The downside to having a cold/the flu/whatever other bugs: Sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, stuffy-head, fever, all that other really nasty stuff…
Upside: Warm soup, someone taking care of you, an excuse to do nothing, cuddly warm blankets, and hopefully, an extra hug or two.
A few months back, I caught a nasty bug that swept throughout my family in a matter of days. It wasn’t pretty, you probably know the type. I don’t want it ever again. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemies.
I mean, truly, awful 24 hours, I’ll skip the details for your sake.
But, the warm soup was nice, sitting on the couch watching TV was nice. And knowing there wasn’t anything else I “should” be doing was nice. When I asked my wife Brenna for things I needed (foot rubs included, gosh do they help) it was genuinely enjoyable.
Finding Mental Strength in Physical Sickness
And as I started to feel better, the moment approached where I knew it was passing. I was SO grateful for relief from pain and discomfort, I said to Brenna, “I’m actually feeling a lot better. The nausea has gone away and I’m getting some food down, but can you still take care of me a while longer?”
She laughed at my honesty and said, “Of course!” and we had a great discussion about how neither of us needed to feel awful to ask the other person for help or to be nurtured a little bit extra.
It was a wonderful moment of clear communication and acknowledgment of our needs. We discussed what’s stressing us out, and contributing to our physical state.
I’ve had several experiences working with people who had colds/flus/ and so on. In fact, my first experience working with my sister Jessica was around a sore throat and sinus headache. She thought I was nuts telling her to tap all over her body to help with her symptoms. Part of her probably thought it was a practical joke as well because I’ve got a history of that.
But when we drilled down to what was going on in her life, the stress she was experiencing, her throat stopped hurting and her sinuses cleared in a matter of minutes! (I detail the whole story and wider implications for it in my book here)
Be Present, Be Aware
Now, I don’t think tapping magically kills cold viruses. I don’t think tapping can stop a 24-hour stomach bug in its tracks. But I do believe that being aware of the stress in our lives, of our emotional needs, and tapping on them, can keep the immune system strong and healthy and able to fight these bugs off in the first place. The connection has been studied and clearly established: Stress, of virtually any sort, depresses our immune system.
So when we acknowledge what we need, when we have that warm soup or extra hug without being sick, when we tap on our stress, overwhelm, anxiety, whatever is going on, our immune system can stay strong and resilient. And if we do happen to catch that bug, tapping can be extremely helpful on the symptoms, on nausea, pain, and so forth.
So take a moment to acknowledge what you might be stressed out about. Even taking just 5 minutes to be mindful and clear even a piece of it will help. Feel how when you let it go, your immune system strengthens, your body relaxes, you feel at peace.
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