Awe it's THAT time of year again! No, I am not talking about the awesome changing of the leaves, the brisk chill of the air as it hits your lungs and the cozy nights in under the blanket. I am writing to you about the dark side of Fall. The side that turns all these lovely images and smells of Autumn to chills that seep into your bones, sniffles & the wrath of foul tasting cold medicine. Yes, THAT side of the the season changes.
I am writing this message to you from the warmth of my snuggy tented oh so dangerously over a space heater at my feet. Pepper is snuggled up next to me on the precipice of loving her life and alarmingly close to overheating. She is hanging in there though, because that is what our best friends do. Because I, like many of you, have a difficult time saying no and push ourselves to the extremes, I wanted to share some easy to follow tips for telling just how sick you really are and if you should consider staying home. By the way, the answer is almost always going to be yes.
Living in lovely Wichita, apparently the epicenter of ALL THINGS ALLERGY the last six years has enabled me to push myself beyond my point of exhaustion, because it is so easy to blame it on ragweed or a million other things. I, of course, really have to be careful because as a massage therapist it is easy to come into contact with 10+ people daily on a more close up contact than most. Yes, my dear friends, it is that time of year that we think beyond ourselves in a different way. In a way that could lead to a public health nightmare if we aren't careful.
If you are one that needs "permission" to be sick and to slow down to take care of yourself, I will be the one to give it to you. Thankfully, I have clients/friends that care enough about me to see when I have pushed it too far and to tell me, "SERIOUSLY, I MEAN IT, YOU TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF!"
So, this is me, telling you to take care of yourself. To mind how you may affect others and to try to convince you to NOT spread colds and the flu. Here is some further reading on "Just Saying “No” to Sick Days".
FULL DISCLAIMER: My fever broke Tuesday night, so I am on the safe side.