Being sick sucks! Of course, we are only reminded of how much it sucks when we are put into that situation. Whether it's a fever, a cold, coughing, runny nose, or worse, all of them make you wish you could skip past it or go back to before it all started. So... If you're currently healthy, here are 5 things you should take the time to appreciate today:
1. Your breathing is solid.
I don't think anyone wakes up and says, "Wow! My throat feels awesome!" or "Wow my breathing is impeccable right now!" But, once you get sick, especially with a cold or strep, it's all you can think about! Often times even if you start getting better, your breathing can be the last thing to be 100% again. So next time you wake up, no matter how tired you are, or how early it is, be grateful that you I can breathe properly. Because that's what's helping you sleep through the night and get through the day!
2. Your body is ready to take on the day.
For my athletes, you can compare this to sore-ness after a 2-a-day and times that by five. When your body is sore during a sickness, it's not like you can just ice it to feel better. Sure, you can take ibuprofen or Tylenol, but that only helps so much. The soreness you feel during sickness makes walking across the room a mission. So the next time you feel exhausted, be aware that at least you can sleep that away. Another day you might have to sleep several days away to feel like new again.
3. Tissues do not have to become your best friend.
Tissues suck. Especially after awhile when you get the red burning around your nose. No one wants to be that annoying person that gets up every two seconds to get a new tissue. And I think we all know how cringe-y the 'nose blowing' sound is. It also sucks when your nose is just constantly running and you feel like you have to tilt your head back 90% of the day. So if the last thing you used a tissue for was fixing your makeup or cleaning something, say thanks!
4. You don't have to miss out on anything.
This is one really tough part of being sick. Your friends are out doing things and you can't go. You fall behind on homework. You can't go to work (which I know for some is nice, but money is nice too). The most exciting part of your day becomes eating soup or making it to a shower. You see what everyone else is doing and you wish you were there, but you know you're not well enough to have a good time if you went and you'd probably end up infecting your friends. So this is gonna be a tough one because many of us go out to work, class, practice, or a social gathering almost every day, if not every day. Because of that I'm not going to tell you to think about how you could be sick each time. Instead, I'm going to remind you that you should make the most of every time you're able to go out.
5. There are better places to be than your bed.
As a college student and a teenager, I know we think being in bed is THE place to be. And that might be true when you finally get to sleep in on Saturday/Sunday after a long and early-morning week. But when you sleep in bed all day and can barely muster watching an episode of Netflix, your bed is no longer all its made out to be. So when you get the chance, study in the library, go out to eat, take a trip. Your bed will be truly appreciated after a day of good exhaustion rather than the other way around.
Being sick sucks, but it's probably going to happen to you at some point. So take advantage of all the non-sick days you do have! And stay as healthy as you can!
