Putting yourself first

After two long years and feeling lucky to have not suffered  with COVID, its finally caught up with me, and I’m feeling quite ropey and under the weather. I know I’ve got it lightly compared to so many others, but it does make you think. The pressures of continuing to go to work, and should you try and at least work from home, even if you don’t feel great, another pressure given to us, despite the circumstances. So I’ve done the right thing for now, and put myself first. Something not many of us think of doing. But it needed to be done. To say no, I don’t feel up to it so I’m going to rest until I feel ready to tackle things again. And it takes a lot for me to say that. I rarely take time off sick and when I have, I’ve felt worse than I do now. But on the other hand, I don’t want to overdo it, and whilst I have to stay at home, I’m going to do what’s best for me, so when I go back to work I feel better instead of only half better, as so many of us tend to do. And not just physically, but mentally too. Admit when things aren’t great, and put yourself first for a change. I don’t have the strength to feel down about doing nothing (something I’m not good at normally), just to know that it’s the best thing right now. And I think we all need to learn that concentrating on self-care each day will help us more. Try as I might, it’s not something I’ve been very good at doing, and I’m sure I’m not alone. We work hard to pay for the lives we have, it doesn’t leave much time to really think about what it could be doing to us if we try and do too much. Getting that balance is important, and if this awful pandemic has taught us anything its that we are more important. It doesn’t matter if you don’t feel physically ill, if you’re not okay, then take some time out until you feel you can face things again. No-one wants to learn that the hard way.  Rest, breathe and start again only when you feel ready. Something we all need to learn, especially me! Its not selfish, its necessary.

One day this will be over. And we will be grateful for life in ways we never felt possible before (Matt Haig)