As some of you know, I had a brief bout of illness recently – nothing to worry about, a fierce cough and sore throat. Frankly, it was horrible and very boring, and I’m extremely glad to now be feeling much better.

Unfortunately I had to take some time off teaching, which is never a decision I take lightly. I tried to “push through” for as long as I could, despite at times barely being able to speak and needing to rest my voice in between calls. On one such day, my daughter happened to call, and after hearing my croaky voice was horrified to learn that I was still working. She told me very sternly and in no uncertain terms to rest – which made me laugh, as usually it is me giving this sort of advice to her.

I have written before about the importance of taking time off when you are unwell. This can be very difficult if you work for yourself, and your work is very important to you – especially if your absence directly affects other people. However, it seems that in some areas I struggle to practise what I preach, as I certainly wasn’t taking my own advice.

This is true of so many of us – we are happy to advise other people to rest and take care of themselves, but then cannot seem to justify applying the same principles to ourselves. The same applies when we are facing a difficult situation, or feel as though we are not being treated fairly. Sometimes it can be helpful to imagine that a friend was in that situation instead, and to think what you would advise them to do. You may find yourself fiercely standing up for your friend – so why shouldn’t you do the same for yourself?

In the end, I was forced to take my daughter’s advice whether I wanted to or not, as I was no longer able to use my voice. Thankfully, it has now recovered, and I am feeling much better and looking forward to getting back on track.