I made it through Thanksgiving without my usual holiday problem. But the winter holidays are upon us and my body is showing signs of impending doom.
Ever since I started college, I’ve experienced a weird phenomenon: I tend to fall ill around the holidays. I figure it’s partly due to stress (final exams, racing around to do shopping, preparing for family gatherings) and partly due to the fact that my subconscious KNOWS that it’s got a few days off coming. The perfect time to give in to whatever bug is going around, right?
Right. Because the sore throat, cough, and body ache really makes it fun to go around checking things off my naughty and nice list.
I woke up with the sore throat portion of the show this morning. Hooray! At least I’ve pretty much finished the shopping portion of my holiday action. I do have some gifts left to make, but I can bundle up in bed and knit without too much trouble.
The cabinets are stocked with ingredients for my favorite sick drink, too. A warm cup of chicken broth is great for a sore throat — the warmth and salt are so soothing. I add a splash of lemon juice and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes. The lemon is another good throat soother, and the pepper helps fire those complaining nerve endings to relieve the pain.
The only other treatment I’m planning is just taking it easy. The holidays can be crazy — fun, but crazy — and it’s easy to forget to give myself time to recharge. I’m going to make it an early night tonight and pick up some extra sleep to help my body fight this cold off.
The Families.com Health Blog is full of other useful tips and tricks for fighting a cold, no matter what time of year it hits!
- Fight a Cold with the Right Foods
- The Best Way to Kill Germs
- Eight Great Ways to Beat a Winter Cold
- Holiday Sleep Loss
- How to Have a Healthy Winter