Being British means that whenever anything untoward happens,
and I really do mean anything, the solution that is always offered is one of
two things a cup of tea or some fresh air. Now this may be the same elsewhere
but nearly everyone here will agree that there is nothing in Britain that
cannot be cured, fixed or sorted out by a good old fashioned cup of tea.
I will agree that tea has calming qualities and that fresh
air is good for you but unfortunately it won't really fix a whole lot of
anything. So here is a message for the friends and family members who haven't
bothered to look up your illness, to the members of the public who haven't even
asked, to anyone who believes that your simply lazy and unfortunately to some
medical professionals who don't quite believe you really are as ill as you say
you are...
A hot cup of tea, a walk in the fresh air, a change of
scenery, a bit of a bed rest, a nice home cooked meal etc... will NOT fix
everything.
Take a good hard look... And before people get antsy, I am
not saying that these things don't have benefits and genuinely can make a
difference...what I am saying is that when you say these things to people it
can do a whole lot more good. It would only take a few minutes research to find
out what really could help, something to actually make a difference, like heat
bag for muscle pain or some soothing music for a migraine or even just a
conversation so why not look it up and offer these instead.
Try to imagine being on the other side of this. Your sitting
in you pyjamas at 2pm with tears in your eyes because everything hurts and your
ready to give up and your friend/grandmother/nurse tells you not to worry, have
a nice cup of tea, a shower and go out for a bit of fresh air and a change of
scenery because that will surely make you feel better. Can you feel how
disheartening it is? Can you feel the words chipping away at your last straw?
Can you feel the guilt because you know they're not saying it to be mean, the
really do want you to feel better but you still feel like strangling them?
Can you think of something else to say next time instead?
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