Cold and flu season is officially here. You can hear it in the sniffles and coughs from kids, and also from your coworkers down the hall in the office.
When this time of year rolls around, my ears perk up whenever I hear someone sneeze or cough. My first thought is, “Oh jeez. Who’s sick? Will I catch it?” Then I’m on high alert, making sure I steer clear of anyone who is sick or even sniffles. But then I eventually get sick. Not from anyone in the office, but rather from my kid.
Ain’t that a kicker? Avoiding all the sick people in the office just to catch something from my own kid. When he was younger, he would catch something from his cousins or come down with something on his own. Now, he just brings germs and sicknesses home from school like an art project he worked on that day.
Now that we’re in cold and flu season, we must remember that there’s other illnesses that are prevalent this time of year as well. A couple nurse friends of mine have said that RSV and rhinovirus are going through the hospitals, and let’s not forget that Covid is still a thing. How peachy.
We can all do our part to keep from spreading germs to our friends and loved ones. What can everyone, myself and my son included, do to help protect others from getting sick? Here’s a few tips:
Wash Your Hands
Not just a little water on the hands and then shaking them off either. Think back to when the pandemic first hit, and we all had to get a refresher in properly washing our hands. Use soap and water, wash the tops your hands, between your fingers, your thumbs, your palms and even your wrists. Sing the Happy Birthday song while you’re washing your hands. Seems strange that we all had to refamiliarize ourselves with proper handwashing, but it’s good information for everyone to have.
Cover Your Mouth When You Sneeze Or Cough
My son reminds me of this every once in a while. For instance, we’ll be driving, and a cough will catch me off guard and I will only turn my head to cough. My son reminds me, “Mom, cover your mouth. It’s just a reminder, mom.” And he’s right. I need to be better about coughing into my inner elbow, where no one will touch and possibly catch my germs. I will turn my head away from people when I sneeze, or I sneeze into my arm. Another thing to do when sneezing is to do it into a tissue and then throw the tissue away.
Stay Home When You’re Sick Or Feeling Unwell
Again, this goes back to something that was strongly encouraged during the pandemic. If you’re feeling a little under the weather, or if you’re sick, it’s best to stay home. It could be a cold, Covid, or just allergies. Regardless, it’s best to keep your distance until you know for certain what you have.
Our office is already seeing sick team members, or those feeling under the weather. Thankfully, we have flexible scheduling that allows our office team to work from home while they’re sick. If they’re feeling too sick, they’re able to take time off at home to get well. This gives the team with Albuquerque Plumbing Heating & Cooling comfort in knowing that they can put their health first, and that their wellness is important to the company. Albuquerque Plumbing Heating & Cooling helps to take care of their team so the team can in turn take care of our neighbors. That kind of support helps to ease the mind of every team member that they can get well and return to work ready to help the community.