Don't mind if I rest awhile

I don’t do sickly well. I rarely get the flu, if I get a head cold it usually passes after a day or two, and I get headaches every other day but you won’t hear me complain about them. I am a healthy person, for which I am very, very grateful.

Sometimes however I don’t listen to my body when it tells me to slow down. Like yesterday for instance, I really felt like crap. Pounding head, could barely keep my eyes open and for a split second I actually put my head on my desk and contemplated having a quick nap. Did I go home and jump into bed like I could have? Nope. I soldiered on and did what I normally do.

I'm often envious of people who take rest when they know they need it, spending the day in bed eating chicken soup watching Sex and the City reruns – I wish I could do that (I know I can but I don’t). Not that I wish to get sick (no universe, that is NOT my wish) but I wish that when I did feel under the weather I could just bite the bullet and accept I need to rest. And take it. I have learned over the years to put the brakes on to maintain balance by not taking on too much, I just need to apply the same tactic to knowing when to stop and rest when my health isn't its usual self.

A few weeks ago I got a cold (I call it a cold but I’d say with the body aches and pains and week long headache it was more like the flu) and every morning I got up with a head full of snot, sneezing and spluttering, pounding head and yet I went to work. I was trying to will the illness out of me – ‘tomorrow it will be gone’. It wasn’t gone tomorrow, it stayed an entire seven or eight tomorrows! That weekend I went to do my grocery shopping and halfway around the supermarket I was wondering ‘Why on earth am I not flaked out on the lounge?’ Seriously, I didn’t have to get groceries, we always have a well-stocked fridge and pantry. And if I mentioned to my husband that I wasn’t feeling well he would have gone for me. I can’t really explain why I feel the need to soldier on, I know what I need to do can wait, but I just find it hard to break that mindset. I am pretty sure it has something to do with my Mum, her and her dominant non-stop gene.

Back to yesterday. I came home with full intention of flaking out, of course I didn’t. At 11pm I finally got myself to bed even though I felt like climbing in at 7pm. I thought about slothing on the lounge and spending the night watching TV, but since I don’t watch TV I wound up finding other things to do. I know if I had a virus only weeks ago chances are it is still lingering, and I need to accept the fact rest is the best medicine. As I struggled to get up this morning I promised myself I would get an early night tonight. I know it is up to me to break this die-hard cycle and get into the habit of taking the rest when I need and want it. Maybe tonight. After all, aren't I the first to say we all need to practice a little self-love now and again? 

Are you good at telling yourself to rest when you know you really need it? Or do you soldier on thinking there is too much to do and spending time in bed is not an option?