Oh spring, how I’ve missed you. The new year doesn’t begin for me until spring finally rolls around bringing with it longer days, beautiful blooms and warm weather. In an interesting twist though, this spring brought something with it I didn’t expect — allergies.
Now, you may be thinking, “Everyone knows spring brings allergies.” But hear me out. I didn’t think about it because they’ve never really bothered me. So when I recently came down with an illness caused by allergies requiring antibiotics and a few days off work, I have to say I was surprised. I thought it was either COVID-19 or strep, but I tested negative for them. Allergies never crossed my mind.
Living healthy
Other than the symptoms themselves, the most difficult part of being sick was having to stay home and rest and I felt a little trapped. I had no option but to stay in bed because I was so ill, I couldn’t do much of anything else.
Recovering at home gave me time to think about my health in general and wondered if I was doing everything I should to be the healthiest I could be? I had to admit the answer was no.
It wasn’t too long ago that I was serious about eating healthy foods and I went to the gym regularly. It was such a big deal back then but not so much now, and I wondered what happened.
I could blame my lack of motivation on so many things, but I think I just took my good health for granted. It’s been easy to be lax in my self-care routine since I’m pretty healthy and I don’t have any major diseases in my family, but now I’m not sure my usual good health is just the luck of the draw.
Dismissing the signs
Thinking back to a few weeks before I became so sick, I realized I dismissed some things my body was trying to tell me. A constant runny nose, slight fatigue, and sudden sore throat were all signs I ignored. Perhaps if I had paid more attention to what I needed, I could have lessened the severity of my illness or avoided it altogether.
When life gets busy or overwhelming, self-care is usually one of the first things we let go of even though we know there can be a price to pay. But before you do, just remember you can’t do what you do best if you’re not at your best.
