Monday Mood: Treating Myself Well

I have had a summer head cold, stuffy, runny nose, you know the nagging but not really debilitating illness. We have probably all had one of these, most likely a rhino virus.  Annoying.  

As a kid, I would get a couple of days out of school, then be pushed back on the bus to school. The beginning of a lifetime of pushing through when not feeling well. There was work to be done, and I needed to be there. As an adult I often worked solo, if I didn't do the work, it didn't get done. I had to be almost dead, to not push through the and go to the office. I will admit that I went to work, many times when I shouldn't have.  Only once did a boss look at me and say, "GO HOME and take care of yourself!" 

This time, was different. I allowed myself to rest, to relax. To not do the things to do, but to allow the illness to run it's course. I didn't cook a couple of days when it was my day to cook. I skipped water aerobics a couple of days.  I skipped my daily treadmill walks. 

I see this is a step forward in my mental health.  I had a driven career, I mostly put work ahead of my health or personal life. Allowing myself time to recover should have been a natural behavior, and not a luxury.  The joys of retirement, I can allow myself this time and not feel guilty about it. And in the words of Martha Stewart, is a good thing.