Seems odd, but some of you really don't know how to be sick.
This seems to be a lost art today. The truth is, if we knew how to treat ourselves when we got sick, we would likely get sick less often.
Human are the only mammal on earth that get sick and keep going. Every other animal retreats to a cave to fast and hibernate for three days.
Sickness is a sign that you need to rest. We are guilted into this fast paced world where you are expected to keep up with thing all the time and you are somehow less than or weak for not keeping pace.
Please just stop playing this game.
Although we get sick from others - especially toddlers who seem to have massively more potent germs than other mere humans - we get sick from being run down.
Doing things that strengthen you and your immune system in general, will be your number one discourse on staying healthy. This like working out vigorously, fasting, exposing yourself to natural elements, not washing your hands 20+ times a day, getting sunshine, exposing yourself to dirt, lakes and oceans.
But here is the thing: we all get run down.
You may have been suspicious of something in the days before, or you may have been completely fine and then woke suddenly to a pain fun throat or other icky symptoms. So here is what you should do on the first day that you feel that you are sick:
Sleep
CALL IN SICK. Do this immediately. I don't care what is on the docket. Unless you are meeting a world leader or getting an award, you have to cancel all of your appointments.
You may feel that you can "tough it out."
Here is the kicker: because you, and many people like you, "toughed it out," you are sick for two or three weeks longer than you should be. The virus or bacteria mutates and we get shit like swine flu and wet coughs that linger for a month.
Just stay in bed and sleep. I don't care if you are bored, you body needs to sleep and if you cant stay down for a day you have other deeper issues. Don't work from home, don't stress, just sleep and read.
Fasting
Don't eat anything for as long as you can. Ideally you stop eating the fist 24 hours. That is it. If you do eat, its gotta be easy to digest like rice or cooked oatmeal. But really, no food is the best food.
Bath
So after you have been sleeping all day and its the early evening, take a bath. Relax and soak in the tub. Put some salt in there, nice oils. Check out some awesome bath tips here. A steamy shower should do the trick as well, but really a bath is best.
Hydrogen Peroxide in the Ears
After the bath, put a couple of drop of hydrogen peroxide in the ears. Do two or three drops in one, keep your head leaning to the side and open you mouth and clear your ears. After a second tor two of holding it, turn your head and do the other side.
HP is a mild antiseptic and can help clean the bacteria out of your ears, nose and throat. You can also gargle with a mix of HP and water.
Elixir tea
There are a number of things that can help soothe a sore throat and provide nutritional medicine. Lemon, ginger and cayenne pepper are your best bets. The pepper is a natural decongestant and kills a lot of bacteria in your body. Lemon provides energetic vitamin C and ginger kills pain and soothes and nausea.
Mix this in with hot water and honey and you've got a home made tea that will knock your socks off in the best way possible.
Whiskey
You will be hard pressed to still be sick after a glass or two of tea. There is a reason who hot toddies are a thing! It hot water, whiskey, honey and lemon.
Whiskey is another antiseptic. Don't get drunk but have enough to feel nice and fuzzy.
If you can, call in sick for another day or come in after lunch. You still need plenty of time to rest and recover. The most important thing is don't go back to rushing yourself
If you are still feeling sick after this day, this is totally understandable. Granted that you caught the illness right in the beginning, you would still need two more days of down time to fully recover.
Your job is to take it easy as long as you can. Here are some tools of the trade to help you get better along the way
General Respect
if you are coughing and sneezing and miserable, stay the fuck home. If you just are kind of sick, stay the fuck away from others. Do not give hugs, kisses, share food or be around people for long period of time. Find a place you can work quietly alone.
It is so utterly rude to show up places sick. What may be the sniffles to you can kill an infant or elderly person.
Some people have sick family members at home and germs form mildly sick pole can lead to dire outcome.
Have respect for those around you, tell people to stay away and keep away from others yourself.
Handkerchief
Blow your nose. Cough into your elbow. Please don't suck the snot back into your face. This keeps you sick. Instead of expelling the mucus and germs, you are just keeping them in and swallowing. Gross.
Keep a handkerchief in your back pocket and just have it be your sneeze and cough rag. A soft kerchief is much more comfy on a sensitive nose that tissue and better for the environment.
Sauna
Sweat it out. Visiting the sauna is always a win to sweat out colds and fevers. Be sure to fill right back up with electrolytes (salt and vinegar) and water. You can prevent a lot of sickness from sticking around and getting worse just by visiting the sauna a couple of time in the week.
Honey
Raw, unfiltered honey is one of the best medicines known to man. It is full of all kind of healthy antioxidants, antimicrobials and minerals. Just take a spoonful everyday for general health and two a day while you are sick.
Time Off
No one respects anyone who can't properly take care of themselves.
It is very rare that one or two days off will have a huge impact in the bank account over the long term. Taking care of yourself now might actually improve you bank account because the risk of prolonged sickness is out of the question.
Nutrition
Fasting is best and foods should be kept easily digestable. This means oats, rice, and broths. Remember that broths need to be bone broths as the marrow is the ingredient that make you healthy. No roughage and no big meals that are taxing to break down.
Scarf
This is a universal signal to stay away. Someone wearing a warm scarf inside, wrapped around the neck is telling everyone that they are sick. this is a good thing and very comforting for your throat. Make sure to keep your neck and yourself warm as you get better.
Please take good care of yourself and be respectful of others!