The problem when you’re sick is that it’s truly hard to really relax and concentrate on getting better when there are so many things that you need to get done. Although work can generally wait until you’re back on your feet, things like grocery shopping can’t, and when it comes to housework, that’s a problem too.
The issue is that although vacuuming the house or cleaning the bathroom or wiping down the kitchen surfaces can technically wait until you’re feeling more energetic, living in a gradually more messy, dusty, grimy house while you’re trying to recover from a cold or flu can often serve to make you feel worse. So what can be done? Read on for some useful tips.
Ask For Help
The ultimate best thing to do when you’re sick and there is housework to do is ignore it, at least as far as possible. If you keep pushing yourself to do more and more, your recovery time is going to be much longer.
However, if you do desperately want to do something about the mess and debris, why not ask for help? If a friend or family member can come by for a short time once a week or so and spend 30 minutes tidying up, would that be useful? It might help you to relax, which will help you to heal. Plus, if at some point you can return the favor, that seems only fair.
Of course, you might be worried about passing on any illness to your loved ones, but if you still need help you can buy a robot vacuum. This will run around your home on its own, ensuring that things are kept clean.
Just Five Minutes
Depending on how unwell you feel, there might be times when you are more energized than others. Some people find that they wake up feeling okay, but become more ill as the day goes on. Others are terribly unwell first thing, but they feel a lot better in the evening. Assuming you fall into either category, utilize that time and spend just five or 10 minutes cleaning up.
Remember though, if this small amount of work completely wipes out your energy and leaves you feeling worse, don’t keep pushing yourself to do it; it’s far better to concentrate on getting well, after which you can have a big clear up and clean and put everything back how it should be.
Open The Windows
It’s amazing how much fresh air can make a difference not just to how you’re feeling in general, but to how you think about the mess in your home that you haven’t been able to get to through illness.
By opening the windows, you’re letting the ‘germy’ air out and letting fresh air in. It will be more pleasant to breathe and everything will feel cleaner even if it isn’t really. You only need to keep the windows open a little crack, so don’t worry about getting too cold – that small amount will be enough to allow the air to circulate and make a big difference.