7 Tips To Get Back On Track After An Illness
Health illnesses can happen anytime and sometimes during the worst time possible. Thus, you end up filing a few days of sick leave to make sure you take your time in doing proper treatments to get rid of that illness. Sometimes, some people’s illnesses are severe that they’ll have to spend a reasonable amount of time getting treatments in the hospital and recover from the illness. The treatment process may not be easy for you, as this means you’ll have to break out from your usual routine and lifestyle and focus first on your recovery.
Once you’re finally starting to feel better, the first thing you might want to do is get back right away to your usual life! However, going back to your routine hastily will only delay your recovery and potentially prolong your illness. It’s important that you give yourself time to fully heal and recover before you go back to your regular habits.
If you don’t know where to start, here are seven tips to help you get back on track after an illness.
- Take Your Time
The first step towards recovery is to take your time. Don’t rush yourself to get better as soon as you want to. If your doctors recommend that you get a complete body rest for a couple of days, do so. Even if you feel like you’re back to your better self, it’s best if you treat it as if you’re not yet. You can either take your recovery time at home or in a trusted hospital that offers private care. You can read more information about inpatient care and about their private room amenities to ensure you get the best treatment for faster recovery. Be more mindful about what your body feels and tell the doctor right away if you’re feeling anything different.
- Write Your Worries Down
The truth is, it’s hard to recover faster if you’re constantly worried about what you’re missing out on with your routine or your job. You may be spending most of your days resting and sleeping, but if your mind constantly wanders about what you should be doing right now, you’re only putting much pressure on yourself. So instead of overthinking about your work piling up, it may be best to organize all your thoughts and write everything down in your journal or notepad.
Take note of all the things you’ll need to do once you get better. It may be your workout, your unfinished project, paperwork, or anything else. This will help take everything off of your mind and will also serve as your reminder once you’re fully healed and recovered. You’ll know which task should you first tackle, keep you on track of what you last did, and hopefully, destress yourself from thinking about what you’re missing out on.
- Keep Your Responses Brief
It’s not advisable to use your cellphones, laptops, or computers while you’re in the process of recovery. However, there may be instances where you’ll need to use them to respond to urgent calls, texts, messages, or emails. In that case, it may be best if you respond to them in a brief and concise message saying, “My apologies for my delayed response. I’ve been ill and currently recovering. I will read and respond to you accordingly as soon as I’m able.”
This will let people know that you’re sick and you need to buy yourself more time to recover and hopefully formulate a better response regarding their concern. Remember that everyone has had their sick days at some point, so they’ll understand.
- Limit Your Screen Time
Limit yourself to spending more time with screens like phones, TVs, and tablets. These tools emit blue light that could cause strain in your eyes and might also have an adverse effect on your sleep. Keep in mind that you’ll need all the sleep you can get these days so your body can fully recharge and recover again.
Aside from that, the blue light may also cause mental and physical fatigue as you use up your energy engaging with gadgets instead of focusing it on your healing. You may badly want to watch back-to-back episodes of your favorite Netflix show or endlessly scroll on your Facebook and Instagram feed, but these habits will only distract you from taking care of yourself. So, limit your screen time, or better yet, turn them off completely and wait until you’re fully recovered before you think of using them again.
- Stretch Every Once in A While
Probably, you’ve spent a few days in bed as recommended by the doctor. That means your joints and muscles are probably stiff and achy by now. By the time you get back to your usual physical routine, it may be hard for you and could even cause injury. So, instead of starting right away from your usual workout routine, start by doing some long, slow body stretches to warm up your body and muscles again. Some stretches you can safely do may include:
- Back stretches and twists
- Wrist, ankle, and shoulder rolls
- Neck rolls with slow twists on each side
- Gentle yoga poses
Hold each position for at least thirty seconds to one minute before switching to another one. Moreover, don’t forget to practice deep breathing exercises to recollect your body’s energy and do another stretching again.
- Practice Deep Breathing Exercises and Meditation
Body recovery doesn’t only mean waiting for your physical body to heal. It’s also about healing your mental health. This is especially true for people who became ill or sick due to an accident. Accidents can cause a person to fall into anxiety, depression, or trauma. So, while you’re waiting for your physical body to heal, you can also start practicing deep breathing exercises and meditation to strengthen your mind and help it get back on track. Meditation won’t only help heal your mind but, of course, your body as well.
- Eat More Restorative Foods
This one shouldn’t come as a surprise. Healthy food and drinks play an essential role in your faster recovery. However, it may be hard to force yourself to eat much, especially when you only just got your appetite back. In that case, you can start with healthy green smoothies made with coconut water, herbal teas, and other anti-inflammatory ingredients that will speed up your recovery.
Once you’re back on track with your appetite, it’s time to focus your diet on restorative foods like green leafy vegetables and colorful fruits. As much as possible, avoid eating unhealthy junk foods and alcohol as these will conflict with your doctor’s prescribed medicines, slowing down your recovery. When you eat, chew slowly and evenly to make sure you absorb all the nutrients your food can give.
Ease Yourself Back!
Don’t jump right ahead to your nine to five jobs. You might think you’re already back with the energy, but give your body enough time to recover and follow these tips above. Build yourself up first before going back to work. As always, don’t forget to consult your doctor for expert advice. The best way you can get back on track after an illness by taking baby steps when returning to your usual routine, work, life, and fitness routines. Don’t worry, and you’ll be back in no time!
