Getting Sick Can Be Frustrating

It’s flu session. Getting sick is never any fun, and as an adult with ADHD getting sick can be frustrating as your mind continues to work as fast as ever, yet your body isn’t as physically strong as usual and you don’t have your usual energy to keep up.

If you are really sick, then you have no choice but to lie in bed and sleep and watch movies. However for the days when you are ‘sort of sick’ but by no means yourself here are some tips.

1)    Clear your schedule. Don’t feel you are letting people down. No one minds when you have to cancel a plan because you are not feeling well. Plus the people in your life don’t want to catch your germs and possibly get sick themselves.

2)    Sleep. Its not an old wives tale, you really do heal when you sleep. Get as much sleep as your body needs. Don’t feel guilty or lazy… just sleep. You will recover much faster if you do.

3)    Hydrate. Increase the amount of fluid you drink when you are sick. Drink water, hot or cold, herbal tea (Echinacea is great), juice, anything that will hydrate you will help. Avoid caffeine and alcohol because among other things it dehydrates you.

4)    Food. Listen to your body regarding both the timing of your meals and what the meal consists of. Don’t eat just because its lunchtime. Eat when you are hungry and something that appeals to you. Be sure to eat non processed food, so that you get the maximum about of  vitamins possible.

5 a)  To do’s. When your body is not as strong as usual, you can’t get as much done as you would usually and that can be stressful. Write a list of everything that needs to be done. Just the act of downloading it onto paper is very helpful.

b) Then when you have energy look at the list and pick something from it. Once you have completed the task and you find you have more energy select something else from the list. If not simply relax till you do.

6)    Avoid overwhelm. By staying focused on what you are doing at any given moment. If you are walking to the health food store to buy a few things to make you feel better, don’t start thinking about what needs to be done next. The next task might seem very daunting in your mind however when you are actually doing it will be fine. Simply focus on the task in hand.

7)    Don’t worry. When you are physically ill, it effects how you think and feel on an emotional level too.  Rather like problems seeming much worse in the middle of the night. If you find yourself worrying, remind yourself that you aren’t well and you will pay the problem some mental attention when you are feeling better.