Being sick is a miserable feeling. Your body aches all over. You don’t feel hungry. And the medications just mess with your mind. The only thought on your mind is a speedy recovery. While the antibiotics and other medicines do their work, you can use the recovery time in a beneficial and transformative way too. And the best part is that you don’t even have to leave the comfort of your cozy bed to do these things.
Being Mindful When Unwell
Some thoughts occur only under certain circumstances and sickness is one such situation. It’s a good time to look within, plan changes to your lifestyle, or even just daydream. Here are five important things you can do to transform your life while you’re sick.
1. Be At The Receiving End
When a member of your family is unwell, you do everything you can to make them feel better and recover quickly. While family members usually remain by the bedside, friends may wish a speedy recovery (how convenient)! You have done your bit of taking care of others. Now it’s time for them to return the favor. Allow them to pamper you and aid you in your recovery. The caregiver will also feel good for being there when you needed someone to care for you and it gives them an opportunity to express their gratitude.
2. Improve Self-Care
Often, we are caught up in the frenzy of the fast-paced life and forget that good health is linked to a good lifestyle. Working late hours, eating out often, and other lifestyle habits are usually the causes for sickness. Use the sick time to kick bad habits and cultivate good ones. Care for yourself more than what you did before and ensure that they improve your health. Being sick is the perfect time to improve self-care. Soak in a hot shower and wash away the sickness. Sip a hot cup of tea and stimulate your senses. Or just curl up in bed and read a good book. Do whatever you can to improve the quality of life.
3. Catch Up On Pending Tasks
Our hectic lives barely give us the time to little things around the house. Ill health slows you down. So, use the time effectively to catch up on some chores. The list of “things-that-you-always-wanted-to-do, but-never-had-the-time” only grows longer each day. Your cupboard may need an overhaul. The plants may require pruning. Your kitchen may have to be reorganized. Use the time when you’re sick to accomplish all those small unfinished tasks. It not only keeps your mind occupied but also helps you complete pending work around the house.
4. Think About The Benefit Of Health
The value of water is known only when the well is dry. Similarly, we realize the value of health only during times of sickness. The pain, discomfort, and fatigue that often accompanies sickness is a lesson to keep your body fit as a fiddle. Use the time to understand what caused the sickness in the first place. Is it your lifestyle or diet or habits or the combination of all these? Think of ways to alter unhealthy practices and work your way around them. Understand that without a healthy body, you are almost incapable of doing anything worthwhile.
5. Introspect On The Delicateness Of Life
As you mechanically go about your life without a second thought about the fragility of your life, you tend to do a lot of things that are harmful to your health in the long run. Your body cannot withstand prolonged abuse and unhealthy practices can cut short your life abruptly. After all, you’re not made of Kevlar to be insulated from constant maltreatment. Use the sick time to contemplate and understand life better. Introspective techniques such as meditation and yoga can add quality and years to your life. Sickness is a reminder of the delicateness and the preciousness of your body and it is up to you to find ways to make your life healthier and fruitful.
