{"id":1939,"date":"2018-01-12T14:41:34","date_gmt":"2018-01-12T14:41:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailystoic.com\/?p=1939"},"modified":"2018-01-12T14:41:34","modified_gmt":"2018-01-12T14:41:34","slug":"the-last-time-you-were-sick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailystoic.com\/the-last-time-you-were-sick\/","title":{"rendered":"The Last Time You Were Sick"},"content":{"rendered":"

Think about the last time you were sick. Maybe it was food poisoning. Or the flu. Or a nasty bug that just knocked you on your ass. As you laid there, soaked in your own sweat, or as you made your way back to the bathroom to empty the contents of your stomach once again, you probably thought to yourself: When will this end? When will this be over? As the days dragged on, you started to think, \u201cI can\u2019t go on like this. It\u2019s too terrible. Dying might actually be a relief.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was hyperbole, sure, but you were in real pain. We\u2019ve all been there. The mind goes to dark places when we\u2019re sick. But it\u2019s interesting to think about how long ago that all seems now. Even if it was two weeks ago, those feelings have receded far back into the distance. Like it never happened. You won\u2019t think of those feelings again…until the symptoms return the next time you\u2019re sick.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a reminder of a line from\u00a0Marcus Aurelius<\/a>, who himself suffered from a number of nasty illnesses, many of which were chronic and painful. \u201cIf it\u2019s endurable, then endure it. Stop complaining.\u201d he said. \u201cIf it\u2019s unendurable . . . then stop complaining. Your destruction will mean its end as well.\u201d His point is one worth remembering: Pain is either endurable or its not. And if it\u2019s not\u2014as the third day of a flu\u2019s fever delirium can sometimes feel\u2014well, you won\u2019t have to put up with it much longer because you won\u2019t be here!<\/p>\n

That seems dark, and it is, but it\u2019s also a relief. It just means you don\u2019t need to make yourself more miserable extrapolating out how long this is going to last and whether you can handle it. Either you can or you can\u2019t. So let it happen. And remember that in due time, after you recover, this will all feel like a bad dream and you\u2019ll forget it.<\/p>\n

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