Unfortunately, even Princesses get sick, and I’ve been unlucky enough to get hit by two bugs so far this season. The first one only lasted three days however, and I’m hoping to fight this one off pretty quickly as well! I think when we come down with a seasonal illness, there’s two important things - to boost your immune system and support your body in fighting it, and to maintain some dignity and peace of mind by being comfortable while in convalescence.

I’m a firm believer in natural remedies for fighting off colds and flu, the reason being that these illnesses are rarely serious unless you’ve got a particularly weak disposition, so its actually good to keep your immune system in fighting shape by dealing with these so you’ll be better protected when it comes to more serious viruses.

I take Vitamin C, with zinc which helps your body absorb it. Powdered form is best, but sometimes its easier to take more in tablets. Its actually pretty hard to take too much vitamin C, what your body doesn’t need it will just pass on. I also take Echinacea, the important thing with Echinacea is to get it in liquid form distilled from the root, a lot of the echinacea available is made using the flower and leaves which aren’t as strong. The brand I buy is called ‘Herbs of Gold’ its quite expensive but worth its weight in gold! I take it at the first sign of a cold, 5 mls morning and night. If I don’t take echinacea, my colds tend to last twice as long. The other fantastic cold remedy is raw garlic. I know, its nasty stuff and noone will want to come near you for days, but if you can stomach a clove or two of raw garlic a day (I crush mine and put it in soup after the soup is cooked) it will help you recover much faster!

Get as much rest as you can. Your body needs time to heal itself and the less energy you use up elsewhere the more it can devote to fighting that bug! Go to bed early, sleep in and spend the day relaxing with a good book or movie. Whenever you feel the need for a nap, take one.

Make sure you keep up your fluid intake, whether its tea or juice or watery soup. Keep yourself hydrated and eat lots of nourishing and comforting foods. My favourite things to eat when I’m sick are Udon soup, Creamed Rice and Bananas on toast. Chicken noodle soup is very popular too. If you can manage vegetables and fruit, eat a much as you can and avoid dairy foods as the lactose can increase mucous production.

Make yourself comfortable, being sick is a great excuse to be a little self indulgent and sentimental. Make yourself a comfy little nest with pillows, blankets and your favourite teddy bear. Watch your favourite movies (I don’t know about you but noontime television usually makes me feel worse) and read fairy tales and picture books. Take warm baths with salts and spend the whole day in your pajamas or nightgown. Make sure you have some pretty hankerchiefs on hand and a fluffy hot water bottle to curl up with.

When a friend is ill, take some time to go and visit them! People do this so rarely these days which I think is rather sad. Nothing cheers one up like a considerate friend. If you are concerned about catching the bug yourself, visit them after the second or third day when they are less contagious and obviously try and avoid getting too close. Bring them a handmade card, a basket of fruit or some flowers, tell them they look beautiful because they’re probably not feeling it right now, and share some amusing stories from your own life to encourage them to get better. You’ll probably both be smiling when you leave.

Stay positive! Your mind has an powerful connection to your body, so thinking positive and joyful thoughts will help you recover. If all you do is feel sorry for yourself and let being sick make you miserable as well, you’re not giving yourself much encouragement to get better. Just think of it as a bit of down time, relax and dream about all the things your’re going to do when you get better!

I hope these tips are of some help to Princesses heading in to the flu season as we are here, or if you’re unlucky enough to get a summer cold they may help as well! Thank you to everyone who has sent me lovely ‘get well soon’ messages!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008 at 6:47 pm and is filed under Princess Lessons. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.