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As I’m finally on the tail end of a week-long cold, I keep thinking about one thing:
I’m so grateful I didn’t have to leave my apartment to get what I needed to feel better.
There’s something uniquely humbling about being sick when you live alone. No one is running to the store for you. No one is bringing you tissues in bed.
If you don’t have it, you either go without or you drag yourself out into the world while feeling sick… and in the winter months? That feels like a punishment.
Since the pandemic, I’ve made it a habit to keep my home stocked with the basics: cold medicine, pain relievers, thermometers, and extra tissues. I check expiration dates every so often. I restock before I need things.
But this past week reminded me that the real heroes aren’t always the obvious items.
They’re the niche ones. I thought I’d share the less-than-obvious items I reached for this week in case you want to stock up:
The Skin-Saving Hero
After days of blowing my nose nonstop, my MVP was the Drunk Elephant Wonderwild Miracle Butter.
Thick, soothing, and genuinely reparative — it saved my nose and lips from the dreaded raw, red, peeling situation. It felt like an unnecessary luxury when I first bought it (for the purpose of using it on my knuckles and hands to survive my first real winter).
It did not feel unnecessary at 11 p.m. on day four of congestion.
The Immune Support Habit
I had Bee Keeper’s Naturals Immune Support spray on hand — something I’ve kept stocked since 2020.
Whether it shortened my cold or just made me feel proactive, I can’t say. But there is something psychologically helpful about having small rituals when you’re sick.
The spray is soothing on the throat, too! I kept it right on my nightstand so I would have it whenever I needed.
The Small Comforts That Carried Me
- A real stash of good throat lozenges (not the chalky emergency gas station kind).
- Multiple boxes of tea.
- Liquid IV packets.
- My heated mattress cover — deeply underrated when your body feels chilled and tired.
- Peppermint and eucalyptus shower steamers that made my bathroom feel like a tiny spa instead of a congestion chamber.
None of these are life-saving.
But together? They made being sick feel survivable.
The System Behind It All
Living alone changes how you prepare.
I don’t assume I’ll feel well enough to hop on the bus and grab something. And now that I live somewhere without many nearby options, it feels even more important to think ahead.
There’s a quiet peace in knowing:
- I have what I need.
- I don’t have to leave.
- I can just rest.
That, to me, feels like a form of self-trust.
If you have any niche items you reach for when you’re feeling under the weather, I’d love to know what they are!
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