The lost art of Convalescence

This could just as easily been called the lost art of:

• Slowing down

• Doing less

• Saying no

And perhaps that will be a conversation for another day!

We are in the midst of a pretty active winter/ cold & flu season.

It is everywhere.

Whether it be a cold, a flu, RSV, the "spicy cough" or something else altogether, so many people are getting sick and being hit hard. Over and over again.

A recent conversation with a colleague went along the lines of, a person we know has been unwell and was forced to stay at home and admitted that perhaps 3 or so years ago, being in this same situation would have likely still taken them self into the office and gone about their day as best they could, while unwell. The kind of unwell when you know you are coming down with something and your not quite right, but also not bad enough to ‘justify’ taking time off. My colleague recounted telling this person to just kick up their feet, watch a movie, stay warm, rest (ACTUALLY rest) and do as little as possible. The kind of day we all dream of (when we are well) but never get to do... Not even when we are sick and forced by our body to slow down. The time we never take to rest and recover.

The conversation took me back to a concept that was touched on through my naturopathy degree, but not given the air time it deserves, in my opinion.

Convalescence, to convalesce.

Maybe this is a new concept, or perhaps you have heard the term but dont really know what it means, well, to convalesce is to recover, to take the time, an action in its own right, recovering, resting to get better.

Rather than expecting our bodies to do that while we return to normal daily life without giving it any of the things it needs to do so.

The lost art of Convalescence.

When I think of what convalescence might look like, it is closely tied to the old school, but often said, have chicken soup, broths and those really nourishing foods while doing very very little that conjures images of how I imagine my grandmothers would have taken care of my parents when they were young and sick.

The lost connections and deep understand that the body needed something different at this time, we cannot just go back to ‘normal’ straight away.

Before studying Naturopathy, it was a term I had heard maybe only a handful of times, and not something I could have explained if asked.

In more recent times I feel some circles are starting to talk more about the flaws and negatives of our current culture of productivity and output above all else, that being busy has been idolised, a badge of honour. This culture sets the pace (pun intented) for social acceptability of taking time to get back to well, slowing down, doign less and saying no to things, even if it is because you are not fully well.

When it comes to not stopping when we are sick, there are few really pivotal memories and messages from the media and an undercurrent culture within work places that I’m sure I am not the only one to have felt and been influenced by.

Does anyone remember those Codral ads.. “Soldier on!” I found a version on youtube recently and it depicts corporate men and women marching to work, a mother picking up their child from school, all because they we able to soldier on…. all thanks to being able to take a tablet and soldier on.

Even the use of the term 'soldier on' has connotations to being tough, strong, masculine and disciplined.... I'll leave you to fill in the blank of what they are saying if you dont! 

Add this overt messaging to the pressures from the work place.

Whether it be that you run your own business and things do rely solely on you, or as a casual worker, there is no income if you don't work, to the pressure felt in the corporate world.

I have certainly experienced and seen sooo many people attend work when they are sick, because, a) they need their boss to see they are truly sick, not just faking it, or that they just have a sniffle and are taking the piss, and hope that once their boss has seen they are unwell, send them home.

I have also seen that even if you are unwell, and do go into work it is not even guaranteed that they will send you home, perhaps because you have been able to make it into the office. How about that for a double whammy.

This should raise questions about the ethos and culture of a business!

One of the other really big things I have seen is the, 'even if I take a day off it just means there will be more for me to do the next day, multiplied, so for me, I'm better off going into work or doing work from home so it doesn't all pile up and make my life hell when I'm back on deck.'

Or the, 'oh but I have a deadline, submission, presentation, project milestone'.... Insert time pressure here.

There will ALWAYS be something.

There will always be a reason, always more work to be done, that is the nature of the beast.

It is also the nature of the beast that corporations, companies and business is, well kind of like a machine, that wheel keeps turning. And it is turning for the benefit and hopefully the betterment of that machine, not often is it turning for the benefit of the worker (not to imply to their detriment either, just that the worker is not the primary focus of a corporation).

I know there are definitely workplaces out there that do put their people first and appreciate that a happy and healthy workforce is a productive and high functioning one, but I also know this is not always the case.

All of this to say. I see the conflict. I have been in that conflict. I see the pressure and the rationalisation that you, WE, are exposed to, meaning we resisting taking that one, two, three or more days off. Especially when you are NOT knocked to the floor, but really not well either.

But there is a trade-off for just pushing on, what you resist, persists. A saying that can be applied to so many aspect of life, here is no different.

Our bodies need time and energy (gained through rest) to put towards getting healthy and well again and when we keep pushing and split that time and energy its ability to do that is impacted.

This may look like that cold that lingers for weeks, that cough that just wont go away or perhaps the season where you feel like you are catching everything that is going around!

One of the shifts I have seen as a result of our last 3 years, is that people and employers are more encouraging of staying home if you are not feeling well.

The narrow view I often hear and the flaw I fear in this, is that its about protecting others, not making others sick, not spreading the bugs, and dont get me wrong thats important too and no one really wants to get sick. But what happens when eg work gets soo busy that they just need you on deck and its more important to have the task done, than perhaps have you at home, convalescing. Or the memory of the last few years starts to fade and the old habits and demands of business take over again, business is the priority once more. Hmmmm. Its still not about the person getting better.

I really hope this is a pearl that sticks around, but also remember why, not just for those around us, ultimately it should also be, FOR YOU! To give yourself the best chance of getting well, returning to optimal health and ideally sooner and more robustly than you otherwise would.

If you are feeling stuck, needing extra support or caught in a cycle of continually being sick, there is help available. If this is you, reach out to see how I can support your health and immune function.