Plague

I've been surrounded by sick people for over a month. It was bound to catch up with me. I think I caught it from Ron, who was at the tail end of his sickness when he gave me a ride home from his New Year's Eve party. I'm very thankful that my cold stayed in the head and did not shoot down into the lungs. Last time I woke up with a tickle in my throat, it decided to skip my head all together and go straight to my lungs.

At the first sign of swollen sinuses and post nasal drip, I had Charles bring down the humidifier from the attic and have kept it running in the bedroom. It helped a lot, and I think that's why the cold stayed in my head, which is the best thing a cold can do.

Then Emily asked me to help her move a mattress. That would be the night the temperature drops to below freezing and we have to spend an hour figuring out how shitty cheap racket straps work in the cold. The directions couldn't have been less clear.

That wound me up proper sick by the next day, which I had to work through. Thankfully, I only had to work one day while sick before the weekend. I stayed in bed all weekend. ALL weekend. I hated it. I mean, I liked it alright for a short time, but I had plans to clean my home and get some shit done that needed to be done. I have a small list of things I wrote on my board marked "January 4th" that I haven't been able to touch.

I did learn some tricks to help me get by - I put vaseline on my nostril walls to keep them moist (sorry for the word) while I went into the drylands (living room) to take down my tree and clean. I found a great home remedy to release the swelling of my sinuses (hold my breath and my nose while slowly rocking my head up and down until I couldn't hold my breath anymore - the brain registers that I'm running out of oxygen and slows the flow of blood in my head, thus bringing the swelling down. I was very surprised/pleased that worked). And I ate a couple of oranges for a boost of vitamin C (I can't take C tablets/powder as they hurt my stomach too much). This broke my diet rule, but I didn't care. It helped, and it was one of the only things I could really taste.

It's by-far my shortest cold, as I'm already nearly done with it. I didn't end up taking any time off work, and can mostly breathe easy, though I do still have some grossness hanging in the back of my throat.

Hopefully, I can put a dent in that list of things I should have done back last week.

Hygiene

Since my sinuses usually trigger sensitivity in my gums and certain teeth, I've decided I need to really ingrain a rigorous hygiene routine into my life. I was never taught proper hygiene as a kid, so it grew into a life-long struggle to make it like second-nature. Mix it with depression, and I'm just a big ball of stench and rotten teeth.

Shower
A lot of people with depression know how hard it is to muster up the energy to eat right or shower... I get that struggle too. It's always worse in the winter. So I put it on my weekly checklist on my board (with "(3x a week)" written next to it). I've never had a problem remembering to or getting the energy to moisturize after a shower, since my skin gets really uncomfortable if I don't.

Hydrate
I've up'd my water intake a lot since the summer, but I still need to actively work on this. I tend to get most of my water through tea - I drink an entire pot of tea with cream - which is also a way I make sure I'm getting enough fat. But I really need to pound back more water. Winter really dehydrates me.

TEETH
They say it takes a month to form a habit. They also say it takes two months to form a habit. They've even said it takes 600-something hours to form a habit. I'm going to take at least three months to form this habit.

My teeth and gums were bad before my sinus infection. But at least I stopped eating sugar and carbs.

I bought interdental brushes and learned to use them (still working out the sizes I need), I learned the proper way to floss, and I learned how to use my electric tooth brush (I have always preferred a manual brush). I intend to brush in the morning (or during the day, after I come home from work), and perform my 10-minute routine at night. At least my night routine, if I don't get to the day brushing.

That is: interdental brushing, then flossing, then electric brushing, then tongue-scraping, and then the dreaded Listerine rinse (which I learned from Ron that you shouldn't eat/drink anything shorter than an hour after doing, or the rinse won't do its job).

I'm really hoping my gums will improve.

Deodorant
I don't usually even need deodorant unless my hormones are working overtime (usually during ovulation). But occasionally I need it right after a shower, if I'm active afterwards (I prefer to shower before bed, though). I don't like deodorant, because it seems like it always causes clogged pores and large, painful cyst-like blemishes that can get up to the size of a cherry-tomato. So I'm going to get one of those deodorant stones. I think that will help.

Spa Day
This isn't part of my routine, per se, but I'd like to start just doing spa-type things, too, like doing my own mani/pedicures and face-peels. I'm also gonna connect my fingernails directly with playing the violin. I love it, but I find it hard to get the motivation to keep practicing every day, even though I want to. I have to keep the nails on my left hand nub-short, so I'm hoping trying to be more active about my nails will entice me more.

Also, what the hell is the point of face peels and lip scrubs if the winter just puts my skin right back to where it was?! I never used to get scaley skin in the winter. What. The. Hell.