Taking the time to be well.

Taking time to be well

I have been fighting the flu for a week + and the most frustrating part is looking at my studio and feeling like I am letting myself down.  Being self employed is harder in some ways that working for someone.  When you work for a paycheck you don’t have to pay the taxes, with holding, concentrate on overhead, watch your profit margins, manage payroll…. Someone else does all of that for you.  They end up making sure your shift is covered when you call in sick.  You don’t have that option when you are employer and employee.

The hardest part of all of this is judging when you need to stop pushing through an illness, and take the time off.  There are feelings of disappointment, frustration, and finally; failure  but we need to recognize we are not machines but people. Pushing ourselves when we are sick can lead to longer sick times, greater illness and mistakes.  The mistakes can end up being more costly than just being ill.  While being sick was frustrating, I had to accept that taking the time to get better was the best investment.

Covid changed the way we look at being ill.  We began to understand that illness was scary and serious. Many of us look at getting our vaccinations as an investment in our productivity. I tried to get mine, I left it too late and found myself overbooked.  Well I have had plenty of time to consider my choices lately; yay me.  No I didn’t get COVID; just a hairy, ugly flu.

Consider your options, your schedule and invest in your health.  I was worth it, I should have made better choices.  Oh well, I am getting better physically and figuratively.  Be well.