Whatever Happened to Convalescence?

Tips for the Proper Way to Rest and Recuperate

When I was a child, an honest-to-goodness sick day meant that I would stay home from school, tucked into my bed, and surrounded by books and coloring books and regularly plumped pillows. My mother would bring me toast and scrambled eggs and if I was particularly ill with a cold or congestion, the aquamarine-colored humidifier would be puffing and spouting away on the nearby dresser. Usually after one good day of recuperation, I’d be ready to leave my sick bed and bounce back to school. As an adult, a sick day often just means a day when we’re feeling ill at work. For half the year, it’s common to sit around a meeting table with a large box of tissue being passed from co-worker to co-worker. I think more of us get sick because our coworkers make us sick by bringing their germs to work! Whatever happened to good, reasonable convalescence?

If you are sick, contagious, bleeding, sneezing, coughing or running a fever - stay home! No one is going to be impressed that you showed up for work on your death bed, but they are going to be annoyed if you bring your germs to work and get them sick. Stay home and “convalesce” - try some of these tips to make it a truly recuperational and rejuvenating period:

Stay in bed. While some folks prefer a couch or lounge chair - really, bed is the best place to be. Even if you just have the sniffles, spending the day in bed is what convalescence is truly all about. Keep plenty of fluids by your bedside - water, tea, juice (when I was a girl, my favorite convalescing treat was room temperature 7-Up). This isn’t the time to catch up on housework, errands or work - you really have to stay down and rest in order to really recuperate.

Read, draw, journal, color. Maybe it’s because I’m a writer, but I swear by the healing power of reading, writing and drawing. Keep a coloring book and a box of 24 crayons handy for periods of convalescence. There is something incredibly therapeutic about coloring while being bundled up in bed sipping tea or orange juice.