction. Definitely don't want to have another bout of pneumonia.
A bit begrudgingly, I went to the doctor. I was worried that it would be a waste of money and they'd just send me home saying there's nothing they can do for me. As it turned out, it was good that I went.
I have strep throat, and I was getting pretty dehydrated. They put me on an IV and gave me antibiotics. Obviously, I still don't feel too amazing, but I certainly feel much better than I did this morning.
This whole thing reminds me a little bit of the latest Bluey episode called The Sign. In the episode, Bluey's teacher tells the kids a sweet story about perspective, and how the whole concept of bad versus good luck depends upon how you look at it.
On the one hand, it maybe feels unlucky to be ill right now with everything that's going on. Or, maybe it's lucky, because this sickness didn't interfere with Sophie’s birthday last week, and it likely will be over in time for her party on Sunday.
We'll see.
As I'm recuperating here and getting ready for Sophie’s party, I feel it necessary to focus on just a few basics since virtually everything feels like such a struggle.
For me, that means trying to attend to certain pillars each day:
Hydration
Sleep
Nutrition
Movement
Nature
Connection
Sometimes, it's a big deal for me to simply make sure Sophie is okay, and that I'm managing these basics. That we're connecting each day, spending a little bit of time outside (or at least rolling down the windows on a beautiful day), eating as healthy as I can manage, drinking plenty of water, and going to sleep early.
For the past couple of weeks, these tasks have been harder, I've struggled to sleep well, I haven't been able to stay on top of all my meds or supplements, and I've had some days where adequate hydration didn't happen. I probably shouldn't be surprised that my immune system is struggling… my recoveries have been declining, too.
I've also been carrying a greater sleep debt, so my sleep need is rising.
Focusing on these small but meaningful needs seems like the best, most tangible way to improve my health so I don't run myself into the ground.
It can be hard to believe that I deserve to focus on very basic self-care, and it feels especially difficult when I'm ill, but I also understand how failing to take care of the basics is a recipe for disaster.
Hitting the basics often doesn't FEEL like it's enough. But we can't truly excel if we don't attend to the basics, even when it's tough.