What to Do when You’re Sick in Bed

When you’re sick in bed, it’s easy to feel frustrated by the fact that you can’t follow your usual routine. If you’re battling a nasty cold or flu, going to work or school, running errands, or spending time with friends can feel depressingly out of reach. However, just because you can’t do all the things you usually do doesn’t mean you can’t do anything at all! Try out some of these tips for making good use of the time you spend sick in bed. If you do it right, spending a few days stuck in bed can actually be fun, and even quite rewarding, so make the most of it by picking up a book, picking up a pen, or enjoying the unique, peculiar perks of being sick in bed.

Get Educated
Instead of switching on a soap opera when you’re sick in bed, pick up a book. Being sick is the perfect excuse to catch up on some reading, and a book can offer a welcome diversion and escape from the discomfort and boredom that are so often a part of being sick in bed. Chances are, in a few months you’ll have forgotten how high your fever got, but you’ll remember the book you read. See being sick in bed as an opportunity to explore a whole new world in a great book. Try thumbing through a classic you never got through in school, or skimming something on an unfamiliar subject. For a thematically appropriate choice, try one of Marcel Proust’s novels; he wrote them all in bed, so it makes sense to be in bed while you read them!

Get Creative
If you’ve lost your voice to a nasty cough, pick up a pen and write instead of talking. When the famous playwright and social butterfly Noel Coward was sick in bed for a week, he used the time to write the bulk of one of his most famous and cherished works, “Private Lives.” Follow his example and spend the time you’re sick in bed to set the wheels in motion for a project of your own. A few days will give you ample time to draft a short story, dash off a few poems, or outline a bigger project like a novel or a screenplay. During the hustle and bustle of daily life, many people find it difficult to make time for a creative project. However, when you’re sick in bed, you can really let your imagination shine; for once, you’ve nothing “more important” to do!

Whine Like A Baby
When all else fails, there is one major perk to being sick in bed. It’s called “sympathy,” and it’s easy to elicit from anyone who wanders into the room. The sight of you surrounded by tissues and lozenge wrappers, cheeks rosy with fever, and eyes sad with boredom is sure to arouse pity from anyone who sees you, so make the most of it. When you’re sick, you’re allowed to whine like a baby and let your friends and family wait on you hand and foot. Chances are, whatever they think will make you feel better, they’ll do, so enjoy it! Make them go to the video store to rent your favorite movie, to the grocery store to buy your favorite soup, or get them to dress up in your favorite outfit and sing the national anthem. Just remember to even the score by returning the favor sometime when they end up sick in bed!