Surviving Flu Season

So this weekend has seen me succumb to an epic case of the lurgy. With Flu Jab posters everywhere, and an invasion of Freshers, I was bound to catch something eventually. I knew by about Thursday that I was battling something, my throat was hurting me a lot and I just felt a bit under the weather. I was hammering the Vicks First Defence, and Echinacea which usually does the trick rather well, but Friday night was a friend’s birthday, so thinking I would be fine, I joined in the celebrations, and had a few drinks. Cue my immune system throwing a hissy fit and refusing to fight any more.

Since then I haven’t been able to do much at all, except stay in bed, try to catch up on Breaking Bad, and feel sorry for myself. Today I had to text my boss to say I was definitely not in any shape to be at work, and I’m having a duvet day and crossing everything that I will be well by tomorrow.

I thought I’d make the most of this glamourous situation to share how I’ve been trying to survive being sick, since it is flu season after all, and I’m definitely not the only person feeling this grim right now.

I’ve been turning to all the usual medicines, I made my boyfriend get me some Lemsip and orange juice (no bits) from Asda before he went out on Saturday night, and popped some Night Nurse before going to sleep. I’m not a big fan of the taste of Lemsip, but it does seem to help with my throat and my cough, which is much appreciated.

I’ve been trying to make sure I keep on top of taking all my Vitamins, because it’s more important than ever when you’re sick. On a day to day basis I have a pill organiser like an old lady, and I keep vitamins C, D, E, Folic Acid, Beta Carotene, and my thyroid medication in there, and I’ve been keeping up the Echinacea. I also haven’t been feeling up to eating much over the past few days, so I’ve been trying to get my nutrients in smoothie form, and this morning my mum made me this Green Smoothie. You can find lots of recipes for green smoothies online, but this one contains Spirulina Powder (which helps to boost the immune system, reduce fatigue, and reduce inflammation, amongst many other benefits), and Udo’s Choice oil (really good for maintaining the levels of Omega 3 and 6 our bodies need), which I try to make sure I have on a daily basis anyway and have used for the past ten years.

I was sent the Weleda Blackthorn Elixir* last week, and it couldn’t have arrived at a more perfect time. Blackthorn is supposed to invigorate, rebalance, and strengthen the body, according the anthroposophical view of the human being and nature, and it’s great as a supplement when you’re sick. It’s rich in vitamins and antioxidants, and helps fight the free-radicals that cause damage to healthy cells. You can put this elixir in tea, milk, or water, and personally I like to just put it in a glass of hot water. If you’re feeling a bit feverish though, you can also put it in cold water and add ice, so it’s very versatile. Unlike Lemsip this actually tastes really nice, and feels a bit more like a treat than medicine.

Beauty wise, it’s safe to say that my skin is not having a good time, I’ve been battling hormonal acne due to coming off the pill as it is, but I think we all find out skin goes a bit crazy when we get sick. To try and combat this, I’ve been busting out the skincare saviours. While having hot baths and sticking to your normal skincare routine is highly recommended, personally I just haven’t been able to move out of bed too much, and while I know using makeup wipes is generally frowned upon, in times like these it’s better to keep some by your bed than do nothing. I’ve been using the Asda Protect Exfoliating Wipes for years now, after picking up a packet on a whim for a festival. They are textured, so you can literally exfoliate with them, and they contain antibacterial ingredients and are really refreshing. I have found these actually really help my skin avoid breaking out, so I always keep a packet on hand for emergency situations where my skincare routine goes out the window. They’re the only wipes I’ve ever tried that I’ve actually liked, and they’re also really cheap and easy to come by. I tend to give my face a bit of a massage with one, and then wipe down my neck, upper back, and chest because I tend to get breakouts in those areas. I’ve been keeping my La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo by my bed to use in place of a moisturiser, and help with the billions of imperfections I now have. It feels much nicer than using a heavy moisturiser, and my skin needs all the help it can get right now.

The final product I’ve been using a lot over the past few days is the Weleda Skin Food* (not pictured, because my tube is looking shall we say a little bit well loved these days). This stuff is so amazingly multipurpose, and I use it for something or other every single day (usually combatting my dry eyelids… yep, that’s a thing) but right now it’s invaluable for avoiding a sore nose. With all the nose blowing I’ve been doing over the past few days (I think I might have to plant some trees to make up for all the tissue I’ve gone through) I’d usually have a very sore, dry, cracked nose, but I’ve been putting this stuff on the tip of my nose and it’s like this cold never happened. It’s not even sore at all! And I won’t have to spend the next week once I’m better trying to apply foundation without highlighting dry cracked skin. Bonus!