7 Things Everyone Wants When They’re Sick
1. Your mother
Mothers are special, superhuman creatures who simply cannot be thanked enough for they’re existence. (Yes, Dads are cool too.) Part of a parent’s superhuman power is their remedy to every single basic ailment on earth. As a supposedly fully grown, functioning adult, I still find myself texting my mum when I get even mildly sick, expecting her to magically fix it. And no matter how old I get, I think I’ll secretly believe that my mother can cure everything with one of her remedies. But mostly, I just think the cure is having your mum cradle you in her arms, and the assured feeling that you’d be better soon because she said you would. Excuse me, I need a tissue…
2. A boyfriend/girlfriend
No matter how much fun being single is, nothing will make you realize how lucky people in relationships are, more than having to take your sore-throat itching, coughing, sneezing, and/or vomiting self to the nearest clinic all by your lonesome self. But that’s not the hardest part. The hardest part is dragging yourself back to your humble abode to be welcomed by none other than your body pillow. Face it, the best way to really know how much someone likes you is to get a cold. If said person is at your beck and call when that happens, you are set.
3. A really, really good friend
Way back when in my senior year of college when I was taking on far too much, I half-fainted in my shower one day, which sucked. But I also discovered that I had some serious ride or die friends. The doctor said I was suffering from exhaustion or whatever, and ordered me to stay in bed for 3 days. Anyway, nothing reminds you that you’re not a completely awful human being than having people fawning over you, making sure you’ve got everything you need. It’s a lot harder to be there for people in our supposedly busy adult lives. But if there are two things that will solidify a friendship as a young adult – one of them is someone being there for you when you’re sick. The other, of course, is someone helping you move.
4. A (real) day off
Sick days are great. They were invented for, you know, people getting sick from time to time. But unless you are an astrophysicistnuclearneurologist or whatever, chances are, you suppress your illness and go through the work day in mild to terrible discomfort. Apart from putting other people at risk of getting whatever it is you have, you’re probably going to pro-long your sickness. And all of this because of go-go-go productivity! And the sad truth is that most of the time when we do take a day off, many of us still spend time “working”(i.e. checking email, etc.) or we spend most of the day stressing about all the work that we have to make-up, when we get back. Surely there is a better system than this.
5. A really good show to binge-watch
If you are one of those people who can actually endure a sick day, then you’ll know that being in the company of your favorite re-runs or starting a TV show you’ve been meaning to try, is the absolute best. No distraction, no spoilers, just you. You, your sick self, and hours upon hours of unprecedented TV-watching. That is, until you get a headache and feel even sicker of course.
6. A home-cooked meal
A home-cooked meal is something that you probably want every day. And if you’re one of those human beings who *gasp* actually cooks meals they have to eat to stay alive, then it’s usually not a problem. Alas, when your body aches at every turn and/or is shaking feverishly, the last thing you want to do is stand over a stove for upwards of thirty minutes, and probably fail at even boiling water. Most times if we are without (1), (2), or (3), we end up calling a friend that will NEVER fail us – [insert favorite delivery place here].
7. To feel better
I know what you’re thinking, “Good one, Captain Obvious!” But it needs to be said. If you have no long-term illness or chronic condition, and aren’t around those who do, you might go through everyday life not thinking about being sick….until it happens. I often find that when we treat our bodies well, and our lifestyle reflects that – how we eat, how we work, how we exercise, how we sleep, etc. – we’re much less likely to even get into those annoying little bouts of cold and flu to begin with. And if you hate being sick as much as I do, that’s something to consider while you’re laying in bed cussing at the weather, or your immune system, or whichever douchebag you came into contact with, that got you sick.