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It happens every time I push myself past my physical limits. I’m not talking the extreme physical limits of marathons and climbing Everest – let’s not get carried away, here. I’m talking about when I get so engrossed with something happening in my life that I go full throttle for days, weeks, even months on end, rarely slowing down long enough for my hair to stop blowing in the wind.

After I push myself to the limit, I get sick.

We all have times like this, when something takes over in our lives and we make the choice to surrender to it. Maybe it is caretaking for an elder or a needy child; working on a huge case or trying to close a big account at work; or taking on a volunteer project that has an end-date, but is intensive leading up to it. Generally, when we’ve made the choice to allow something “important” to co-opt our schedule, we work longer hours than usual and do a less-than-adequate job of taking care of ourselves.

Inevitably, when it’s finally time to rest, my body collapses. It’s like my body has an internal barometer that can read my calendar and knows, “I can let go, now.” But it’s not enough to just catch up on a sleep debt. No, my body tends to crash and burn, with some infection or virus taking up residence where the adrenaline rush of pressure was previously holding space in my being, if not my body.

Now, I know this is not my experience alone. People frequently get sick on a honeymoon, after a major presentation, on a vacation or major holiday. In our culture we have a tendency to push ourselves – beyond a healthy limit – and expect our bodies to cope.

We tend to believe that we should be able to do so much more than is actually reasonable, certainly in any context of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The truth is, we do this all the time, not just when we have an unusual/major responsibility that calls upon us to do more. This is deeply imbedded in our culture as Americans.

The rest of the world values leisure. Other societies are structured so that a month’s break each year for “holiday” is standard procedure. Here in the U.S., we’re lucky if we get one week. We have a cultural expectation of pushing ourselves to our limits. And we wonder why we spend billions a year on health care.

Perhaps it’s a holdover from a previous age when there were limited amenities and life didn’t offer much more than hard work. Maybe it’s a Puritan thing, or the fall-out of a competitive, individualistic society. I’ll leave the “why” to those in the  Ivory Towers. I’m an action girl, so my question is: “How can we stay healthy in the context of a culture that structurally devalues health?”

Well as Stanley Kubrick demonstrated so clearly in “The Shining,” “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” The expectation of constant work is just not good for us, even if we do accept it as a given.

True confession: lately, I’ve been working seven days a week leading to the launch of a new business, which was established to support parents in taking care of themselves. No, the irony is not lost on me. But here I am, days after launching at an intensive weekend conference, still standing and in good health. I’m exhausted, but I’m not crashing, for a change.

So, here’s my prescription for a little more health in an unhealthy world, especially when it’s a particularly busy time in life. (While I acknowledge that there is a “physician-heal-thyself” component to this Rx, I’ve actually been taking my own medicine, and it’s helping!): 

1.  Rest when you can. Seriously, be intentional about it. If you’re working seven days a week, be aware of the time you have off and relax into it. Take naps – even 10 minute ones. Listen to your body when it tells you it’s tired.

2.  Pace yourself, and don’t over-schedule your leisure time. Take the time to do absolutely nothing.

3.  Limit your alcohol intake. When your body is fighting those toxins it has less energy available to fight other germs (and no, you’re not likely to effectively poison the germs with alcohol, though that’s a very creative response!)

4.  Try to eat foods that are high in vitamin C throughout the day, like oranges, green leafy veggies or broccoli. If you are going to take a Vitamin C supplement, take a smaller dose twice a day instead of a huge dose once a day. Vitamin C doesn’t last for too long in the body and needs to be replenished as the body uses it.

5.  Anti-oxidants are great for long-term health, but in the short-term we need to boost the immune system. Think in terms of “what will help me fight off germs?” Good hand washing; nutrition; exercise; sleep; water. What makes you feel rejuvenated?

6.  Get the vitamins you need: whether it’s multi-vitamins, Juice Plus, or conscious eating, give your body the fuel it needs.

7.  Take Fish Oil regularly. From where I sit, it’s a necessary component to function in our modern world. If you’d prefer to eat a lot of fish, make sure it’s wild caught – farmed fish will not give you the fish oil you need.

8.  Actually start your day, and end it, with a full glass of water. Try to get your water in throughout the day, but definitely give yourself a head start before you start pouring in the caffeine.

9.  Limit caffeine (note: I did not say eliminate it). It masks your body’s exhaustion, and ultimately supports you in pushing past healthy limits. We know that – in fact, we use it for that. So be aware when you do, and try to cut back.

10.          Practice Mindfulness. Slow down, and breathe, and be clear about the choices you are making.

11.          Decide what’s important, and what is not. Delegate what you can, and be willing to let things slide, sometimes, for the greater good of health. I’m not saying become a slacker, but sometimes “done beats perfect.”

12.          Finally, as I say to my kids when they are going off into the world on their own, make good choices. What does that mean? I don’t know what it means for you ... but I suspect you do!

Elaine Taylor-Klaus is a Life & Parenting Coach and the co-founder of ImpactADHD.com, an online coaching community for parents of kids with ADHD. She writes for “Living Without” magazine, and is a regular columnist on ShareWIK.com and MySpecialNeedsNetwork.com. Elaine shares her business, Touchstone Coaching, with her husband, David Taylor-Klaus.

Read more articles by Elaine Taylor-Klaus here.

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