My friends, this cold and flu season is a doozy. If you haven’t felt that yet, I pray that it continues to bypass your house. And please, by all means, tell me your secrets.
It’s only November, really just the start of this all, and my kids have already been out of school multiple times for illness. First it was hand, foot, and mouth. Then, just a few weeks ago, everyone was home with pneumonia. My son’s teacher mentioned that, of the sixteen students in his class, eight were out for illness!
While I sat at home, during my birthday week no less, caring for my crew of sickies, it was all I could do to try and maintain some thread of sanity. I’m grateful to say that we came out of the experience, none worse for the wear, but I am SO glad it’s over.
Below are some of the things I did to help during that week and a half. I hope you find them helpful!
1. Shower. Do it every day.
It’s really easy to get stuck in the mode of taking care of everyone else that you forget some of your basic needs. From experience, taking time to shower and get ready for the day, regardless of whether I’d see anyone else, helped me to not feel gross even as I was dealing with a lot of gross.
2. Find a venue to vent.
For me, this was my sister. Though she lives in Idaho, we spent time each day chatting via Marco Polo. She has young children too and understands what it takes to care for them, especially when sick. I sent her many videos beginning with the words, “I just need to vent.” It didn’t change my situation, but it was helpful to have someone who understood what I was feeling and who felt compassion for me.
3. Get outside.
I’m not suggesting that your sick week is the time to take everyone on a hike, but it is possible and helpful to go sit on your porch or take a short walk around your yard. Maybe it’s just two minutes while you’re taking the dog out. Fresh air is healing and I often came back in with a renewed vigor for my tasks at hand.
4. Open your windows and give the house a quick airing out.
My mother-in-law claims this is the German in me. Often when we’ve been sick, I’ll open all of the windows in our house to get some new air. In Germany, this is called “luften.” Many people will air out their house daily or multiple times a day. If the weather is chilly, the windows remain open for a shorter period of time. Whether you believe this will do anything to rid your house of germs or not, fresh air is good for everyone, especially those too sick to get outside.
5. Find some you time, even if it’s just a few minutes.
I often combined this with outside time. When everyone had their needs met, I would go outside, sit on our deck, and just breathe. Other times, I would find a spot and read for a few minutes. That little bit of self-care goes a long way and makes managing excessive demands of caring for sick family easier.
6. Let things go.
If the normally clean kitchen is a mess today, that doesn’t mean it will always be a mess. Caring for sick kids is a lot. Don’t be upset with yourself if you can’t balance caring for them and the million other things that you handle as a mom. If it’s not harmful or excessively annoying, let the things slide for a day or even two. You can pick up dirty clothes tomorrow. The dishes aren’t going anywhere. They can wait. Caring for your family and yourself is more important.
