Even if you live the healthiest lifestyle possible and take all the necessary steps to stay healthy, it is impossible to avoid illness completely, and you will likely spend at least some days throughout the year feeling under the weather.
Even if you have a mild illness, you may feel terrible. So, here are some of the steps that you should take when you are not feeling very well that will help you to get better as soon as possible.
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1. Book a Private Doctor’s Appointment
When you are ill and have been ill for more than a few days, you might start to worry about your health and the cause of your illness. However, it can be difficult to get a doctor’s appointment when you need one, and you might have to wait days or even weeks. This is especially the case if you want to see a specific doctor, need to see a specialist, or need to book an appointment around your other commitments.
If this is the case, you should avoid going to your usual clinic and decide to opt for the doctors at TapGP instead. They can help you skip the long waiting lists and allow you to get the prescription or referral you need as quickly as possible. This can then ensure that your symptoms are soon alleviated and that they do not worsen while you are waiting to get the appointment that you need. They can also ensure that you see the best doctors and that you can speak to a professional that you can trust.
2. Take Time Off Work
Source: benefitscanada.com
You should only go to work when you feel ill if you want to lengthen the duration of your illness. Often, your workplace will be a place of stress, long hours, and difficult working conditions, and this can make you tired and worsen your symptoms. Not only this, but you may find that you cannot carry out your work to the standard that you normally perform it to, and this can mean that you go down in the estimations of your manager.
If nothing else, your illness may spread around the office or your workplace if you are infectious and make your colleagues sick. For this reason, many employers would rather you take time off so that all their employees do not end up calling in sick.
You should check how much sick pay you can receive and call your manager as soon as possible to tell them about your illness. However, if you are ill for more than a few days, you might need to get a doctor’s note to prove that you are sick and to get the compensation that you need. Once you have this time off, you can focus on recovering and curl up with a book or a movie until you are better.
3. Research Your Illness
Although too much research can lead to the onset of health anxiety and worry, staying informed about your illness can help you to take the best steps toward recovery. This is especially important if you do not know what your illness is or if you have never had this illness before. In fact, your doctor may even ask you about your opinion on what you have.
You should try to find online medical resources that you can use to read up on your illness and find treatment options and over-the-counter remedies. However, you should always make sure that these websites are reliable, and you should make sure that you see a doctor if your condition is serious or if you are uncertain about what your diagnosis is. This will then ensure that you can get the right treatment and that your attempts to treat yourself do not worsen your condition.
4. Rest
Source: adventhealth.com
Many people think they do not have time to be ill and try to carry out their usual routines while suffering. However, when you have a short-term illness, it is vital that you put your life on hold and listen to your body if you can. This includes getting as much rest as you need and not enjoying the late nights or early mornings that you normally do.
The time that you spend resting and sleeping are when your body will try and heal itself, and your body will struggle to do this if you keep pushing it. To let your immune system do its job, you should try to cancel any engagements that you have and ensure that you spend a lot of time lounging around until you start to feel better.
You should also be wary of exercise. Although a gentle walk may be refreshing, moderate exercise like jogging can worsen your health when you are already ill, depending on what common illness you have.
5. Tell Someone Else
Although you might not want to look weak and may want to hide your illness from others, it is important that you tell someone else when you are feeling ill. This means that someone will be on hand to look after you and be aware of your illness if it worsens. They may also offer to help you with any chores and commitments that you have and that your illness is making you struggle with.
For instance, you may need someone else to help you with any childcare responsibilities that you have, especially if you do not want to pass your illness on to your children, or you may need someone to help you with transport to your doctor’s appointments. Telling someone else can also help you with the emotional strain of being ill.
Even if you are only ill for a week or two, feeling ill can make you grumpy, sad, frustrated, and lonely, especially if you are bored, your symptoms are extreme, or you are missing out on events that you want to take part in. To make sure that you can get better as quickly as possible, you should tell someone else about your illness and let them help you to overcome it.
Source: nytimes.com
