I nearly replaced this picture with a picture of a teeny tiny violin because WAH WAH WAH Leah is ill - AGAIN!!
This isn't something I've talked about very much before but given it has taken over my face (and life) again I wanted to share a few thoughts that were coming up around this and a few parallels that are intriguing me.
So this will be nice and short. Hopefully. But we know what my blogs are like by now...
Sinusitis is gross, first and foremost. Properly yucky gross. I don't like talking about it generally because it's like forensically examining a dead jellyfish on the gross scale. However, I think I do need to share this.
I know that a number of women in this community experience chronic health conditions. I am not for a single solitary moment putting sinusitis on the same scale as ME, MS, fibromyalgia, chronic pain, anxiety, depression, arthritis and other chronic conditions.
What I AM doing, is drawing the parallel between a chronic (physical) health condition and a chronic physical + emotional health condition (burnout, resilience issues, exhaustion).
This is my experience. Please do not comment to tell me of a wonder product you sell or how I really need to go to the doctor. I have. More times than I care to count. I think I've added enough disclaimers and caveats.
My mum struggled with problems with pain and sinuses for years - she used to sit with a bowl of boiling water with a few drops of Olbas Oil thrown in and sit there, towel over head inhaling steam for what seemed like hours at a time. Such a hippy...
I've had similar struggles since my teenage years. Whether it's a cold, a virus, wet weather or just out of thing air I develop sinusitis on the regular. It's chronic because it lasts for months without intervention, recurs regularly and fucks up my life on a fairly chronic scale.
When I was working as a lawyer, at least 4 times each year, if not more, I wouldfall down with a fever, painful swollen throat, toothache, stabbing pains around my cheeks and eyes, dizziness, nausea, occasionally vomiting, muscle and joint pain, oh yes and because I'm a big baby when I'm ill, sobbing on the floor at anything. Literally anything. I'm a fucking joy to live with.
What's crazy is that I have a well oiled machine of a sinus care rescue plan; 3 litres of water a day, often with squash because: baby, sinutab decongestant tablets, hot baths with epsom salts, sitting in steam rooms, applying boiling hot flannels to my face to reduce inflammation, burning essential oils including variously lemon, lime, clary sage, eucalyptus, rosemary, upping my fruit and veg intake, allowing myself to sleep and of course, a nasal rinse kit.
If you've never used a nasal rinse or neti pot kit, hold it right here, go to youtube, search it, watch the demonstration and then come back. Yep, I'm doing that four times a day. Yep. Disgusting, right?
Which is why it will come as a surprise to almost no-one that the vast majority of my sinus infections could be prevented by the twice daily use of my nasal rinse kit and still, until my face feels like it's being pummelled by Mjolnir, I don't use it.
It's a funny thing about the human condition, that we know what is good for us and what will keep us well, but we still struggle to do it and want to rebel. Like how you know that driving yourself into the ground will help precisely no-one but you keep going until your body physically stops you.
My sinus infections used to be worse: this is the first full blown one I have had in 6 months and, bar one or two odd days of feeling slightly punched in the face, I've been clear for a while.
It didn't used to be that way. I would push and make myself go to work and sit there, ready to throw up, taking decongestant tablets on an empty stomach (NEVER a good idea) and then throwing up in the work toilets, rinsing my mouth and WALKING BACK TO MY DESK TO WORK on the regular.
What the fuck? Seriously, what the actual fuck was I thinking? Running a fever, throwing up at work and STILL working because 'it's not contagious'.
Bet I'm not alone here. Pushing yourself to do things that you know are damaging, overworking and making yourself feel worse and worse.
Sometimes it takes being beaten down, being confronted with the lesson again to relearn it and to take the daily preventative action.
Me, I'm going back to twice daily neti pots alongside spending a little longer in the steam room at the gym. I've also moved my work around so that for the next few days all I need to do can be accomplished from the sofa, under a blanket, with lots of hot herbal tea and lemon barley water.
Now for you: what wall is it that you are running head-first in to? What lesson do you already know that you fail to implement, where you fail to take care of yourself properly and it leads to a problem?
Right now it's mid-September, but how is it going to feel a month, two months from now, when you keep running at a million miles an hour and not giving yourself enough care and support?
Take this as your call to make the changes you need, to focus on your health and sanity. Before you run face first into that wall again.
PS Did you see Did you see??
I am putting together my newest signature course, Resilience Revolution. This a 6 week intensive for every woman who has ever run face-first into that wall, who has gone down with a virus or flu or an autoimmune condition after pushing too hard for too long.
Resilience is the antithesis of burnout; I am bringing this to you because it is to help PREVENT burnout, to create the long-lasting support for yourself that you deserve.
This isn't just some one and done training either; together we will be putting together your handbook, your playbook of creating and curating your resilience, how to bounce back, how to notice when you're falling.
Just like me and my chronic face-ache condition, you're going to have ab low by blow of what to do when you're feeling run down, how to build your resilience back up and how to BECOME that person who is naturally resilient, ebullient, graceful under pressure and vivacious regardless of the looming deadlines.
Next time I run this course live it will cost £499 but right now I'm calling in 10 women to join me LIVE for only £97 - saving 80% against the usual investment. Why? Because this is the first round and we will adjust, edit and create around your needs as we go. Think of it as beta testing - and saving a pretty penny as you go.
PLUS if you want to go VIP and get a weekly laser coaching call with me, worth £400, you can do so for only a £50 upgrade. Sweet deal right?
There are only 9 places remaining and 3 of them are VIP so click on the link below to join!
www.paypal.me/searchingforserenity/97
or go VIP HERE: www.paypal.me/searchingforserenity/147