A few weeks ago, I wrote about Beauty Fatigue for my Skincare & Wellbeing section. For November’s Year of Gentle Living, I had planned on composing an article about ''wintering softly' and how we can restore ourselves in amongst the darkness of this time of year.
So, I pictured cosy evenings, great telly, long dog walks in the fresh air, meeting up with friends, a massage, a groomed dog and a haircut for me. What I hadn’t envisaged was a cough and cold lasting over two weeks and waking up feeling like I’d drunk ten bottles of wine without having the pleasure of drinking any.
Living with fibromyalgia means I’m already used to having to slow down due to daily aches and pains, whether I want to or not. Add a cough and cold to the usual discomfort and exhaustion; I’ve been thoroughly fed up.
Over this year of gentle living, I have written about appreciating the seasons we're in and finding joy and indulgences amongst the little things. Of course, I still believe that these matter but lately, I've become even weary of my own advice. It can be so hard when you feel like crap! There are only so many times you can be told to slow down before you wonder how that's supposed to work in practice. After all, there are things to do and need doing.
Anyway, this bug has got the better of me and my husband, and we had to cancel everything that had been planned over the last two weeks. There's no way we wanted to pass this stinker on to all and sundry either.
Poor Obi has been in the wars too, having damaged his paw so after a couple of vet trips (with our face masks on), the poor little thing hasn't been allowed to walk much or scrat on grass for fear of infection. But that's been a blessing in disguise because we haven't had to take long walks out with him, in the cold air that exacerbates our coughing. We’re thankful as well, that he prefers to sniff more than constantly running up and down a field! His daily main exercise has been having zoomies around the dining room table which has kept us very entertained.
So what can you do when we feel so run down and forced not to do anything for fear of coughing and exhaustion?
In order to make winter feel welcoming and make ourselves a bit more comfortable, we decided to ask less of ourselves. We're having plenty of enforced rest - in fact, I'm still in my pyjamas and it’s 2:20pm - and we’re giving ourselves some enjoyment and choice within it.
I’ve been indulging in one of my guilty pleasures: Spanish and Colombian dramas on Netflix, with plenty of romance and political intrigue. One had 61 episodes. Yes, 61! I watched the lot - not in one go, I hasten to add, but mostly on the edge of my seat, and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute!
I made banana bread on Monday (I could at last use my limbs to fold flour) so we've been enjoying a slice of banana bread for supper while enjoying Tulsa King on Netflix (while waiting for MobLand to finish on telly so we can binge-watch it). That has been our routine from 9pm; watch an episode and a half and then go to bed with a Lemsip!
We've been drinking lots of hot drinks to soothe our very sore throats - coffee, tea, hot water with lemon and hot water with blackcurrant although it’s making us use a lot of toilet roll.
It hasn’t just been the coughing and the night sweats keeping me awake. I’ve taken to writing a novel and a screenplay, as apparently I haven’t got enough going on in my head! Naturally, the imaginative Piscean in me has cast Warren Brown, Philip Glenister and Richard Armitage in the lead roles. Well, if I’m going to spend hours making things up, I might as well enjoy the company ; ) Throw in some cricket and bullets whizzing past the flying the heroine’s ears and it’s kept me happily occupied. It’s pure indulgence and it’s doing wonders for my mood!
We've eaten lots of warming spicy meals too which is something we both enjoy. And I am back on my lunchtime homemade soups, with additional chilli. Another thing to look forward to!
We've had company in a way we can manage too - no face-to-face company but thank goodness for WhatsApp!
The weather has been rather pleasant as well, so sitting near the window with the sun on my SPF'd face has been a little treat.
Perhaps wintering softly means allowing room for these little pleasures without expecting them to fix how you feel. You can still have a lovely day and still ache. The days still count, so I’ve been making the best of them.
Now excuse me, I have a BAFTA acceptance speech to write…
