How My Body Finally Forced Me to Stop Being a Super-Mom
As parents we tend to run ourselves ragged trying to get everything accomplished in one day that should be tackled over the course of a week. There's always something lurking on the ever-growing to-do list and time just slips away. In an effort to get more done, I used to wake up before my daughter and continue to work once she went to bed. I felt like I was on an endless treadmill of taking care of household chores, staying on top of emails and work, and doing all the other stuff moms are responsible for.
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To top off my hectic schedule, I've been sick with colds and flus for most of the year. I chalked it up to being a sleep-deprived mom (being woken up every 3 hours at night for 17 long months), who has been exposed to a lot of kiddie germs. Except it was taking me about 4 -6 weeks to get over a cold, when the rest of my family was recovering in a few days. I had seen my doctor for these previous colds and she prescribed a lot of immune supporting vitamins. However, after my most recent illness and the appearance of some new neurological symptoms, I went back to her and suggested we do further tests to see if something more significant was going on in my body.
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I am glad I trusted my instincts because it turns out I have a chronic Epstein Barr viral infection. Over 95% of people have been exposed to some form of this virus by the time they are 40, but usually it just manifests as a common cold. The virus is a part of the herpes family and is commonly associated with mononucleosis, Lyme disease, and chronic fatigue syndrome. In my situation, I must have unknowingly had a form of mononucleosis and am now fighting a noncontagious recurrence that has been activated by one of the previous colds, in conjunction with my busy lifestyle and poor sleep hygiene. In order to heal my body, I am taking more supplements and focusing on getting a lot of sleep each night. I have already begun to see an improvement in my neurological symptoms. The bad news is that although I am treating this active infection, I will be prone to it coming back from future colds or not regularly taking good care of myself.
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Sometimes I think the universe sends you messages that get louder and louder until you listen. It has been clear for awhile that I needed to slow down, take on less responsibility, and say no more often. I also need to accept that it is ok if my to-do list grows faster than I can cross things off of it. Overall, there are worse things than being prescribed at least 9 hours of sleep per night by your doctor and I am thankful to discover why I was constantly sick. Being encouraged to nap often and focus on my own health will definitely help me to make different choices during my down time.
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