7 Self Care Tips For Sick Moms

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Check out these 7 self care tips for sick moms, they are great tips to help you take care of yourself so you can take care of the ones you love.

When was the last time you were feeling sick?  December was a really rough month of the Sweet Parrish Place home front.  At the beginning of the month, we had a loss in the family. Add that to the busy Christmas season, and it was a terrible time to be sick, but the cold and flu season hit my family, and myself right in the midst of everything that was happening.  Since February is right in the midst of cold and flu season, I thought I would share some self care tips for sick moms, and I hope it will help you other mama’s get prepared and take care of yourself so that you can be there to take care of the ones you love.

7 self care tips for sick moms

1. Get Plenty of Rest

To be honest, I have spent a good chunk of my adulthood not subscribing to this tip.  I am a night owl by nature, and I spent years of my life burning the candle at both ends.   I have to be at work every day bright and early. And for years, I would go to bed at 11:00-12:00 at night, sometimes I would stay up even later.  And it didn’t help that my husband worked prime time television news as a meteorologist, so he didn’t get home from work until close to midnight. In the early stages of our relationship, I would stay up late and wait for him to get home before heading to bed.

The lack of rest I was getting for years really started to catch up to me after I hit my forties.  Also, at around that time my husband changed careers and started being home evenings. So we gradually adjusted our bedtime to around 10 pm, and sometimes even earlier.  I have to say, when I started getting more sleep, I was shocked and awed at how much better I actually felt at work, and all day long. Once I realized the benefits of getting more sleep for myself, I really love our earlier bedtime!

There are more benefits for your health to getting 8-10 hours of sleep per night than you may realize.  It can help you keep your weight down, it can improve concentration and productivity, it can maximize athletic performance, it can aid in helping depression, and it can improve your immune function, just to name a few.

When you’re sick, your body works hard to fight off that infection. It needs more energy than usual. Make rest your top priority. Stay home from work or school, and put your daily routine on hold until you feel better.

2. Stay Nourished and Hydrated

It’s important when you are feeling under the weather to try to eat healthy and stay hydrated.  Getting plenty of fluids thins mucus and breaks up congestion. It also prevents headaches and fatigue.  Skip caffeinated soda, coffee, and alcohol. And instead drink plenty of water or a nice cup of hot tea.

Believe it or not, eating a bowl of chicken noodle soup really can make you feel better. Research shows that chicken soup can calm inflammation in your body. This may ease some of your symptoms, such as aches and stuffiness. What’s more, this meal also has liquid and calories to give your body energy.

3. Give Yourself Grace

It is Ok to take a sick day and stay home from work or school.  As a matter of fact you should. It is better for everyone that you are around during your normal day if you don’t spread your germs to them.  It’s also OK for you to put your normal household chores on hold, to whatever extent possible, until you are feeling better.

Binge some Netflix, order delivery, pick up a good book, pile some cozy pillows and a blanket on the sofa and just chill.  Don’t feel guilty for giving your kids some extra screen time for a bit.

4. Take a Bath

Let me just say up front that I am a bath girl.  I love a hot bath a few times a week, but I crave it even more when I am feeling sick.  And if your aren’t a bath person, a hot shower feels just as good. The steam loosens up the mucus and relieves a bit of the pain. Afterward, you’ll be able to blow your nose properly and breath freely.

5. Be Prepared

It is always a good idea to stock up in advance for cold and flu season*.  There is nothing worse than coming down with something suddenly, and you have nothing in your medicine cabinet.  I always like to go shopping for all of the things we might need, and things to help prevent us from feeling under the weather.  Already having certain items on hand when we feel sick makes things just a little bit easier.

Here are a few of the items I currently have on hand to make things easier if myself or my husband were to get sick.

I am a huge tea drinker, and drink it daily, so I was thrilled when I found this Lipton Daily Support Herbal Tea at my local Kroger store.  The Lipton Wellness range, made with carefully selected botanicals and blended with essential oils, helps make wellbeing a part of your everyday routine.

