Well into mid-February we are in the midst of the most infectious period of the year (talking about the northern hemisphere of the globe). February is the month with the far most parental sick leave to take care of their infected kids (yes, we do have a very generous parental leave system in Sweden).
Today I want to talk about how you can get thru this period without catching all these colds and flues of different kinds. There are two different aspects on this issue ……..
- The first aspect to tackle is how to avoid getting infected. Most of the viruses are spread via aerosols – tiny drops of water in the air that you breathe in or get on your hands when touching things that infected people have touched before you. If someone sneezes the droplets can spread up to 4 meters in the air. As you understand it is not easy to avoid getting infected but there are a few simple things you can do to try to protect yourself and others.
- Wash your hand often – specially before you eat – use antiseptic solutions (works best for bacteria)
- Sneeze or cough in a paper towel or sneeze or cough in your elbow if you don’t have a paper towel
- If you see someone sneeze out in the blue – try to cover your mouth and nose or turn around
- If you are infected – don’t prepare food for others
- Avoid shaking hands if you/they are infected. And don’t put your fingers in your mouth
As you can see it is simple things that everyone can do. It is all about how to avoid getting in close encounter by the infectious agents.
- The other aspect is how you take care of yourself. If you are worn out your immune system is tired too and your body will be more susceptible to infections. Your immune system wants to be taken good care of to be efficient. In short that means you have to take care of yourself the way we are biologically made for. Here are 5 things you can do for yourself:
- Get regular sleep, around 7 hours per night
- Get regular food intake
- Eat lots of fruits and vegetables
- Do regular exercise – but be careful if you have an infection
- At this time of the year is acceptable to eat extra vitamin pills
As you see it always gets back to basics with things to do for your body. Your body needs regularity. It is universal. Why not talk to your near and dear ones about how you can help each other to stay fit and in good health. It will be beneficial both for you and your family’s health AND for your work and profitability ahead.
A good way to strengthen your immune system and start a healthier and less stressed life is to work your way through my book “Take stress from Chaos to Calm” – Dr Annika´s book
To your Success and Keep Smiling!
