Issue 03: Sick Day In My Mind

As a kid you could pull a sicky. 

Pulling a sicky could go a number of different ways. You get sent straight to school and told off for fibbing. Your mum looks you right in your lying little face but gives you the day off if you stay in bed all day. You might get to park up on the couch with Jeremy Kyle if you’re lucky. It was all fun and games until you were actually sick—those times when you ended up lying in bed, vomiting, and would rather be at school. 

You can’t be pulling a sicky as an adult. You risk falling behind in lectures or missing pay. There’s the few times you lied to your boss when you were hungover, but that only works once in an orange moon before they know you’re taking the piss. Pulling sickies at work can also really put your managers or co-workers out. 

Sick days are for survival. 

Sometimes you can feel a nasty cold coming on, or your mental health going downhill like an avocado left on the bench. If you catch things early, it’s likely to take less time to recover. Sleep can help your immune system tackle bugs before they get to full scale snot. If you’re struggling to sleep, or noticing symptoms of anxiety, getting help by talking to someone (a doctor) or giving yourself space to rest can stop anxiety compounding. 

For menstruators, periods can make your mood crappy and your belly a ball of ouch. Further complications like endometriosis are incredibly serious. Sally is dreaming of a utopia where it’s normal to take a few days off without the asking of invasive questions like “is it really that bad?”

Staying home is easier now that lectures are recorded across the board. It’s pretty stink that it took a global pandemic to get that result. Big shout out to VUWSA who had campaigned for this long before the university's hand was forced. 

The pressure to show up even if you’re feeling sick is a problem we’ve seen described in the news. Reported by Stuff, a retail worker went into work, despite being symptomatic and waiting for test results. They had initially called in sick, but went in wearing a mask after a call with their manager. The stakes are higher in these times, and the social pressure to pull through is very complicated. As a community it’s time to band together in support of those who must have sick days, and remember this is long overdue. 

Take your sick days when you need them, and seek help. There are people here to support you, like the staff at Mauri Ora. You can also ask for an extension on assignments. That can be a bit of a debacle when you’re feeling out of it, but it’s good to remain calm and follow the procedures. 

This week’s issue was set to coincide with Women’s Week, hosted by the VUW Women’s Collective. Women’s Week has been postponed in light of alert level changes. We’ve still prioritised the work of women in this issue; check out Kirsty’s feature on the rise of spiritual TikTok on page 16 and Annabel’s opinion piece called “Where are all our Maori Academics?” on page 9.

The cover art was created by Kate Mabin. The looping forms are to allow the viewer to impose their own view of gender identity, and represent community. 

Take care,
Sally Ward (she/her) and Matthew Casey (he/him)

Co-Editors