Solid Ground
There is a particular kind of unease that comes with imagining yourself sick when you live alone.
Not dramatic. Just quietly unsettling.
It tends to show up late at night, when your brain starts running scenarios you have been successfully ignoring all day. What if I cannot drive? What if I am too weak to deal with basic things? What if I need help and there is no obvious person to call?
I used to tell myself I was being overly cautious for thinking about this. Then I realized the avoidance was doing more harm than the planning ever would.
This is not anxiety.
It is awareness.
When you live alone, there is no automatic backup. That does not mean you are fragile. It means you are responsible for thinking ahead in ways partnered people rarely have to.
This is also the part no one warned us would involve quite this much logistics.
Before we talk about what helps, it matters to say this out loud. Being sick alone is genuinely harder. You are not weak for wanting a plan.
What actually helps is having a very simple framework in place before you need it.
Start with three things:
What do I need?
Who do I need to notify, if anyone?
What would matter most in the first 24 hours?
This does not need to be perfect. It just needs to exist. Even a rough plan reduces the mental load dramatically.
When thinking of what you need, it would be helpful to have some things on hand in case an illness sneaks up on you. Most importantly, you need fluids. Think water, tea, electrolyte drinks like Gatorade, and broth. Once these are pantry staples, you will be set on keeping hydrated.
For bland foods, consider saltine crackers, boxed or canned chicken noodle soup, bananas, bread for toast, applesauce, and rice. Anything heavier or more complex than those basics likely will not settle a sensitive stomach while sick. Remember, we’re just getting through a couple days, so nothing major here.
If your mind is already going to emergencies more broadly, I talk about that in Prepared, Not Panicked. Emergency Planning When You Live Alone . If the emotional weight of being the only one responsible keeps surfacing, The Emotional Side of Living Alone No One Talks About connects closely here.
I put a useful plan into a one-page “If I Get Sick” plan if having it written down would help.
You do not have to solve every scenario.
One steady step still counts.
Onward,
Bobbie Kay
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Help someone find solid ground.
If this resonated, consider sharing Solid Ground with a friend who might need a steadier place to land. Quiet words travel farther than we think.
Solid Ground is a space for reflection, patience, and learning to move onward without rushing. There are no quick fixes here. Just honest writing for seasons of change, pause, and reinvention.
Onward,
Bobbie Kay
