When you are recovering from a virus / illness how do you get back to normal without pushing yourself?

[Cloud44]

Has anyone got any advice on how to get back to normal after being wiped out for a virus for a month or so? How do you ensure you don’t do too much but also get back to normal?

Normal in what sense? For example, my main ‘thing’ is exercise, so I would start with a small daily walk and then simple workouts and then back into the gym. So for whatever your normal is, start from the basics x

Zinc and vitamin C supplements.

Sleep as much as you are able and focus on the basics - food, water, rest, sunshine

Pace yourself. So if you want to do a bit more today, do it in chunks with rests in between, and don’t do the last chunks if you’re feeling at all tired. Worst thing to do is push through - I know a few people who ended up with CFS/ME that way.

Also early bed, nourishing food, fresh air even if it’s just opening the windows.

Take it very slowly, and don’t push yourself. But aim to do just a little bit more each week (days will need to vary).

Rest when you can. Only do the basic household chores so concentrate on food and laundry and kitchen. Ignore garden, changing beds, dusting, hoovering in light use rooms etc. Be ruthless in prioritising rest over tidiness or cleanliness.

Get a good vitamin and mineral supplement, and take some iron. Try not to eat junk/sugary snacks.

Just get on with things. Have a sit down when you've done enough. It's not rocket science.

I find this hard, too. Rocket science doesn’t trouble me so much. It’s so easy to push too hard and get ill again.

I like the above response about chunks and letting go of the last few chunks if tired. I find it hard to notice how far I’ve come, because there’s such an unending mountain of stuff to do, that it often feels like I’ve not enough energy for all I want to do, when actually I might have managed several errands/jobs one day that would have been unthinkable a week before. But my brain is busy listing the next lot & focus is there, not on the progress made.

Keeping track is therefore important to me. Easiest to do with exercise, eg I start with gentle yoga and slow, short walks and add intensity/speed and time as health improves. Then when better can add harder exercise back in.

You've had pages upon pages of good advice on all your previous threads - not sure what else you're looking for from this one?