It’s that time of the year again: cold and flu season. And you know what it brings: aches and pains in your body, a runny nose, and a sore, raw throat. It’s a hassle when you get sick and, like most people, you don’t want to let it slow you down. So you keep up with your routine and go to work — big mistake. Contrary to what you may believe, it’s not a good idea to be a trooper. If you are sick, you need to stay at home.
In our fast-paced society, we all cram more activities into our days than we ever did in the past — and that means more work and more stress as a result. When you are sick, you may feel obligated to come into the office to ensure you don’t fall behind, or to prevent your co-workers from having to take on your projects, but this is a very negative way of thinking. Mind you, you are not alone. According to a new poll from Canada, the majority of people questioned also shared this attitude. The majority would rather go into work than let their bodies recover from illness.
In the study — which involved 1,000 office workers — a solid 62% of the participants said they go into work when they are sick with a cold or the flu. Another 42% said that they have not used any of their sick days in the past year, as they don’t want to pawn their work off on colleagues. Also, 35% said that they felt guilty taking off work just because they were sick. This “hero mentality” may express a strong work ethic, but it actually does much more harm than good.
For starters, by going into work when you are sick, you risk infecting your co-workers, which doesn’t benefit anybody, but rather causes even less productivity overall. Also, not only are you risking getting others sick, but you are also actually prolonging the illness in your own body as well.
You need to take a break from the stress of work in order to allow your body to naturally fend off the illness and to allow your immune system to bolster itself. Your immune system needs a few days to ‘reset’ itself, so that it can help fight off the cold or flu naturally.
Going into work and adding stress into the equation will only further degrade your immune response. Also, if you do take a day or two off work, you shouldn’t hurry back into the office just because you are feeling slightly better. You need to allow your body to fully recover first.
As with any illness, the old adage is true: an ounce of prevention is indeed worth a pound of cure. So keep the following tips in mind this cold and flu season; they can help you avoid getting sick:
1) Don’t become overworked and run down. Take time out to do the things that you enjoy, get plenty of rest, and balance your work and personal time to ensure you avoid burn out.
2) Take preventive measures. Make sure that you wash your hands frequently during cold and flu season, drink plenty of liquids, get enough exercise, and eat a healthy, well-balanced diet; doing these things will help you stave off illness.
3) Get the shot. The flu shot can help you safeguard your body from the illness, which in turn will help you prevent the spread of it to your family, friends, and co-workers.
4) Sneeze safely. When you blow your nose, make sure you use a tissue or even your sleeve if need be. Never sneeze into your bare hands unless you can wash them immediately afterward in order to prevent contamination and germ spread. If you can’t suppress your sniffles, don’t come into work — you will only spread cold and flu germs to others.
5) Take time out to prevent the illness from setting in. Work can be very stressful, so if your body is in the first stages of a cold or flu, take time out immediately and stay home to recoup. You need to allow your body to fight the illness without the added stressors of work.
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Tags: alternative health advice, exercise
