The Commonsense Approach To Preventing The Flu.

When you’re self employed and work from home as I do, it’s VERY important that you don’t get sick. Sick days doesn’t exist in our vocabulary, as we don’t have a benefit package as the average person who works a traditional 9-5 job. Basically if you don’t work, there’s no income coming in.. there are no paid sick days.  It can be argued that since I work from home and don’t make contact with a lot of people, my chances of picking up the flu is relatively low. However all 3 of my daughters work at positions where they’re in constant contact with the general public, so by extension I’m in contact with all of those people (I’m their Uber – unpaid).

Other than trying to live a healthy life (food, exercise, rest etc), I find that adopting a sort of commonsense approach to preventing getting sick, works for me.

• avoid contact with people who are sick.
• wash you hands and/or use disinfecting hand rubs/wash
• avoid touching your nose, eyes and mouth when you’re out and about
• maintain a clean house/office/work environment. I try to wipe down my desk, computer’s keyboard and mouse as well as any camera equipment I use regularly with disinfecting wipes.
• change the air filters in your home regularly (especially if you suffer from environmental allergies)
• use tissues and encourage the use of it (people around you) so you’re coughing and sneezing in the open (please toss in the garbage after use)
• stay home when you’re sick and encourage your family members to do the same – don’t be a jerk and be a wholesale distributor
• get vaccinated? I’ll be honest and say that in previous years I did opt for getting the flu shot, but I’m not a huge fan of needles so I’ve not had it in the past 2 years. And to be quite honest with you, I can’t tell if I experienced any difference from getting or not getting it.
• bring along disinfectant wipes to clean any surfaces you’re about to touch (like restaurant table tops etc where previous diners could have had the flu)
• sleep.. try to be well rested, it goes a long way
• avoid shaking hands? Pound It!
• fresh fruit and vegetables go a long way in building your body’s immune system
• D’ONT bite your nails (besides being a nasty habit, gems can reside below your nails)

While I’m not a doctor I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express! Joke aside, I’m sure the commonsense approach to prevent attracting the flu can go a long way in helping you not getting sick this winter. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food.

Important: This is NOT medical advice, but tips I employ in the fight against getting the flu.