Its name is Covid! it’s been around for so long now and I considered myself very fortunate not to have been affected by it but have felt it was a case of when and not if! And when, is now.
I’ve been so careful within my therapy space at R&R with a strict regime for cleaning before each client, following guidelines, and being comfortable for years in my mask, so with a hefty pinch of good fortune I’ve been safe until now.
The fortune ran out as my husband arrived home from a short break abroad. Bingo, we both tested positive within a couple of days, and boy, it knocked the wind out of our sails.
Initially, it started with a sore throat, which very slowly developed into the worst headache I have ever experienced, the whole of my face hurt, my mandible felt as though it was being crushed and my teeth were made of rubber. A very odd feeling! As I lay in bed feeling very sorry for myself, I used my rose quartz thumb stone to gently sweep it across my face from the centre out towards my ears and throat, hoping to create some relief and move any toxins towards my lymph glands, did it work? A little. the headache eventually eased a bit, and I did get some sleep. When I woke, I took some ibuprofen to help keep the headache at bay, my first port of call always takes a holistic approach, but there are times when you need an additional helping hand, so be sure to use pain relief.
My joints ached everywhere; I was even aware of the meter tarsal joint in my big toe! There’s being in tune with your body but that’s ridiculous, isn’t it?!
I’m beginning to feel like myself more each day, so whilst I’m not feeling exhausted and I’m cosy under a blanket I thought I’d start a blog and share what I’ve been doing just in case you find yourself in a similar situation – because apparently there is 1 in 13 people with Covid at the moment - so if you do happen to avoid it I am quite literally delighted for you, long may that continue!
Here are a few things that I’ve done (hopefully they’ll help you too)
I’ve drunk 2 litres plus of fluids a day. When you have a temperature, it is very easy to become dehydrated, keep an eye on the colour of your urine, the darker it is the more dehydrated you are.
I’ve been drinking honey, lemon, and ginger, it’s usually my favourite drink first thing in the morning but I’ve had it throughout the day too.
Lemon is a fabulous source of vitamin c and combined with honey it's been soothing for my sore throat. I use some of the pulp too, as this contains pectin, which encourages the production of digestive enzymes in the liver which helps eliminate toxins from the body. My other addition has been ginger, with its own unique way of helping our health, ginger contains substances known as gingerols, these substances help to irradicate inflammation, they also have antimicrobial and antifungal elements that help fight infections and strengthen our immune system. So, a perfect combination. (Caution: lemons can be problematic for reflux so approach with care)
Squeeze half a lemon and spoon some of the pulp into a mug, add a few slices of fresh ginger add a squeeze of honey, add a little hot water and leave to diffuse for a minute or two before topping up with hot water, taste and enjoy. I like it quite lemony so use a trial and error approach if that's too citrusy for you. I even add a glug of brandy for a healing hot toddy.
I‘ve used my diffuser and essential oils in the bedroom, on an evening, I lit the t-light and let the room infuse with the blend of Peppermint and Eucalyptus, helping me to breathe freely and sleep. Pop two drops of each oil in the top of your diffuser, with 100 ml of water and remember to be aware of the lit candle, if you feel you’re going to fall asleep, blow out the candle.
I’ve eaten little and often, my appetite hasn’t been great although my taste and smell are unaffected (luckily) so I’ve had a slice of toast here and there, I’ve eaten some nuts (which were great for my itchy throat), fruit and had a jacket potato with cheese and coleslaw. A little of what you fancy is my motto when you are ill. We should eat vegetables, salmon, berries, eggs, etc but if you don’t fancy it, you just don’t. There is plenty of time once you begin to feel well again to focus on your diet.
I’ve asked for help, I’ve had so many offers from walking the dogs to doing shopping, everyone has been super kind. My lovely dad came to the rescue with some of his homemade soup and a bowl of beautifully cooked new potatoes, still warm with a good pinch of rock salt. He’s no expert but said I’d need to replace some salt. They were delicious, thanks, Dad!
Rest, rest and rest some more. When we feel unwell, we must give in to it and allow our body to rest and heal, listening to our body is vital if we don’t, we return to work too early and before we know it become unwell again as our immune system has not fully recovered, I postponed my 30-minute morning exercise routine too and gave myself permission without feeling guilty, giving my body the best chance to recover quicker.
As a self-employed business owner, it is SO hard, there is ALWAYS something that needs doing unless you have a team working for you, you have a whole host of different hats to wear. Having Covid completely stopped me in my tracks, everything has had to wait and what will be will be.
I have wonderful clients who wait patiently as they know I’ll be back as soon as I can - and put their health - at the top of my agenda once more. The reality behind that, is I have to be my best, to give my best! In the past I’ve worried about letting clients down, this time I felt it niggling me again with new client appointments in the diary until I received this text message!
Thank you, you know who you are.
Which leads nicely to gratitude! Having and focusing on gratitude really does help. We are all made up of energy and what we think and feel affects our vibration, whether that be negative or positive.
I personally prefer positive! When we focus on the good things, we feel good, the positive element takes a lead. For example, I mentioned that I did feel sorry for myself but when writing in my gratitude diary I focused on the fact I’d had my vaccine, my bed was cosy, I had clean water to drink, I wasn’t alone, these resulted in me feeling extremely fortunate and for that, I am filled with gratitude.
I hope there is a snippet of something to help,
I’ll be getting in touch with everyone as soon as possible to rearrange cancelled appointments.