Messy Minimalist
  • About
  • Blog
    • Minimalism
    • Innkeeping
    • Health & Happiness
    • Projects
  • Monthly Challenges
  • Start Your Journey
  • My Youtube Channel
  • My Story
  • About
  • Blog
    • Minimalism
    • Innkeeping
    • Health & Happiness
    • Projects
  • Monthly Challenges
  • Start Your Journey
  • My Youtube Channel
  • My Story

Messy Minimalist

A messy person with a minimalist mindset

Health & Happiness

What I learned from having the flu

February 10, 2017

what-i-learned-from-the-fluHard to believe anyone can find a silver-lining in something as awful as having the flu, but as I’m coming out of my flu-induced fog, I’ve developed a new perspective on a few things. And because I’ve also lost a week of my life to this nasty bug, I’ll keep this post brief since I’m now really behind on work, bills, cleaning, etc!

So, what did I learn by having the flu?

1. When you start to feel symptoms of sickness, get your ducks in a row FAST.

When the flu hits you – there is no warning! Not much of one anyway. I developed a slight cough in the afternoon. No big deal, right? The next morning it was full on FLU. Body aches, fever, headache, sore throat, fatigue. Had I been quicker to react, I might have been able to reschedule my week without putting anyone else out. Instead, I was calling in favors left and right for things like babysitting, client meetings, work assignments, etc. Not to mention, while I was in the worst of it, I had to forecast my schedule out because of tasks I’d already been procrastinating on! Word to the wise: if you’ve been putting off a task, you’ll just be that much more behind when you finally recover… bleh!

2. Always have a backup plan.

This kind of goes along with #1, but it’s always good to have backup plans in mind for really important things, even if you don’t feel sick at all. Just have it in the back of your head for the really important stuff. In my case, I was able to reschedule meetings, find a babysitter (thank you mother-in-law!), and delay project deadlines. But what I couldn’t change was a photoshoot I had for one of my clients. The photographer was booked and the props/product were already shipped in. This photoshoot HAD to happen. I didn’t have a backup plan – but I do have an amazing employee who stepped up last minute (like literally, an hour before the shoot, I texted her to get out of bed and take my place), and she rocked the shoot. I got lucky, but not everyone might have been so fortunate!

3. “This too shall pass” 

Sometimes you just have to suck it up. Over the course of several miserable days, my husband and I reminded ourselves, ‘This will pass. This will pass”. (He also had the flu).

4. True Partnership

I always knew my husband was my ‘partner’. We’ve considered ourselves a team since day 1, but I think the true meaning of ‘partners’ really hit home for us when the weekend came and we couldn’t get a sitter for our daughter. Dan and I were still sick as dogs, but we were through the worst of it. We both had to find strength to take turns being ‘the strong one’ for our daughter. We would just look at each other to silently determine who was doing worse, then one of us would step up.

I kept thinking back to days without a child, when we could just sleep for hours with no responsibilities. I can’t believe I EVER thought life was hard back in those days. 😉 I also thought about what life must be like for a single parent, I can’t even imagine. (Seriously, props to ANYONE who can do that!).

 

What I learned from having the flu was last modified: February 14th, 2017 by Messy Minimalist
1 comment
14
Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest
previous post
Living Minimal | Why Small Space Living Rocks
next post
Minimalism is a sickness | 3 first steps to take

You may also like

My Unmedicated 4 Hour Birth Story

July 19, 2018

Maybe it’s time to ditch the television....

March 14, 2019

Beat winter blues before they start.

November 12, 2019

The Value of Morning ME Time

September 7, 2017

A Healthy Fear of Boredom

May 2, 2017

Rachel’s Favs – Simply Fair Deodorant Review

March 26, 2018

Goals + Priorities

July 28, 2017

5 ways to feel more accomplished every...

January 14, 2017

5 ways to find Hygge in your...

January 17, 2017

Happiness VS Contentment – Which is better...

October 19, 2017

What we’ve been up to

  • Minimalist homeschool for beginners

    October 6, 2021
  • Do Minimalists Do Christmas? Here’s What’s Under Our Tree.

    December 20, 2019
  • Beat winter blues before they start.

    November 12, 2019
Watch InnTheNorth on Youtube
  • Big Thanks
  • Shop our place
  • Contact Us
  • My Youtube Channel
  • Privacy

Get Email Updates!

© 2018 - Messy Minimalist. All Rights Reserved.


Back To Top