No one likes having the flu and all indications are this years’ flu season is a doozy. Our family was hit with influenza before Christmas. You know, the lungs aching, coughing, respiratory real deal influenza. Then this past week we were all hit with the dreaded stomach flu. I know the stomach flu isn’t really flu, it’s actually gastroenteritis, but it’s gross, gross, gross and leaves you feeling pretty down in the dumps.
I mean, I was all about hitting my January weight loss goals, but not this way. It came on like a WRECKING BALL…and yes, it Wre-eh-eh-ecked Me in the worst possible way. This flu forced me to cancel my TV appearance on CTV Morning Live, where I was all ready to chat about the art of Hygge. It also forced me to cancel a couple exciting client calls for upcoming projects I’m excited to share with you AND I had to pull out of a fun video shoot altogether. This stomach flu was no joke. It lasted from Thursday night until Tuesday morning and it came in all colours.
So if you’re there, if you’re dealing with it coming at you and out of you from all ends and everywhere between; if you’re feeling like your insides are raging against your outsides and your brain is in a fog of Pepto-Bismol and saltine crackers – I SEE YOU and I will virtually hold your hair while you yack for the 18th time in a row. There isn’t much you can do about a flu except ride it out, so I came up with some ‘hacks’ if you will, to help me mentally cope with the virus. BEHOLD… my totally not medical or actual flu remedies for the flu 🙂 
Even though I was sick as dog, I was committed to forcing the healing process by at least ensuring I had some small comforts. After a particularly bad vomiting or coughing fit, I’d cleanse my face and then put on one of these sheet masks. Where have these been all my life??! I discovered them in November and I can’t get enough.
Stomach flu is so dehydrating, so even though I couldn’t drink water, I knew I could at least keep my face feeling somewhat hydrated this way. Plus, they are cooling which helped with the feverish feelings.
Once I could stand up straight, I showered and washed my hair and let it air dry. It doesn’t make sense to wear your hair down when you are barfy sick, but I didn’t want dirty hair. I found these hair ties a few years ago and they are amazing for not leaving pony tail creases!! If you have thick or wavy hair like mine, they are the best ties I’ve found. So I wore my hair up for the five days.
Today, now that I’m feeling on the mend, I took my hair out and gave it a run through with my hot brush. I’ve never talked about this thing before because, well, I’m a bit embarrassed that I own one and that I spent as much as I did on it. BUT, once again, if you have thick wavy hair and are short on time, this thing is the bomb. It’s like a blend between a round brush blow out and a flat iron. I use it smooth out my ends between washes and to give my hair a bit of lift when I use dry shampoo. Anyway, I love it. It’s pricy. But I LOVE IT.
Another thing I did that has nothing to do with medicine? LOL Every day (I tried for twice, but it didn’t always happen), I wrote in my Goal Planner. I forced myself to pick up a pen and, at the very least, scrawl ‘Today my core desired feeling is HEALTH.’ Just that one moment helped me remember nothing is permanent and that I was going to get through the fog of the flu. I’ve had a lot of inquiries about how I’ve been liking my planner. I adore it. I think I’ll work on an update post for next month. Stay tuned.
Needless to say, now that I’m feeling moderately better, I’m facing a mountain of work. I am playing catch-up on a bunch of deadlines and I’m scrambling to get a few new things up and running. January-February also happens to be the time of year when I hunker down and make tech changes to my blog. Booooorrrring. I know. But it’s an important to make sure the back end is running smoothly. Ironic given that my back end was NOT running well this week. (TMI?? I mean everybody poops, right?)
Peace and love,
E
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