It is always this time of year when something seems to go around. It is a sickness that leaves no one out and tends to hit all in the same week. Some call it a cold, others a sinus infection, but either way it is a pain for anyone who has to suffer through it.

Unfortunately, things you are doing could be the reason you are getting sick. Sure, you might not be able to control if a bug comes in contact with you, but you can do things to make yourself more susceptible to getting sick.

You can get sick at home and at work. Work sickness can be obvious with the spreading of germs in tight spaces like cubicles. But it can also be subtle overtime. Phones and keyboards have an insane amount of germs on them. To ward off any potential sickness, regularly sanitize your work space. This is especially important if you eat at your desk.

Speaking of eating at your desk, avoid it at all costs. Eating at your desk is a sure sign of being overworked and stressed. Every worker needs that lunch break to unwind and destress. Without that destressor, sickness can creep in. Eating at your desk is also bad for your diet. When you are distracting while eating, you tend to eat 125 more calories than you think you did. Sure, one day won’t kill you. But regularly skipping your lunch break can have some serious effects on your health.

Bringing work home also has a detrimental effect on your health. Once you clock out, unplug your work life. If you continue to work on paper work and answer emails at home, you are not giving yourself that time to replenish. Learn to compartmentalize home time and work time. Do not let the two interfere.

If work wasn’t bad enough, sitting all day long is also bad for your health. Most jobs are constantly in front of computers or on the phone which requires a lot of sitting. Instead of emailing a co-worker, get off your buns and speak to them in purpose. Take the stairs and not the elevator in an effort to burn almost 200 calories a day. Studies show that sedentary lifestyles are bad for your heart and your mind. A weak heart is more susceptible to disease.

Once you get the bug, the worst thing you can do is to leave home and go to work. This simple act is how the disease keeps spreading. If we all stayed at home, we could nip the mini-epidemic in the bud. But most people cannot afford to stay home from work. And moms are never allowed a sick day. but we (especially women) tend to push through the sick to get things done. Unfortunately, “pushing through” your sickness will actually prolong your sickness or make you more sick. By pushing through when you are not well, you are not allowing your body to heal. Plus you are spreading your sickie germs. Do yourself and everyone else a favor by staying at home and resting.