Over the past two weeks or so I have suffered from one of the most virulent sinus infections: ever! It was so bad that I couldn’t even sleep any longer. I just had to meander through my days, take my antibiotics and hope for the best. It also took a mental toll on me as well. Because I wasn’t able to eat, I started to reach for junk food which pumped me full of sugars and preservatives. It just made things worse.
In one of the chapters of my book The Little Book of Change, I talk about eating well and in another chapter I talk about taking care of yourself. I also touch on what effects an everyday cold or flu can have on your mental well being in yet another chapter.
First, my body cycled up and down due to my sugar intake. When I ate junk food, my blood sugar crashed, causing me to seek out more junk food to even out my blood sugar levels. I know you are familiar with the feeling. You eat a fast food biscuit for breakfast, and you are running to the coffee pot 30 minutes later. I finally had to start eating foods that were high in protein. I also stayed away from prepackaged foods as well as fast food. Putting good food into my body began to even me out. There is a saying that your mother’s home cooking is the best thing for a cold.
Secondly, I had to take better care of myself. As a runner, my first reaction was to burn out a cold with a 5K or a 10K distance run. It has worked before, but when you were as sick as I was, extra physical activity will only diminish your strength to fight off a cold. I stayed out of the heat and kept my body cool in the air conditioning of my apartment.
Finally, when you are ill, you can be mentally depressed and are more subject to anxiety. In addition to feeling nasty, my brain was cycling from euphoric highs to bottomed out lows. I was also feeling depressed and I was having a lot of bad dreams when I slept. This is part of a cold. Your body is weak from trying to fight off infection. You will be weak mentally as well. Every dreaded, if-then thought ran through my head. For instance, “When can I get back to work.” Or, “I am missing the 4th of July holiday.” I even found that I was putting myself down at times. I finally had to “take my own medicine” and tell myself, “You have a cold. You are sick. You will feel depressed and anxious. You heave to weather out the storm. When you are physically better, you will feel better mentally!”
Now that I feel better, my strength is coming back. I am no longer depressed and I am thinking clearly. I am now able to pick up my life where I left off.
So eat well, take care of yourself, and know that when you are ill, your mind can go in many different directions. Just know that this is temporary. When you feel better, you will be able to get back to your life.
