I’ve always believed that when you see patterns develop in your life, that there’s something to be learned from those patterns. One pattern that has appeared in my life over and over again is that when I get a break from school or work, I get sick. As soon as my life slows down, my immune system decides to go on vacation.
Well, my spring break started today and I woke up with some nasty, flu-like symptoms. There is the low-grade fever, congestion, headache, cough and chills. I feel crappy. I’m taking a fairly open-minded approach to this latest virus though, trying to actually learn something from it as opposed to just suffering and feeling bad.
I realized that I had looked at a week off from classes as an opportunity see lots of friends and get a whole bunch of stuff done. Nowhere in this break did a plan any time off for myself to sleep in or just veg out. And now I’m forced to veg unhappily for the next couple of days while I recover. I also realized from this cold how I feel like I have to be productive all the time. When I do take time off for myself, it comes bearing a certain element of guilt, a feeling that I have to look around and make sure that no one sees me watching movies or the food network.
So I am embracing this latest bout of viral discomfort as an opportunity to learn. I’m also looking forward to the matzo ball soup I hear is coming my way tomorrow.
It always amazes me how quickly these sorts of symptoms can set in. I hope you feel much better soon.
While I was a student, the same thing would happen to me. I would be crazy busy with classes and then when things died down and I had a vacation, I would consistently get sick. I wonder if the adrenaline from all the busy-ness kept me well and then once I had a moment to chill out, the sickness would take over. I always looked at colds are nature’s way of forcing me to relax. Feel better!
I’m sick every Thanksgiving without fail. I don’t think I’ve actually enjoyed the taste of turkey since before my undergrad years. I hope you feel better and enjoy relaxing on your couch!
There’s a logical connection – the adrenaline drop brought about by such a break brings a correlated drop in resistance (Anuradha hit the nail on the head). Unfortunately it’s not just Murphy’s law. The upside is that you are less prone to get majorly sick at the less convenient time (ie – finals week, big work deadline)