Rest and Recovery

I am battling with my body once again. I returned to my doctor on Monday afternoon because my ears were not feeling better, I was tired and my chest was becoming congested. I had taken all of my prescription and I was still not mending. My doctor was shocked that I was battling an even more intense ear infection then before. What the heck?!  The only denominator that I could come up with that was lacking in my recovery routine was rest.

I have never been good about just stopping and healing, unless I was so sick I had no other choice. I tend to keep going full steam ahead taking my medicine, slowing a little, but not enough to have the laundry pile up or my life to show signs of me not being on my game. I just like to keep up with my life and not show any kinks in my armor. It is a Mom thing.

As most Mom’s know the motto goes “Family first, Mom last”. This motto is much like “The captain goes down with the ship”. Moms are super heroes who put themselves last focusing on the lists of things that must be accomplished in order for the family to carry on. This notion of “keeping calm and carrying on” is nothing new, but it is time for me to set it aside. I have to force myself to rest and I feel I should wave the banner high for other mom’s to do the same.

Being sick is tough enough without having it hang on like a Monkey Grinders monkey. Is it really that big a deal if we eat grill cheese for dinner or the laundry takes three days instead of one? Maybe by slowing the pace, taking time to read or (like in my case) playing thousands of games of euchre on your Ipad, you can allow your body to work on healing rather than just keeping you going. Honestly, being sick is when I realize how much I contribute when I am healthy.

If there is any hope for a full recovery, I am going to have to keep my eye on the prize. I want to be healthy and rest is the only answer at this point. I like my doctor, but I really do not want to see him every other week. I actually told my doctor’s nurse that she and I should exchange numbers so that we can chat, since we have become so close throughout my many visits. Resting is an important part of recovery and today I am giving myself some more time to do just that. How about you?