The Lipton Daily Support Herbal Tea is an excellent source of Vitamin C, this herbal infusion helps support your body’s natural defenses.*  Carefully selected botanicals are blended with green tea and natural essential oils that make every cup delicious.

When I got sick recently, I developed a nasty cough, and it was even worse at night.  My husband almost kicked me out of the bed one night because I couldn’t stop coughing.  So having something on hand to help when someone develops a cough is always a good thing.

I also found this Robitussin® Maximum Strength Honey Cough & Chest Congestion DM at my local Kroger store.  With Robitussin® you can fight your cough and help kick your symptoms to the curb. The liquid-strength of Robitussin® soothes on contact and provides cough relief for hours.

I was excited to see this new product on the shelves! It has the real honey I want, with the powerful cough relief I need. Gluten Free. No Artificial Colors. True Source Certified Honey.

Another helpful item I purchased is Emergen-C Immune+® Super Orange Gummies.  Emergen-C Immune+® supports your immune system with the key nutrients your body needs, such as Vitamin D and Zinc.  Even more, every formula is packed with Vitamin C.*

These Emergen-C Immune+® Super Orange Gummies help to naturally support your immune system.  The high potency Vitamin C and antioxidants also support immune function.  It also contains natural fruit flavors.  

These next two items are something I had never seen before, but I know they’ll come in handy when the time comes.  Theraflu Power Pods Daytime Severe Cold, and Theraflu Power Pods Nighttime Severe Cold. (Please note that Theraflu and Robitussin should not be used at the same time).

 

• Don’t let the cold or flu get in your way. Theraflu Power Pods Daytime Severe Cold fits right in your routine. Compatible with most single-serve coffee makers, these fast-relieving pods work on even your most severe symptoms. Press. Sip. Relief.

 

• Temporarily relieves these symptoms due to a cold:

  • minor aches and pains

  • headache

  • nasal and sinus congestion

  • cough due to minor throat and bronchial irritation

  • minor sore throat pain

  • Temporarily reduces fever

Abreva® Pump Cold Sore and Fever Blister Treatment.  Abreva is not for temporary symptom relief, but healing. It delivers the best results when used at the first sign of a cold sore.  I have never had a problem with cold sores, but I know several friends who do, and my husband also does. So I made sure to pick up some Abreva because it can heal your cold sore in 2.5 days**.

• Only Abreva can do it when used at the first sign.

• The only FDA approved OTC medicine to shorten healing time.

• Proven to heal cold sores & shorten the duration of pain, itching, burning, tingling.

6. Ask For Help

I am lucky that I have friends who I know are willing to help ease my load if I am sick. And we would do the same for them if the tables were turned. If someone offers to make you a meal, do a couple of loads of laundry, or watch the kids for awhile, take them up on it.  You can repay the favor to them one day too.

7. Get Some Fresh Air

So far this winter, it has been unseasonably warm.  So that makes it easier to get some fresh air every day.  But that isn’t always the case. Still though, we need fresh air and sunshine as much as we can get it, especially during the winter months.  If you can’t get out, open a window during the warmer hours of the day and just let in some fresh air. If you can get outside to sit on your porch or deck for a few minutes, or go for a short walk, that is equally refreshing, and the brisk air may be just what you need to help clear your sinuses.

All of the above items that I mentioned were purchased at my local Kroger store.  I was able to easily find everything we needed to prepare for cold and flu season there.  I made a collage below so that you can see where these items are on the shelves. And I circled each one.

Visit this link to stock up on all of your cold and flu essentials and get more sick day tips!  

I feel like we are fully prepared now for whatever sickness we may bring home, and I hope these tips help you get prepared for cold and flu season as well.  Most importantly…

• Save $1.00 off Lipton Tea Herbal Supplement Wellness starting Feb. 20th.

Disclosure:  Theraflu-(c) 2019 the GSK group of companies or its licensor. Theraflu is for use in adults 12 years and older.

Use all products only as directed. Read label and follow directions. Abreva, Emergen-C, Robitussin – Use only as directed. Read label and follow directions.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, cure or prevent disease.

**When used at the first sign, median healing time was 4.1 days; 25% healed in 2.5 days.