Comforts in the Comeback
complaining about the cold I had this month and ways I felt better in the comeback
In a new personal record, I went through three boxes of Kleenex in the past month and had the healing raw, red nose to prove it. I am finally on the other side of whatever cold I caught at the beginning of this month and, thankfully, I can breathe with ease again.
At the beginning of the illness, I woke in the middle of the night coughing up phlegm (yuck, I know!!) and was having flashbacks to the many illnesses I caught in college and grad school and how seemingly endless they felt. After surviving leukemia in my teens, one would think that would make colds a bit more bearable but somehow they still are the worst.
Verified by a three-in-one COVID and Influenza A & B at-home test, this illness was seemingly just an obnoxious cold. Despite the benign prognosis doled out by Google (7-10 days of pesky symptoms), any minor sickness paired with wicked winter weather almost always sends me into a mental and emotional slump. It felt like every day was the same mundane routine: wake up, walk the dog, work horizontally from the couch, have some soup, walk the dog, binge-watch TV, shower, and attempt to get somewhat decent sleep. Wake up and do it all again, hoping the symptoms would subside hour by hour.
In this blur of a week, I spent no less than five consecutive days sinking into the couch, with Ruby curled up next to me, as I rewatched White Lotus season two (a must-watch before this new season) and dreamed of the day I could move more than two feet before grabbing the tissue box again.
Like the millions of other people who succumb to the germs of cold and flu season, I realized days into my illness that I had been taking my health for granted. Every single breath I took without turning into a cough, any moment my nose wasn’t running like a toddler’s, and especially all the times I wasn’t taking chalky 1000mg vitamin C supplements and chasing it with an elderberry immunity drink. By the time I was on my third cup of warm water with honey on day 3 of illness, my gratitude for the fully mobile, effortlessly breathing Nicole I was days before increased tenfold. I found myself thinking, you don’t know how good you had it!
During those days of longing, I found my way out of the sickness slump by reminding myself that this was temporary and thinking about the comeback. Recovering from any illness or life event is always best complemented with comforts, so I focused on just that.
Comforts in the Comeback
Teaching Yoga
Back in August, I started a 200-hour trauma-informed yoga teacher training that meets once a week and now that we are over halfway through, it’s time to teach students yoga! This month I had the pleasure of curating a thirty-minute “Spacious Slow Flow” and teaching it to the other trainees in my class. As I chose the sequencing, I was intentional about choosing poses that feel supportive and spacious after a long day of work or life. This looked like shoulder flossing with a strap, some low crescent lunges, a wide-legged forward fold straddle, and a reclined tree pose for extra love for our hips. It was the first time in a long time that a new challenge felt fun and the sweet, supportive notes from my classmates after the class filled my heart with joy.
Peace in a poem
As a closing blessing during my yoga class, I shared a poem from Morgan Harper Nichols that has been a salve for my soul recently.
Attending my second Joy Oladokun concert
It’s not every day that one of your favorite artists plays at a venue twenty minutes from home and you get tickets for less than $50!! This concert was actually before I got sick (might have been the culprit tbh!), but it was after some health-related stuff I dealt with in January so I will consider it a comeback. I’ve written about Joy Oladokun before when I got to see her play for the first time in September at a festival on the beach. This concert was much more intimate and is in my top three best concert experiences. It was at The Stone Pony, an iconic New Jersey venue, and Joy fittingly came out in a Bruce t-shirt followed by a Bleacher’s t-shirt for her second set. The room was packed with fans who genuinely appreciated her music. At certain points in her set, a hush fell over the room as the entire audience waited in awe of the next line she would sing. I am officially on a quest to convert every single person I know to be a fan.
video courtesy of my friend Olivia who magically captures the essence of life-changing concerts on her iPhone.
Galentine’s Celebrations
I hosted a little, lowkey Galentine’s weekend for two of my closest friends and barely have the photos to prove it. We ordered-in sushi, sipped on Olipop mocktails with heart-shaped iced cubes, and for dessert, we had vegan heart-shaped strawberry stracciatella ice cream cake from Fable Creamery and had enjoyed last chocolate-covered strawberry. It was the perfect cozy night in, spent catching up and chatting our hearts out.
Candle-Making Class
On day two of Galentine’s weekend, I brought my friends to a local pottery shop called Lovelight and we had a private candle-making class. The studio is run by a young couple and their dog, Peppy, and they make all the candle vessels by hand. In our class, I was reminded that most candles have synthetic fragrances and paraffin wax which can be harmful to your health. That’s why the have a sustainablity promise and use a combination of soy and bee’s wax, cotton wicks, and clean non-toxic scents made in the United States.
We spent a good ten minutes sniffing all their scents from light and airy scents like sea minerals to more floral ones like desert fruit and herbal scents like rosemary and lavender. Eventually, I decided on my scent pairings, my first would be apricot and white tea and the second was sea minerals and lemon. After learning to swirl and twirl the scents into the hot wax, I now have two beautiful handmade candles to fill my home and heart with joy.
Needle Naps (aka Acupuncture)
I’ve been going to acupuncture once a week (ish) for a few months now and it really should be considered a form of magic. I’m not someone who can easily tap into relaxation mode but once those needles are placed I quickly drift off to a state of semi-consciousness that shifts my nervous system into a parasympathetic state. I have noticed a difference in my stress levels and my sleep is always so much better when I go. To the needle-weary, I promise they are virtually painless and the hardest part for me is carving out an uninterrupted hour each week to go.
I hope you’re staying healthy and well this season! If you’re in a slump, may you take comfort in the comeback very, very soon.
xoxo
Nicole