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wellbeing<br />
How to overcome<br />
sick-day guilt<br />
It’s the phone call we all dread – letting your employer know you need a day<br />
off sick. But when your body is telling you it needs a break, it’s time to listen.<br />
So, how do we get past the guilt, to get the rest we need to recuperate?<br />
Writing | Katie Conibear<br />
We all know the feeling;<br />
you’ve woken up<br />
feeling terrible. You’re<br />
too sick to work, but<br />
there’s something in the pit of your<br />
stomach that stops you from making<br />
that call to your boss. You sit there<br />
watching the clock – you might even<br />
start getting ready to go in or log<br />
on – putting off a decision you know<br />
you have to make. You don’t want<br />
people to think you can’t cope with<br />
the job. You feel bad about colleagues<br />
having to cover your work, and don’t<br />
want to make life more difficult for<br />
anyone else. You’re worried that you<br />
might be judged for calling in sick,<br />
and it’ll affect performance reviews<br />
or your chances of that promotion.<br />
Then there are the questions we ask<br />
ourselves: “If everyone else can cope<br />
without taking time off, why can’t I?”<br />
When we’re ill, we often give<br />
in to the pressure to carry on<br />
working – whether that’s a<br />
perceived external pressure, or<br />
the expectations and standards<br />
we set for ourselves. It’s easy<br />
to fall into this trap when we<br />
have deadlines to meet, work<br />
on commission, or have a team<br />
that relies on us. Whether it’s<br />
a physical or mental illness,<br />
pressure to keep going can make<br />
us feel 10 times worse. But it’s<br />
time to put that unnecessary guilt<br />
in its place – here are four things<br />
to help you do just that.<br />
1. BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF<br />
I asked life coach Clare Percival<br />
how to overcome sick-day guilt.<br />
Her thoughts? “I would ask, where<br />
does that guilty voice stem from?<br />
Is it a parent, a boss, or just a<br />
limiting belief that somehow<br />
we think we are supposed to<br />
be super human rather than<br />
listening to our body?”<br />
Being honest with<br />
yourself that you<br />
need a break can<br />
make you stronger,<br />
and healthier, in the<br />
long run<br />
We need to learn to be<br />
vulnerable, and to show that<br />
we’re not OK – even if our inner<br />
critic doesn’t like it. But the truth<br />
is it’s nothing to be ashamed of. >>><br />
<strong>happiful</strong>.com | September <strong>2021</strong> | 67
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