5 Tips To Feel Productive When You’re Unwell
Whether it’s a cold or some mild COVID symptoms, the occasional illness is inevitable. We know that the best thing is to rest, but what happens if we’re the sort to actually suffer with more stress if we don’t feel we’ve done something productive with our day?
Here are some gentle activities for when your body is exhausted but your mind wants to keep busy.
Please read this disclaimer before continuing: I am a health practitioner but NOT a medical practitioner. The advice I offer in this blog is general and may not be suitable for you as an individual. Treat every one of the below suggestions with caution and stop immediately if you feel that an activity is making your symptoms worse in any way.
How is your mental health while you’re feeling unwell? Do you allow yourself to rest for as long as you need to, or do you feel frustrated that you’re not able to do what you had planned and your mind is just crying out for something to focus on? I totally get you. It’s bad enough feeling physically rubbish, but couple it with berating yourself for not being productive and all you’re doing is adding to the stress in your body and potentially slowing down your recovery!
Why do we get ill?
There are many reasons why we pick up illnesses, but there seems to be one powerful overarching contributor. When our immune system is low it makes us more vulnerable to illness, and the number one culprit for a weaker immune system is stress. This is why it’s so important to build up a toolkit of activities we enjoy to counter the stress in our life and help ourselves to be more resilient to the pressures around us.
Why not grab your FREE Stress Less Toolkit below to find out more?
Of course, generally the best solution is to learn to be kinder to yourself. That’s what I recommend every one of my clients keeps in mind as their ultimate goal. Being more at peace in your mind and body is the most surefire way to improving your health and happiness on every level.
However, as someone with a busy mind myself, I completely understand what a difficult task that can be. When you’re so used to pushing yourself to meet every possible demand and deadline, self care tends to be the last thing on your mind. If we all try to carve out some more time for ourselves, not just for our basic needs but also for the things we enjoy, our bodies will be far stronger when protecting us from illness.
Keep reading to learn some tips and gentle activities to help feel productive when you’re unwell…
RELATED POST: 5 QUICK AND EASY DAILY HABITS TO IMPROVE YOUR LIFE
1. Light journalling
Journalling can be a great way to get all of our thoughts and feelings down on paper and out of our heads. It’s an amazing tool, particularly for the overthinkers among us (myself included!). There are plenty of different ways to journal but, when you’re feeling under the weather, you’ll probably find that keeping it short and sweet would be best for helping you feel more productive.
Start by filling in the blanks in these sentences:
“I feel… because…” - Spend some time thinking about why you feel the way you do. What’s happened in the day so far? Is there anything you’re worrying about? Writing these things down helps to gain some distance between you and your thoughts, making them less likely to control your mood.
“I am grateful for…” - A gratitude practice can do wonders at any time, even when you’re feeling physically well. It can help to rewire your thought patterns, making you more aware of the good things in your life and helping you to see your situation in a more positive light.
If you finish these journalling exercises and feel inspired to write more, then go with it! Try this in the morning to set yourself up for a more positive and productive day.
2. Easy to-do list
I have a love-hate relationship with to-do lists. They can be a great way to feel more in control of your tasks and schedule, but can also be a source of anxiety if they seem to go on forever! Particularly when you’re feeling unwell and lacking in energy, it’s best to stick to tasks that don’t require much thought, creativity or physical effort. By all means, do something creative if it’s for fun, but forcing creativity may just add to your stress if you’re already feeling run down.
First, try to focus on a maximum of three simple tasks that will feel good to complete. Once you have your three tasks, add another that’s purely for your own enjoyment; reading, watching a particular show on TV, relaxing in the garden or in the bath. To finish off, decide on a time of day when you’ll stop working.
Having a cut-off point for your productive tasks is important; You’re giving yourself permission to stop and settle into your evening, which helps in the production of melatonin (the sleep hormone). Better sleep means better recovery!
3. Small doses of low-intensity exercise
It’s best not to push yourself too hard physically when you’re unwell. Your body is trying to heal and rest is the most effective part of this process. However, you might soon realise that lazing in bed or binging Netflix shows all day, doesn’t make you feel too good either.
A healthy balance between these two extremes is to find some low-intensity exercise that helps soothe an aching body. Here are a few ideas:
Walking
Body stretches
Gentle yoga
Try these in small doses, maybe 5-10 minutes every so often, to feel a little more energised and to boost your overall mood.
4. Breathing exercises or meditation
Sometimes, you might not even have the energy or the motivation to do the exercises suggested above. That is totally fine! One of the most powerful techniques I’ve learnt in recent years to increase productivity and improve mood is simply to remove all stimuli and just breathe.
Embrace silence and focus on the flow of air travelling in and out of your body. Try to consciously slow down your breath to lower the heart rate and reduce anxiety.
Forming breathing exercises into a regular habit can improve our mood and lower our stress levels, key elements when it comes to living a happier and healthier life. Stress can be damaging to our mind and body, not just in the moment we feel it but the effects can linger for long afterwards and even make us ill. This is why it’s so important to build up a toolkit of activities we enjoy to counter the stress in our life and help ourselves to be more resilient to the pressures around us.
Why not grab your FREE Stress Less Toolkit below to find out more?
5. Create a gentle morning routine
Even if you’re not planning on going out today, the process of “getting ready” can make a big difference to our mood and general satisfaction. It might be tempting to stay in pajamas all day, but we’re likely to approach the evening feeling unaccomplished, and this can really bring our mood down.
Counter this early in the day and group some of the above activities together to make your very own morning routine. These other ideas may seem obvious to some people, but we could all use a reminder when we’re not feeling our best:
Have a shower, bath or simply wash your face to help yourself feel more physically refreshed.
Eat something that will fill you up and help your recovery; a mix of natural yoghurt, berries and pumpkin seeds is a great option.
Get dressed into some clean, comfortable clothes; if you’re already dressed, you could feel more motivated to go for a short walk and further boost your productivity.
RELATED POST: 5 SURPRISING EFFECTS OF STRESS AND HOW TO AVOID THEM
The takeaway message…
At the end of the day, it’s very difficult to feel productive when you’re physically drained. Illness is your body’s natural way of telling you that it’s been tackling too much and needs to slow down in order to recover.
Try to experience genuine rest as much as possible, especially while you’re unwell; read a book, listen to music or watch a comforting TV show (This would be ‘Friends’ or ‘Gilmore Girls’ for me!). It doesn’t matter what the activity is, but your only job is to be present while doing it. Let your mind be immersed in it and leave your to-do list alone for now.
As for the other suggestions above, you’ll feel different every day so pay close attention to your symptoms and energy levels. Do not overdo it! Maybe take this as a sign that you need to make small adjustments to your lifestyle and start taking care of yourself a little better?
Working with a Nutrition & Lifestyle Coach can boost your chance of forming healthy habits that are the most natural and sustainable for your unique self.
Why not book a taster session with me today to walk away with your 5-point action plan for health and happiness and see what coaching could do for you?
See you next time!
Jo x
If you’d like some more ideas of how to look after yourself with more care, patience and positivity, download the completely FREE Stress Less Toolkit below.
Feeling stress from work? Check out this related post:
7 PRODUCTIVITY AND TIME MANAGEMENT TIPS TO AVOID FEELING OVERWHELMED
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Next steps…
These are only some of the possibilities when it comes to improving your health and lifestyle. Find out which activities would be right for you by working with a Nutrition and Lifestyle Coach.