I think all of us deal with the hustle culture where the person that responds on their day off is the best worker.
Don't get me wrong, I have been this person before. And while it was a lot of pressure from myself to just be on top of everything, all it did was stress me out more and get me to burn out much quicker.
My sisters would always wonder why I would put so much work and effort just for free, just to say I was there. One time I was working at a store and I had called out sick because I was sick (this a bit before COVID) and one of my managers started going off about "why I called out when it was a cold". He even went as far as "I'm sick and I'm here". Please...let's do better. That is not a flex.
Showing up to work when you're sick is not going to get you a trophy. It only puts other people at risk, it elongates the recovery time for your body, and you're not able to perform your best so in reality it makes things worse.
I had a hard time trying to put those boundaries and recognize when I needed to rest. When I needed to take time to recover. And by doing so, I ended up not getting sick that often. Because I stopped pushing my body past its limit. We don't get anything by ignoring what our bodies tell us. That's there for a reason.
While there are many things we can do to boost our immune system, like getting massages, managing our stress, maintaining a healthy lifestyle with good nutrient dense foods, and physical activity, the most important thing to remember is to listen to your body.
If you don't pick a day to relax, your body will do it for you. And I'm sure it would be at the most inconvenient time too.
Stay healthy friends!