If you read my previous post on my holiday burnout, you’ll understand that I was over the moon to have a real weekend off with Dennis for the first time since November.  Of course, my body had other plans. I had pushed myself too hard during the holidays and it all caught up with me. I spent half of the weekend bundled up, congested and passed out on the couch.

If you know me in person, you will know that I am a complete baby when it comes to being sick. I don’t want to do anything at all, have no appetite whatsoever and will lug around a mini pharmacy with me wherever I go. Now that my head is feeling a little less cloudy, I am going to share what I learned about myself.

• I need to rest. While a huge thanks goes to Nyquil, I have to force myself to rest and let my body heal itself. Lying in bed on my phone for hours or binge watching some of my favorite shows doesn’t help my body replenish. It simply needs rest.
• I need to take a look at my habits. What am I eating? What am I drinking? How much water or tea have I had? When did I go to bed last night? In order to get myself back to 100%, I have to really watch how I treat my body. I’ll be completely honest, this is not something I do normally yet. I jokingly complained to Dennis that I was tired of drinking so many fluids and realized I probably drank more water in the past three days than I have in the past month. And that can’t be good.
• I need to disconnect temporarily. Mainly because I get dizzy if I am on my phone for too long and feel achey at my computer when I have a cold. It was nice because I got to read through a good chunk of The Fellowship of the Ring, one of my favorite books, and felt happy. Reading is so nourishing for me and this was a reminder of how I need to carve out more time in my day for it.

I started this post as a written journal entry because, as I mentioned previously, I get a little dizzy with screens for too long. But after I finished, I realized that this was something that I should share because catching a cold sucks, but it is probably the ultimate reminder that you really do need to take care of yourself. I’ll end my post with my lemon and ginger tea, which I have had too many cups to count. I like it so much I think I should drink it even when I am not sick!

Lemon & Ginger Tea
(Single Serving)

1″ of ginger, thinly sliced (I used a peeler) placed in a metal tea ball or mesh tea bag
3-4 thin slices of lemon
1-2 tbsp of honey

In a mug, pour boiling water over the ginger tea ball and lemon slices. Steep for at least 5 minutes. Muddle the lemon slices. Add honey and stir. Optional: I like to steep a peppermint tea bag with it for the extra health benefits.