10 Body Hacks for When You’re Sick

Aches, fever, a faint voice — sometimes the worst thing about being sick is how you feel. It’s hard to gear up and fight it off when your entire body is aching and your throat feels like sandpaper. If you can't take care of yourself in that state of mind, how are you going to help someone else? Here are ten handy tips I've learned while struggling with a cold or ill-health throughout the past year that will help you get through the tougher days ahead.

1. Have a tea party.

The worst about being sick is when you can barely get out of bed, let alone make it to the store for medicine. When I have a cold or sinus infection, I find that one thing that always relieves my sore throat is hot tea with honey and lemon (no sugar). I love how waking up in the morning to a freshly brewed cup of tea makes me feel so much better. So if you feel down because you don’t have the energy to go out to the stores every time you're ill, just brew some tea right in your own home and sip away. Bonus points if you serve your tea in fancy cups!

2. Stay hydrated.

My mom always used to say “drink lots of water if you have a cold or sore throat.” I didn't listen to her until I was diagnosed with a cold myself and she suggested drinking water, chilled as ice and electrolytes. My mind was blown because the next day I felt so much better and it stopped my coughing in the morning!

Drinking more water (in general) is an easy way to stay healthy throughout the year, but in times of illness it becomes even more important. Drinking lots of water helps destroy germs and boosts your immune system, which are both very important in fighting off illness when you're already running on empty.

3. Take a warm shower.

I remember the first cold I had as a teenager that lasted for two weeks straight. For some reason, my entire body ached and I just felt so awful but one thing that made me feel much better was to take a warm shower!

The steam from the shower seemed to dry all of my skin out as well as flush out all of the toxins, which helped me feel better instantly. Taking a warm shower each day sent waves of happiness through me because it was something I knew would make me feel better right away. So if you aren’t feeling too hot, why not try taking a warm shower?

4. Eat more protein.

If you’re a vegan or vegetarian and can't eat meat, protein is an excellent alternative! Protein is one of the most important nutrients in your body that you should be eating all of the time, but especially when you're ill. When your immune system is low and all you want to do is sleep through it all, get yourself some protein-rich food by reaching for hummus, scrambled tofu and egg scramble on toast or anything yummy like that the point is to get something that's good for you!

5. Get out of bed.

Sometimes illness can make it hard to get out of bed and get yourself going, but staying in bed won’t make you feel better. Make sure you get yourself up and out of bed so that your body can fight off the germs faster. For example, if you have a cold, go to the bathroom and wash your hands.

This helps your immune system to fight germs off easier (and takes your mind off of how sick you feel!). Another good thing to do is start getting into good habits like taking vitamins or exercising (because they're both essential for fighting off illness). But if it's too much for you, just ask someone else to help you.

6. Get some good sleep.

As we get older, our bodies need more rest and sleep than ever before. When you're ill, your body has a hard time getting its “sleep quota” because you might be constantly coughing or sneezing. You may be able to get away with just a couple hours of sleep, but try to at least wind down by reading a little bit (but make it in bed) so that your body can get the rest it needs to fight off germs and other harmful substances. If you don't feel like sleeping at all, read something on the computer or play a game on your phone just don't stay up all night doing anything that requires brain power!

7. Drink tea with honey and lemon.

I have a special love for tea and there's one way that I know works for really fighting off colds, honey tea. It sounds odd, but the combination of warm water, honey and lemon helps beat the cold faster than I can say “feverfew tea." If you're feeling sore throaty and want to seriously help yourself fight it off, sipping on some warm lemon water with a little bit of honey will do the trick! You can also try mixing together apple cider vinegar or ginger root with water as well if you don't enjoy drinking plain hot water (which is better than nothing).

8. Take some time for yourself.

I know it sounds easy, but sometimes you just can't take time for yourself. When I was young, we would always make a list of things to do the next day, not realizing that some days you may feel sick and need to sleep in or catch up on your sleep. Whatever the reason is, sometimes you just need to take some time for yourself because constant sickness can take its toll on your body and mind. If you're feeling down about being almost constantly ill be sure to get enough time for yourself!

9. Have a healthy diet.

I'm not saying to stop eating your favorite foods, I actually love eating frequently. The key to a healthy diet is having the right balance of food! It seems like whenever I'm under the weather, my body craves warm soups and fresh salad. I also find that it's essential to have lots of fruit in your diet when you're sick because it's so high in vitamin C, which helps restore your immune system. So be sure to eat a lot of fruit (bananas are my favorite!) and veggies when you're ill.

10. Try acupressure.

Acupressure can help you feel better just from doing acupressure! This is an ancient Chinese healing method of using specific finger pressure to rebalance your body’s energy that I encourage you to try. Acupressure is also helpful if you’re under the weather because it helps relieve sore throat and boost your immune system.

The best way to find out how to do it yourself is by looking up “acupressure wrist band for colds" online, but I really recommend trying this method because it can help tremendously when you're sick! If you want to learn more about this, try searching "acupuncture for colds".

Finally

Being sick is never fun and it always makes you feel like you're dying, but being happy and positive is the best way to fight off a cold or any other illness! Even though being ill is pretty miserable, try to stay positive. Remember that it will all end soon, so don't let it get you down too much! Even if you're sick and have to go to school or work, go out with a bang and make sure that no one knows that you're ill because often times people will respect you for doing so.