Today's Survival Guide

- have breakfast; it'll kickstart my body and give me energy; I may not want to or even feel much like it, but it still needs to done; avocado is always an option, and there are some lovely milky bar yoghurts in the fridge too

- drink water; it'll make me feel a lot more alive/awake/energised, plus it'll help flush out the awful stuff in my system at the moment, and maybe stop the coughing from being so bad too; staying hydrated is always key

- get some work done, but take it slowly; yesterday I did nothing, and that is okay, but today I am going to get stuff done- I will feel better at the end of the day for accomplishing something; at the same time, I am not going to push myself, I'll do what I can and that is enough

- tidy up the den a bit; remove the clutter, wash up as necessary, make my bed; I'll appreciate it this evening, and it'll feel less like the sick bay it's becoming

- drink lots of tea; particularly peppermint with honey and lemon- tastes good, and is super good for coughs and sore throats

- take the dog for a walk, if possible; maybe won't happen, I don't have to if I'm feeling really awful, but it would be a good idea- fresh air is always good, and getting out of the house is important

- have lunch and dinner, because food is good!; don't just go for something easy and unhealthy; my body needs healthy food always, but especially so when it's fighting; smoothies are a good idea if food itself isn't going to happen, find all of the nice fruit and mix it together; boiled eggs are also a good idea for a bit more protein that's easy to prepare/eat, as is soup

- do something nice for someone else; it doesn't have to be big, but treating the world better is always a good strategy; I benefit, someone else benefits, the world benefits

- keep remembering to take cough mixture and any other relevant medication, to help my body fight this off

- take time to do something fun and/or creative; potentially read a book with all distractions off, or do some writing, maybe work on that poem; something that I don't have to do, but that I want to do because I enjoy it

- pamper myself a bit; this doesn't have to be huge, but I can find a face mask and put stuff on my hair to give it a bit more nutrition, or something similar

- have a shower and get dressed; make sure to wash my hair and body properly; afterwards, use moisturiser, deodorant, brush my teeth- all the little things to do with getting ready; then get dressed- find lots of things to layer so I don't get too cold, but make sure it's actual clothes and not pyjamas- psychologically, this tends to make a big difference

- spend some time downstairs; quarantining myself is all very well, but getting downstairs is a good idea too, the air up here can feel stale and downstairs is a bit more fresh; plus, as beautiful as the walls of the den are, it's always good to look at something else for a change!

- go to Parents Evening, and maybe even to Freedom (hopefully!)

- even if I don't make it to Freedom, make sure to message K and check in about our respective days; I'm missing her a lot and it'll stop me feeling so distanced from her (which, also, isn't a real thing but something anxiety's making me feel- important to remember)

- get an early night; make sure I keep myself propped up in bed and take medicine before going to sleep, so I can rest as easy as possible; keep water by my bed, and make sure I have a means of telling the time and medicine just in case; don't stay up on my phone too long, sleep is important and I am incredibly in need of it