No Guilt Sick Day for the Unemployed

I was home sick yesterday. Not the 102 degree fever, chills and aches sick, but the light-headed, queasy, sore-throat sick.  And, I was so grateful.  I was grateful to be at home resting rather than going to work.

Normal Staying Home From Work

I have worked sick many times. Most workers, especially in today’s recessionary climate, are afraid to stay home when they are ill. My former coworkers and I always came in to work if we were slightly sick. Those days were a struggle to endure, but somehow we got through the day. There is the underlying belief in the workplace that unless you are at death’s door you should go to work. Everyone has a different definition of what that is, but for me, the deciding factor was a temperature. That is not true for everyone and many times people come to work with fevers and contaminate their coworkers.  So yesterday morning when I woke up and felt miserable I was happy because I knew that I had the luxury of staying in bed, sipping hot tea and letting my body heal itself. I got to do what most people wish they could do, stay home and take care of myself.

Staying home sick when you are not working

The guilt was incredible and yet deliciously sweet at the same time.  It was the first time since I stopped working that I needed to take a sick day. I did not have to call in to my supervisor and be made to feel like I let the team down because I wasn’t going to be coming in to work. My husband and dog were perfectly okay with my decision to stay home. In fact, they encouraged me to rest, watch a mindless movie and not do a darn thing all day. Miraculously, I woke up feeling much better today. I couldn’t help but think about how many days of feeling lousy I would have had at work if I had to push myself to go to work yesterday. This is a transition that feels really good and I am grateful.

Categories: Surviving at Work, On the Job, Health, Things You Need to Know