First of all, be aware: this post is not supposed to be medical advice in any way, and I trust you to consult your doctor with any ailments or symptoms first.
This post is much rather a compilation of advice for those trying to cope with falling ill in the cooler half of the year often.
I want to share the lessons and strategies I have gathered over many years of being sick many, many times in winter, to the point of feeling like I’ve spent more time sick in bed than healthy at school, uni, or anywhere else.
My immune system has always been a little weak, and since childhood I’ve learned to deal with the many complications and problems that arise from getting sick frequently.
I think by now I’m at a point where I have so much experience and so many systems in place that I am able to deal with getting sick very frequently pretty well.
If you share a similar experience, I hope to be able to help you out a little in this post.
Not everything that works for me is gonna work for you. It’s still worth trying one or two things.
1. “Prevention”
Unfortunately, this is a tricky area because it’s simply not possible to entirely prevent sickness ever.
Especially for me, this is the area I’m most lacking in, even if I’ve tried my hardest.
Even if I can’t be sure I am really getting any effects from this, I do have a winter routine to put my mind at ease a little.
I commute to my university in a big, big city daily during winter semester, as that’s somehow when I’m most busy with uni. All the people, uncleanly public transportation modes, and also just a general rhythm of being in the cold, exposed to dry air and harsh winds, is just too much.
It usually doesn’t take long for me to get sick soon after reentering my uni day-to-day life.
So what do I do to minimize germ exposure and give my system as much help as I can?
Here’s a few parts of my winter commute routine:
Dress Like You’re Going on an Arctic Mission
I can never know if there will be troubles on my train ride leading to me standing at a train station for three hours at minus 7 degrees.
Even most indoor spaces at my uni are so cold and clammy that I often leave every single layer on.
I have found it to be one of the most effective tactics for me to avoid cooling down and freezing as much as I can. In my many years analyzing what I did just before getting sick, cooling out for too long has made the top of the list.
Thus, even if it’s not pretty: dress warmer than you think you need to.
Bonus points if you include some kind of rechargeable heat tech.
I have a warming belt that I also use for cramping, and just having it run in the darkest, coldest times has saved me from so much freezing already.
I hear there’s also insoles, hand warmers, and pocket pillows that have a similar mechanism.
Heavily considering stocking up even more for this winter…
Protect Vulnerable Areas
It is no big secret that especially our throat, nose, and ears are areas that need special attention when preparing for a cold day.
Here, a hat or earmuffs, if you wear in-ears, or good, well-padded over-ear headphones can make a difference in keeping my ears warm.
I’ve had a fair share of ear infections, especially in humid, cold times, and covering my ears is one of the things I’ve found helpful for myself.
For my nose, I like to simply wear a face mask when i feel theres an ongoing widespread flu, which doubles as a shield from aerosols, and starting in fall you’re never gonna see me outside without a scarf either.
Commute Aftercare
I don’t care if my clothes are dirty after a full day of city and commuting.
I am washing them anyways.
As soon as I get home after a long uni day, I’m changing out of my dirty public transport clothes, taking a really hot bath, and then changing into the comfiest loungewear.
I find this to be a really nice way of immediately feeling at ease and not stressing about bringing the current flu wave right into my bedsheets.
A moment to just completely relax and calm down is also a great way to deal with the stress from a seemingly endless day in the city.
A Cleanly City Routine
I’m by no means a clean freak who goes around washing their hands every 20 seconds, but when I’m out at uni, I make an effort to wash my hands upon arrival and before meals.
As well as after the toilet, of course, but that’s just a given.
Ideally, I’m also carrying my little kit of lifesavers, which contains disinfectant tissues for my hands if there’s no tap in sight, some bonbons for a sore throat, and a couple of tea bags. If i forget, one of my friends can usually help out! They’re much better prepared than myself most days.
For tea staples I recommend ginger, Ayurvedic herbal teas, and chamomile.
There’s obviously some very effective stuff that you already know of but will likely find on any other blog, so I won’t list the obvious “eat well” and “get 8h of sleep” here.
If you’re unsure about these, I do recommend the briefest Google search!
The Second Part of Getting Sick Easily: Dealing With Periods of Illness
One Box for All Your Needs
The first thing I will recommend to anyone is to have the handiest little emergency box that carries ALL of your medical supplies and fulfills your needs when you’ve already fallen ill.
This includes tissues, rubs, essential oils for air diffusion, cold packs, hot water bottles, teas, and of course your favourite kind of bonbon for a sore throat.
If you do it right, you just need to grab your box once you feel the phase coming on, hibernate in your bed, and not worry about anything.
The best part is that you can take as much time and care as you want while you’re healthy to prepare the loveliest SOS box, and then be happy about past you for preparing so well for you.
It’s also a way to practice self-love, honestly.
The Sick Girl Activity Menu
Next up is something my therapist told me.
While being sick means we can’t do all the things we usually can, it doesn’t mean we are completely useless and won’t want any distraction at all.
Here comes a sickness activity menu in handy.
