Taking Care Of Ourselves

When we are in our fifties we have to start taking better care of ourselves  — for ourselves, our families and the people around us.

Taking care of ourselves includes learning about ourselves in ways we didn’t have time or maybe didn’t want to learn about when we were younger.

This week I thought I was getting a cold.  It started with a tickle in my throat and then my nose was stuffy and I started sneezing.  I took some sinus medication and Mucinex.

“Are you sure it’s not allergies?  Why don’t you try allergy medication?”  One of the girls I work with asked me.

I shrugged.  “My husband has a cold so I thought I was getting what he had.”

Allergies?  How could it be allergies?  It’s November and 40 degrees outside  I thought to myself as I walked away.

I should know whether I have a cold or not shouldn’t I?

The truth is I don’t.  I just assume it’s a cold when it could be allergies.

When I started having sinus issues ten years ago the nurse practitioner said it was possible that I had allergies and that I should try a allergy medication.  I tried a popular one and it made me feel like my head was in the next city and I couldn’t function.  I didn’t try anything after that.

A year or two later my doctor and my sister-in-law suggested I try a nedi-pot.  I did for a couple of weeks or so and then I stopped.  I would try it now and again, but I never used it regularly.

I wasn’t very proactive at taking care of myself.

I think it’s time to get to know myself better in this area of my life and figure out this sinus thing once and for all.

There are a couple of things I can do to be more proactive.

1.    Read about allergies to understand the possible problem better.

2.    Experiment with different medicines.

3.    Take vitamins and eat better.

4.    Relax more

I’m going to go dig out my nedi pot now.

What do you do for allergies?  Let me know.  Maybe what works for you will work for me!