My Mum and Dad had what I now consider to be an inspired approach to illness when I was a youngster…they did everything they could to ensure that as children we caught everything catchable, as young as possible! I had measles, whooping cough, chicken pox, you name it we’d be wheeled around to the neighbour’s houses in the hope we’d catch it! 

As truly nuts as this may well sound it has stood us all in good stead. I am very rarely ill as an adult, I can count on one hands the days off sick I’ve taken in my working life (and two of those were for operations) and I pride myself in having a strong immune system. That said in the last year or so I seem to be a little more susceptible to coughs and colds, mostly I think since I moved into an open plan office at work! 

The odd cough or cold isn’t the end of the world, I appreciate that. However, it is really difficult if you have people in your lives with low immune systems (my grandparents both in their 90s and increasingly frail and my Dad who has bile duct cancer) and I’m finding myself with a growing paranoia every time I hear someone cough or splutter at work. This week there seems to be a lot of illness lurking, and I’ve been up to that London which always seems to tax my immune system at the best of times. As I type this I’m feeling increasingly sluggish, I’m a bit achy and my throat has a tickle. I’ll be really irritated if it gets worse over night because it means it’ll ruin my weekend plans, I’ll not be able to go for a long run or visit my grandfolks or my folks. 

In the meantime I’m glad I’m working at home tomorrow as that feels a little safer but if you have any old wives tales or evidence-informed magic potions or recommendations for a quick boost of the immune system I’d love to know them. Thanks in anticipation!