Hey achievers! Who hates being sick?? Actually, this was a spiritual awakening for me many years ago. Allow me to share.
I used to relate my worth to how much I achieved during my day. As long as I got everything checked off, from making my bed, to feeding the kids, errands, etc., I was successful and worthy of love. So what happened when I didn’t get everything done? If there was some external reason, like an unforeseen errand my husband needed me to run, then I was still okay. But if I was sick? Ugh. That was a dark place to be.
My revelation occurred as I was lying in bed, sick, and feeling very sorry for myself. I felt the Lord say, “If you were in some sort of accident and unable to move, unable to lift a finger for Me, I would still love you just the same.” Well, hello next level of freedom! I already knew on a larger scale that God loves me apart from what I do, but here it was, this little lie that was buried in there, now illuminated and released by this bit of Love.
Now, I can mentally and emotionally take as much time as I need when I am sick to rest and recover without feeling any guilt. As a matter of fact, I am currently on day 4 of healing from some nastiness and feeling well enough to type this up! I still have the tendency to believe I have to “earn” my time off, but I just remind myself of the truth, as my church succinctly packages it; who I am is greater than what I do.
With that glittering spiritual introduction, let’s get into my plan of action for the next few days.
1. TAKE IT SLOW. Yesterday, I got in one load of laundry. Today, I carried the basket up the stairs and put it in my room. I may have the energy to put it away or I may not. I will listen to my body. Everyone else will survive without me.
2. LOOK AT THE BIG PICTURE. Yes, the house is going to be absolutely TRASHED. But, once my energy is restored because I am fully recovered, I can tackle all of the tasks within a few days. I will not be overwhelmed today knowing that two weeks from now, I won’t even remember that I was sick.
3. GRACE UPON GRACE. It is okay for the kids to eat frozen nuggets and mac-n-cheese for a week. It is also okay for them to stay in their jammies for over 24 hours, or not bathe every day when you are sick. May I also suggest that sickness is EXACTLY why we’ve got Disney+ ? One week of constant television isn’t going to kill them, especially if they know this is only permissible because you’re sick. Again, two weeks from now, this will just have been a blimp. We can bust out those green smoothies, bento box lunches, and quiet creative play when we’re better and have the energy to deal with it. Because I am now pretty much an empty nester, I can say with authority that this is what we did and my kids turned out just fine. Grace to you and mercy.
4. INSTACART/SHIPT. Really, no more needs to be said.
So that’s my game plan. Practically speaking, it is just permission for me to take the time I need while recognizing that this illness is but momentary interruption. I will get back to killin’ the game in no time. In the meantime, I’m going to watch some relaxing cottagecore videos on Youtube and drink some more water. :)
Wishing you wellness!