HOW TO AVOID GETTING SICK: a thread

People have been mistakenly led to believe that if they are exposed to bacteria or viruses, they will become sick simply by having these germs in their body. This is quite simply untrue. /1

We are exposed to countless germs every day and most will never make us sick. Consider that the vast majority of the population has some form of herpes virus, but only a few ever develop sores. When they do develop sores, it's usually when their body is already under stress. /2

Whether or not you become sick because of exposure to germs is dependent on the conditions of your body. If the terrain of your body is hospitable to said germs, you'll become sick. If it's not, you won't. This is called your immune system. You may have heard of it. /3

Think of the people in your life who seem to always be sick. Now think of the people you know who never seem to get sick. What are their lifestyles like? Guaranteed the former eats a lot of junk, never exercises, sleeps badly, is under a lot of stress, etc /4

Personal anecdote: I used to work with children who, as we all know, are veritable germ factories. (Largely due to their inability to stop putting things in their mouths and picking their noses lol). Initially, I was constantly sick from working with them. I caught everything./5

At the time, I was eating the standard modern diet of sugary, processed foods. And being young, I didn't think it was important to maintain a good sleep schedule. Didn't really feel like I needed to exercise. I assumed I was getting sick because I was exposed to germs. /6

Fast forward a few years and I became a person who never got sick, despite still working with kids. I was eating super clean, exercising every day, getting proper sleep, managing my stress levels. /7

At the first sign of feeling run down, I'd take the day off, get extra sleep, load up on immune boosting vitamins, fast or at least not eat much, and within 24 hours I would feel totally fine and never really actually got sick. I haven't been sick with anything in years. /8

I could have a sick kid cough directly in my face and I won't catch what he has. But the fact is, most people are lazy and they want to live in a way that abuses their bodies and expect that they shouldn't have to suffer the consequences of that. /9

They want pills and vaccines that allow them to live their unhealthy lifestyles without having to pay the price for it. But the fact is, if you get sick, you have only yourself to blame. /10

Yes, this is even true for the elderly. Many people think that old people get sick a lot just because they are old, but it's largely dependent on how well they've treated their bodies throughout their life. /11

This isn't to say that we should go around coughing on people and not washing our hands like disgusting pigs. Good hygiene is very important, too, especially if you're not as healthy as you could be. /12

If you don't take good care of yourself, then the best way to avoid getting sick is to wash your hands often, not touch your face, and avoid places where you might come in contact with sick people. /13

Aside from working with kids, the number one place I used to get sick from was grocery stores. After you out your groceries in your car, you should go back in to wash your hands before driving home if you can't commit to not touching your face. /14

People who shriek about vaccines and the need to protect public health are almost always the people who have unhealthy lifestyles and aren't willing to change it. They want to force everyone else to pay the price for their laziness and lack of self-care. /15