NOTE: Please see the comments below if you need a definition of “flat”!
Everyone has flat days. Everyone. They are not specific to chronic illness or injury but they do come with the territory. A while back all I had were flat days, I could not bring myself to do anything other than hide from the world and stay in bed. These were days when I was not really sick but had no energy what so ever to speak of and just a generally flat feeling. Getting out of bed was a task. Today I have had another one of those “flat” days. I have been feeling it coming on for a few days now and today it hit full force. I feel horrid. I am not the sort of person that can stand up to the lure of my bed easily but I am starting to learn that even on these “flat” days that taking to bed is not the answer. In fact, I find it makes me feel worse.
After having many a “flat” day I have come up with a little plan to help me feel a bit better. Like I said, staying in bed ALL day does not help. I find I feel guilty for not doing anything which then turns a flat day into a bummer of a day. If however you need a full day in bed to regroup and can do it, go for it. Otherwise, here are some things I do to get myself feeling a bit less shaky, there is no particular order, just do as you please….
- Have, at minimum, a sleep in. Even just a couple of extra hours is sometimes all you need to give you back a bit of pep. Some of the tasks below can also be done in bed!
- Call up and cancel any commitments you have. Don’t just not turn up, it will make you feel worse (guilt is very draining). Call in sick if you need to. It is better to take time out now to regroup rather then get even sicker later on down the track, by that time you will need even longer to recover. I learnt this the hard way.
- Have nice cup of tea and read a magazine, book, blog, etc on a topic that you enjoy or excites you. Today I flicked through a Oprah book (O’s Big Book of Happiness) and a book on organising and decorating your home (Chic by Colin Cowie). We don’t often make the time to read something that isn’t a must, especially during the week. Breaking that routine can help you feel re-energised.
- Find a movie that makes you feel good. Here I generally choose something that I have already seen and know for sure it makes me happy. Nothing worse then hiring a movie that you think is a feel good flick and ends up being a sob-fest (I keep a small collection at home so I don’t have to leave the house if I am not up to it). Make yourself something yummy and snuggle down to enjoy a movie that will make you feel a touch more cheerful. Today’s movie was Sex and the City – The Movie. Good girly fun.
- Have a bit of a pamper. Shower, wash and blow dry your hair. Put on a bit of make up, not a face full but enough to get rid of the black circles and put a bit of colour on your cheeks. Put on something very comfortable that will not hinder your movement while watching a movie or reading a book. Today’s choice are some PJ pants and a cotton singlet with some comfy flat slippers. Give yourself a bit of a mani or a pedi if you want. I gave my feet some love and attention and now they feel blissfully soft.
- Write a friend an overdue email or letter. It will make you feel you have achieved something as well as keep you in touch with the outside world.
- Relax. Know that tomorrow is another day to get things down but today is for recovering and healing. Just letting yourself off the hook is a weight off your shoulders. Just give yourself today. Generally that is all you need to give you back the energy you need to fight another day.
I have done the above today and I am feeling quite a lot better. Sometimes you just have to give yourself permission to have a day off to do things for yourself. To preserve your own sanity! Do whatever you enjoy and makes you feel better – the list above is just a guide, somethings that I have done here today. Each person while have a different group of tasks that bring them joy. The point is to take the time out when your body is screaming for it. It will reward your kindness later! Take care….
All the best, Lily
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
You said something very revealing at the beginning of your share. You mentioned that you could feel the “flat” coming on , like we know a storm is coming in when watching the weather. Obviously the only person who can change the weather is Mother Nature, but I’m wondering what power we have to alter the course of our own lives. If something is “coming on” what might be the tools to avoid the storm? I love your suggestions once you’re in the storm, but the body and our soul give us clues…I’m just wondering how we can listen better before we have to use the remedy.
Hi Greg! Thanks for your comment. I appreciate your thoughts. I guess here I should clarify what I mean by “flat”. I do not actually mean depressed or down (although it could be relevant in either of those situations which is why I used the term so broadly), I mean “flat” as in not acutely sick but not really well either. There is often a middle ground before chest exacerbations (this is the case with Cystic Fibrosis but I am sure it is the same for many other illnesses also) where you are not really crook yet but you know what is on the way. That was my experience on Wednesday – the storm I am watching coming in is a chest infection which has caused me to be abit “flat”, I mean “flat” as in impending infection, low grad temps etc. “Flat” is a term that myself and my medical team use to actually describe a physical feeling. Many people living with chronic illness will know what I mean by “flat” but I have also tried to make this relevant for the many readers I have that don’t live with chronic illness who may have other definitions of “flat”. Flat to them is a very different feeling to “flat” for us! I agree about listening to your body, it is a skill that I know many people with chronic illness possess in bucket loads. Here I was listening to body telling me that I needed some down time, abit of pampering and lots of fluids! I have suffered from clinical depression in the past and am now very aware of the signals my body (and soul) sends me before an episode but that is a post for another day! Thanks again for your feedback! Lily*
Yeah Lill, After 23 yrs around the kids and knowing their personalities so well, I’ve learned to “read” them as they walk in and know that with the approaching “storm”, today isn’t a day they want a joke but rather just a little fussing over to let them know what they are feeling is real nad some assurance that they have been there b4 nad will get over it.