Here again is something that you can prepare before so you don’t have to worry about it when feeling under the weather.
Section this by degree of severity:
Feeling a Little Exhausted, Sleepy, and Like Something Is Coming On?
Easy stage: very light activity is alright.
Maybe you’ll enjoy gaming, reading a book, or writing a diary as a calm but engaging distraction.
You’re Pretty Down Bad and Usually Bedridden
Intermediate stage.
Honestly, this is where it becomes important to properly rest up and not overdo it.
Personally, I prefer watching shows, movies, or YouTube most in this state.
Anything that distracts with 0 effort.
Total Nightmare Fever
If you get to even more intense stages and just feel like a world of awful, maybe even TV gets too much.
Here I mostly sleep, let someone coddle me, and just rest up and wait it out.
Every now and then I’ll be up for an audiobook or music, but if even that is too much or I get a fever headache, I just let every stimulation be and darken the room to give myself the rest I need.
Preserving a Sense of Structure
When sick, I used to struggle with losing my routine, which is generally pretty strict and stable.
However, as soon as my long walks, cooking sessions, and evening gaming with the peeps are not a part of my day-to-day, I start losing it a little.
To combat this, an alternate routine has done wonders for me.
Instead of a long walk, I just step outside, if possible at all, for a few minutes.
I don’t put on street clothes, but if I can manage, I’ll wear some daytime loungewear too.
If I have cold symptoms, I also like to inhale steam to make myself feel more comfortable.
In the evenings, I take a bath.
It’s a simple change that I can manage in most states, but it helps loads.
Dealing With Missing Out
Someone like me at this point can’t technically have any FOMO left.
I am just missing appointments so often.
Unfortunately, I still do.
A lot, actually.
And don’t get me wrong. The state of being sick, be it fevers, colds, stomach upsets, or UTIs, is by no means pleasant to me either.
So yeah… it generally sucks and is never something I’m excited about.
I did, however, learn to cope with it over the years.
But there are also ways to shift your mindset slightly towards feeling better about yourself and life!
Let me share some with you!
Reschedule Everything You Miss
If you’re actually sad about it, that is.
Once it happened, you came down with something, and that big, great event you were looking forward to had to be canceled for you entirely, fret not.
Most things in life come around at least twice, often as many times as it takes for you to finally take part in them.
I try hard to reschedule what I was looking forward to.
Often I give myself multiple opportunities to attend events and happenings I definitely want to visit.
It feels so soul-crushing to see all your friends go to that one thing you’ve been wanting above all else, but chances are, if it’s good and worth going to, you will find ways to reschedule and go another time.
It takes a lot of willpower and mental fortitude to keep trying and schedule events again and again.
But eventually it will play out and you’ll get to be there.
Consider Sick Leave a Mandatory - But Also Somewhat Fortunate - Time
Most of the time I get sick, it’s in a period of stress, hectic life happenings, etc.
It never feels good, and I’d almost always rather just power through than be forced to stay home and take a break.
In those days, an unexpected reality occurs to me:
I’ve actually got the time to do nothing for once.
No matter how little I’m able to do or achieve, every now and then, a break to just lie there, sleep in, and get a mandatory worry stop can feel like a needed respite.
That isn’t necessarily immediately something awesome and amazing.
It might just be something I need at that time and wouldn’t have gotten otherwise.
I don’t feel particularly grateful for getting sick - it sucks!
But that doesn’t mean the good parts about it are for naught.
It’s both there.
It wouldn’t make sense to entirely ignore one side or the other.
Have a Good Support Network, Contact It, and Reach Out!
Did you know that it’s okay to ask for help?
I certainly enjoy lending a hand to the people dearest to me.
And I know, they do too.
That’s just how folks are wired - do good thing: brain gives happy hormones for reward.
And chances are, your friends and family actually care for you and are wondering if they can help you out in a time of need.
Your calling out to them might just be the step needed to set things into motion, but the willingness is usually there.
Mustering the strength to ask for someone’s help can be so, so important if you fall ill as often as I do.
A pot of hot soup, some groceries, or meds delivered to your doorstep.
That’s what makes me personally feel so loved, cared for, and less forgotten and secluded.
There is a certain loneliness I tend to experience quarantined in my room, away from all the ongoings of the world.
It makes it hard to hold contact with outsiders and feel connected.
In specific times, I even feel isolated and left behind by life.
Just one friend who holds contact, checks in, or sends a funny message can entirely turn things around.
My doting partner, too, can absolutely turn a miserable day with a fever into a comfy couch-potato adventure full of binge-watching and lounging together.
There is joy to be found even under harsh circumstances.
It may be hardest to discover, but it does make it easier.
Life doesn’t stop just because you’re sick.
It goes on, and we can suffer it or make the best of what little we have at the given moment.
And That’s About It
I hope some pieces of my advice resonated with you and might bring you relief on your own journey.
Wherever you are and whatever you’re doing, I wish you much health for the future - and if not, at least the best of conditions to make the best of what you have.