This past week and a half, I have really come to appreciate the ability to work from home when you are sick. Where else can you still get your work done, yet stay in your pajamas? Or where else can you get to things as you feel up to it? Only in a home business.
Last December I had my first bout of something called costochondritis. It is basically inflammation in your rib/sternum area. But the symptoms are the same as you experience when you are having a heart attack…chest pain, pain that shoots down into your left arm, difficulty breathing. After a trip to the ER and then my regular doctor, I was officially diagnosed.
I thought it was a one time occurrence but over the course of the last few months I have experienced “mild” episodes. This past week and a half however, it has been more severe. For most of the days I have been walking around feeling like I am having a constant, ongoing heart attack.
One day was particularly bad and I couldn’t even get dressed. But guess what I could still do? I could accomplish some work. Since sitting at a desk makes the pain worse, I was able to sit in my recliner and ice the inflammation at the same time.
I was also able to take frequent breaks and even catch a nap. I wouldn’t have been able to do this in a “normal” job. It sure made me appreciate all the more the flexibility that I have. I didn’t have to compromise my work, yet I have been able to take care of myself.
There may be times of sickness when you clearly cannot do any work. But when you are able to mix in some rest, take advantage of it. Feeling under the weather doesn’t always mean you have to put everything aside. It just means you work as you are able.
Have you experienced a long-term sickness in which you were able to still work from home? How did you cope?
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Photo by Perfecto Insecto in Flickr