Recovering From An Illness? Here's How To Reassert Your Daily Schedule

It’s never nice to go through an illness, be that the flu, persistent COVID-19, or whatever else you may have been unfortunate enough to contract. Once you’ve followed all of the advice given to you by your health professional, be that getting plenty of rest, drinking lots of water, using the medicines allocated to you, and being patient, recovery may be on its way.

When you notice you’re starting to feel better, you may feel tempted to get out there again and begin your old life anew. But the truth is that you’re still a little fragile after suffering an illness, and so it’s good to walk before you can run. If you overexert yourself, you run the risk of causing more harm than you had intended; especially if you’ve been dealing with a prolonged illness.

In this post, then, we’ll discuss how to slowly readapt to your usual daily schedule following recovery from an illness. However, make sure to consult your physician before enacting any significant change, and take that advice as a priority. 

With that said, let’s begin:

Flexible Routines

Settling back into your daily routine may take a little bit of time depending on the severity of your illness. It may be that you just don’t have the energy you used to, or you’re trying to adapt back to your old work schedule and catch up on old responsibilities. It might be worth asking your boss if you can have a staggered return to work, or asking your friend for help with the morning school run. There’s no shame in asking for help to get you back into the swing of things, and adjusting your routine how you need to.

Gentle Physical Effort & Self-Care

Illness can take a great deal out of you, and feel both mentally and physically taxing. That’s why it’s good to slowly rebuild your strength. Going for small walks around the local park to get fresh air, conducting low-resistance rides on your exercise bikes, or doing some light work in the garden can help you out. You can also return to yoga movements slowly, or rebuild your concentration through nourishing guided meditation. All of this will gently help you reclaim your sense of self and well-being, on your own terms this time.

Take A Few Preparatory Steps

If you’ve been on sick leave for long enough, then you may need to take baby steps to return to your conventional schedule. That might mean practicing the work commute behind the wheel of your car again or staggering your sleep schedule to wake up at a certain time for at least a week before you return. You might head to the gym and commit to light exercise as you used to. In some cases, you might ask for a prospectus of home work you can get to grips with to understand what you’ve missed and how to settle back into the general work flow of your daily responsibilities. In some cases, even getting back into doing your household laundry can take a couple of tries. Don’t feel bad about small progress, incremental steps build, and help you return to your best self.

With this advice, you’ll be sure to return to strength even after a tough bout with illness. We wish you all the best in your approach.