Member-only story
COVID arrived at our doorstep over three years ago. But I’m still discovering All. The. Ways. it changed the way I view illness.
In days gone by, when I got sick — I would simply soldier on. As long as I had the strength to get myself out of bed and dressed, I’d go to work. Nurses weren’t allowed to call out sick. We weren’t even allowed to call out dead. We had to call out COLD and DEAD because if you were a warm body — they still expected you to show up for your shift.
But since COVID invaded our society, I’ve noticed a subtle shift away from this mentality. At least within my own being. Humans talk about it and call it The Cancel Culture. But I believe it to be an awakening to self-care.
Without the added pressure of having to report to a job, I find I am able to heal faster. My asthma remains under pretty good control and even when the occasional exacerbations occur, they don’t last as long and are not as severe. I have the time to simply be these days. I can rest. I can be home to make sure I get a breathing treatment every four hours. I can take the good cough medication, even though it makes me a tad sleepy. I don’t have to be sick and functional. I can just be sick.
When I come to that realization these days, I allow my body to be sick. I allow her to tell…
