Flu season is here, and it’s not letting up any time soon.  To make matters worse, the flu vaccine is only 10% effective this year.  Schools are shutting down, and hospitals are filling up fast.

If you have not gotten the dreaded flu, the easiest way to get over it is to avoid it in the first place.  Go here and here for tips to do so.

In addition, when you are not feeling well, it’s easy to be short with your family, feel depressed, and be overly emotional.  You say words that you’ll regret just a few seconds later, and it seems the entire world is against you.  For those reasons, if you get the flu, you want to recover as quickly as possible!

What is a normal person to do when she gets the flu?  Here is what has helped me:

1. Stay home!

When you have the flu, the last thing you need is to be out and about with other sick people.

You definitely don’t need to be at work with those co-workers who will be at work unless they are in the hospital.  Nothing against those co-workers; it’s just you need to be away from germs as much as possible.  In an office, there are germs everywhere and in concentration because, let’s face it, people come to work sick.

When you refuse to stay home and get well, several things can happen.  First, you may become even more ill.  What is the point if you can just go home, follow the steps below at first sign of illness, and recover more quickly?  Second, if you continue to work when you are ill, you’ll make more mistakes than usual, which will mean making yourself and your company look unprofessional.  Third, you are spreading germs to co-workers and visitors in the building.

2.  Get plenty of rest.

Your body needs sleep to repair itself.  When you are home with the flu, it’s not time to catch up on the laundry or cook gourmet meals for your family.  Rest is vital in getting over any illness!

Last time I got the flu, I came home, cooked dinner, ate it with my husband, cleaned up quickly, and went to bed–at 7 or 7:30 pm.  It felt good to get the extra rest!

If you are like me and went to college where you were taught that sleep is for wimps, just remember that you are an adult now and not a college student, and you are not required to report to your alma mater staff how much rest you got and when. 🙂  Since you are an adult, it’s time to take care of your body and give it the proper rest it needs.

3.  Drink plenty of water.

Your body needs pure, clean water to flush out the toxins that are making you ill.  Make sure that you are not drinking tap water.  What is in our tap water is another subject for another day.  Remember, if you feel dehydrated, it’s already too late.  Drink water even when you are not thirsty.

Another reason that it is important to drink water is that winter weather makes everything dry.  It’s easy to get dehydrated in the winter even though you may not see the sun much.

4.  Take a digestive aid.

Did you know that most of your immunity is in your digestive system?  It’s important to take care of your digestive system so that your immunity is there to protect your body from illness like the flu.  Basically, if your digestion is working well, you should be well.  If your digestion is not working well, you will not be feeling well either.

Take care of your digestion, and it will take care of your immunity. 

5.  Avoid eating fruits and vegetables high in sugar. 

Yes, this may be a shocker, because you have heard all your life that fruits and veggies are healthy for you.  Yes and no.  Celery, broccoli, lettuce, cauliflower, and eggplant, among others, are find to eat in larger quantities.  On the other hand, apricots, apples, figs, grapes, pears, and oranges have much more sugar in them.

Why avoid even natural sugar?  Well, it hinders your digestion, and any kind of illness feeds off sugar.  The less sugar you eat, the fast you can recover.

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If your immune system is not working as you would like it to be working, I invite you to a complimentary 15-minute call with me to hear some tips on how to feel better naturally.  I’ll ask you questions about what is not working for you right now and share with you exactly what has helped me.  Just email me here, and I’ll respond within 24 hours.