How to Survive Cold & Flu Season As a Work at Home Mom

There’s no such thing as a “sick day” when you’re a mom. Even when you feel like you’ve been hit with something that makes the dreaded “man-cold” look weak. Sick days are an obsolete existence in a mom’s life. Being a work at home mom, “balance” in my day to day when I’m not sick is hard. So, add in a cold or flu symptoms and my daily chaos turns into a freak show. But, if there’s anything I’ve learned in the last six years of parenting is that while it feels horrible, there are practical measures that I can take to lessen the brutality of cold and flu season.

Here are some tips on how to survive cold & flu season as a work at home mom:

HYDRATION

Drink, drink, drink. Water, tea, juice, coffee, energy drinks. Truth be told, I am not the best about hydration in my daily wellness. But, when I am sick, that’s pretty much all I can consume. I make myself drink all of the liquids on hand. Hydration is so crucial to overall feeling semi-alive while the rest of my body feels like it’s in a catatonic state. For me, hydration lessens the fog of the heavy cold and flu symptoms.

NAP

Remember to nap when the baby naps. With my two older kids in school, cold and flu season is much easier to handle as a sick mom. Bless those of you with little ones at home 24/7. I am thankful that Baby B still naps. I try to nap when he does or at least rest in bed while he is asleep. And I won’t lie, sometimes waking up groggy throws me off for a little bit. But, in the long run, any (extra) rest that I can get helps me feel better to get through the rest of my day.

MEDICINE

When my cold and flu symptoms are at their peak, I use Vicks Sinex liquicaps and mist to alleviate nasal congestion. Because out of all of the cold symptoms, the one that bothers me the most is the stuffiness of not being able to breathe correctly. Sinex liquicaps are easy to take and provide longer relief without grogginess. I’m able to focus (as best as I physically can) and not feel more worn down due to other cold symptoms. The number one thing I look out for is the drowsiness factor when I take certain medicine. With the liquicaps, I feel no other effects aside from the sinus pressure relief. When my nose is really stuffed up, I also use Vicks Sinex mist to relieve the congestion.

TAKE THE SICK DAY

This is really hard to do because I hate not staying on top of my work load. But, turn off your phone, Don’t check your e-mail. Give your mind the day off because being drained mentally will only exacerbate your physical cold and flu symptoms. This is something I need to remind myself from time to time. As a work at home mom, I struggle to “stop” working, but doing so helps me get better quicker.

OUTSOURCE FOOD

Whether it’s your spouse cooking, picking up carry out, or reheating leftovers, I do NOT stress over feeding everyone else in my family. Especially, when I myself have no appetite due to cold & flu symptoms. I do try to make myself eat and stay nourished as best as I can. But, I’ve learned through the years to not let the “mom guilt” seep in when I’m sick. It is out of my hands and my husband (or sometimes my mom) make sure that the kids are fed and rested. And I try best to worry about my own food intake more than anything while I’m sick.

CHILDCARE

When things are really bad, I am luckily able to take a true sick day. Or at least half a day. My mom watches the baby and I lock myself into my room. Also, I take my dose of meds and try to sleep as much as possible. I’ve been pretty lucky to usually get better over a day or two. Unlike the terrible symptoms of man cold, so I’m grateful when I can get an afternoon to rest and reset my body.

While I realize that this isn’t a viable option for everyone, I do think that when your symptoms are really bad, childcare in any form if you can find it, is a necessity.

I’m hoping that as the boys get older, learning how to survive cold & flu season as a work at home mom becomes easier. But until then, I’ll rely on my tried and true methods to survive through the worst sick days.

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