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What do you like to do when you’re sick?
I have some kind of flu and can’t sleep, so I’m just laying in bed with old stream VODs on in the background. It made me curious what others do in this situation, and asking might give me some ideas to take my mind off of how I’m feeling.
Aside from the usual sleep/tv/videogames, my wife reads to me from time to time when I don't feel well because it often calms me down to listen to her and helps me fall asleep through whatever pain I'm in for the evening. We usually pick contrived young adult novels. We did part of Deltora Quest, part of Eragon, part of Sabriel, and I dusted off my copy of The Seventh Tower for the next time I don't feel well.
This is only my own extremely personal and idiosyncratic answer, but... I play through the original Deus Ex from 2000. The first time I played it, I was home sick from high school with the flu. It's become a tradition at this point; I wouldn't even think of playing it if I were feeling well, but I think I've beaten it like a half a dozen times now...
What a cool tradition, thanks for sharing.
Dramatically exaggerating my proximity to death in a way that is humorous but also very real. Asking my partner for things I can't ask any other time (nothing sexual). Coming up with cool last words. Thinking about who will get my stuff. Chicken soup.
On a large enough timescale, our proximity to death is always very real.
Nilered is great sick day viewing. You should check out CodysLab if you haven't already, it's pretty similar stuff. His metal extraction videos are my favorites.
Binging "Whose line is it anyway" episodes until my cheeks hurt from laughing was my go to. To the extent that I would put off enjoying more seasons once I was on the mend so that I would have episodes left to watch next time I was sick.
Sadly when they rebooted it they finally bothered to copyright claim the older seasons so I can't just go to whoselineonline and watch them all in one place now. Last time I couldn't even figure out which (if any) streaming services have the rights to older episodes in my country and just watched watched random netflix stuff instead while mad about it.
I have just finished with a really annoying sickness, so I totally feel you. I spent a lot of it watching Outer Wilds LPs (although I anti-recommend this if you haven't played it yourself).
I also spent time on single-player Geoguessr with the time turned to no time limit, which weirdly I find the most relaxing thing. Just browsing through random places in the world with no pressure, trying to figure out where you are, but also sometimes just enjoying the view.
I like to watch ASMR "sick care" vids. Sure nobody is actually taking care of me, getting me water or soup or snacks or blankets, but in a way that's better, because no one is getting exposed to illness. And it's very soothing to just immerse yourself in the idea that someone is taking care of you in a time of need.
I had no idea that was a thing, but that makes so much sense that there would be.
I hope you’re feeling better @meatrocket!
As for what I do, I sleep a ton, watch my favorite movie, get high. The last one doesn’t help me feel better so much as make me forget how sick I am, but it’s important to me as a chronic pain patient.
Feeling much better now! A big thanks to amoxicillin, and no thanks at all to the U.S. healthcare industry that made it so difficult and expensive to get said amoxicillin.
I’m glad you’re feeling better. The us healthcare system is a scam. I’m sorry you struggled to just get meds.
Just make sure you're up early enough to watch The Price is Right.
I've recently mainly recovered from pain.
In that time, I just listened to a lot of audiobooks. Really dumb, easy to listen to, light-hearted, fictional audiobooks. They were more of an escape and comfort.
Using my eyes to look at things tired me out, so most of the time was spent in bed, with a heated pad, and just listening.
Rewatching Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Rewatching Babylon 5 from "Chrysalis" onward.
I get McDonald’s. Ever since I was a kid, anytime I got sick I got a combo. Usually McChicken. I swear it has a healing effect. Somehow my body has associated it with getting better. Kind of like how as soon as I pop a Tylenol I feel better even though it hasn’t even reached my stomach yet.
Sleep and take baths. I dont know why but if i'm sick, hurt, worried, stressed, etc my first thought is I need to take a bath.
When I'm sick enough that I need time off, if I'm not so debilitated that I must stay in bed, I just zone out on the computer. Primarily video games, but also just random net surfing on my usual sites, like Tildes. When I'm sick, I don't want to do anything physical, and I don't even want to have to think too hard (solve problems, do programming).
Sleep and watch tv/youtube.
It's cold here in Brazil right now and I've been low key sick for months. My sinusitis/sore throat never fully heals. It keeps getting better and worse on a weekly basis.
So I'm just living life, lifting weights, working while partially sick.
I'm not a medical professional, but one hypothesis is that there's something in your environment that's giving you those symptoms. Some possibilities: a dirty filter on an air system (air conditioner, humidifier, fan, etc.); unhealthy microorganisms in a room of your house, like mould in the bathroom, or on windows where condensation often collects; high concentration of dust somewhere. Stuff like that.
For some reason when I’m sick I crave fried rice. It’s simple and not too heavy. I end up eating a lot over several days. Mmmmmm….
For whatever reason, when I get sick, I have to take a bath (I normally shower, no I'm not that dirty). Just a long hot bath that feels like it's burning the sickness away and warms my bones. Whenever the urge for that comes on, I know I'm getting sick.
I like to just relax and watch TV when I'm sick, because there's not much else I can do when I'm not feeling well.