My covid symptoms came on overnight quite quickly, I had gone to bed feeling a little weary and woke in the night with a temperature, sore throat, and yes it felt almost unnecessary to do the test, it came up straight away.
1. Remain detached from fear – When we are going through something that scares us or terrifies us, it can be easy to get swallowed up by it, feel it all around us, hard to see a way out. What I found this week, was that the more I was able to be an onlooker to the situation it took some of that fear out straight away. I could see what was going on, it gave me a feeling of empowerment around it. For someone else other feelings may come up, whatever they are give yourself the opportunity to feel them, you will be able to move through them much quicker.
2. We have choices – I just happened to be reading Victor Frank’s book Man’s search for meaning as I headed in to my covid chapter, and he spoke about the mindset of people he was in the concentration camp with, how when we are not able to change a situation our choice is how we navigate it. He writes “we must never forget that we may also find meaning in life even when confronted with a hopeless situation when facing a fate that cannot be changed. For what then matters is to bear witness to the uniquely human potential as its best, which is to transform a personal tragedy into a triumph, to turn one’s predicament into a human achievement. When we are no longer able to change a situation – just think of an incurable disease such as inoperable cancer-we are challenged to change ourselves.”
3. Gratitude – Even during some of the roughest points I found things I was grateful for. A daily practice that I have, that I do feel plays a large part in where I am at currently, (my headspace that is, not the covid!). It can be easy as things get tough to drop the activities that we know are good for us, when these are the times we need them the most. The things I was grateful for included technology to be in touch with people, relief from symptoms as they started to change, check-ins and offers to help. My gratitude list pretty much always contains something about food, this week was no exception because finding the things that worked for me foodwise was a definite thing to be grateful for.
4. Giving permission to rest – In our go-go-do-culture it can be easy to still keep this going when we are resting. There was a lot of talk at the beginning of the first lockdown about what you can do with the time etc, but actually, maybe we can simply look after ourselves, check in with our needs and REST! How can doing nothing be so hard to do sometimes! I was told many times that this is the key to reducing long covid, to rest properly.
5. Asking for help – Whether that be grocery runs, delegating something, getting something picked up, now is not the time to be stoic, drop that independent story and ask for help. When we don’t we are denying other people the chance that they may be needing to do their bit, to have a purpose, to be able to contribute.
6. Receiving love – For me it was dinner from the neighbour. Be aware of sabotaging stories, one of my biggest is that I have to do everything for me; would have been so easy to turn down offers of help, yummy dinner, and I would have certainly done so in the past. This time I was able to use these as opportunities to prove that belief wrong. I do have people who love, support and care for me. This may also be some of the government setups that are out there to help and support.
7. Being realistic – Really checking in with my body and energy levels as to what I felt able to do. Some days it was literally dozing on and off most of the day, others it was watching a series on Netflix, other times I was able to do a bit more, but could soon feel when the fatigue was setting in, and hearing that rather than pushing on.
8. All is not lost – This is a topic that has been coming up for people a lot recently, and I created this video to cover it, and it is worth having in here. When I am able to realise that I have headed down a path away from myself, see where I am at, and see what I need to come back home to my true self, again it can feel a lot less daunting. Doesn’t mean that road is easy, but it does mean we have a direction. During this week I was able to recognise that covid would have taken me down a path, I was not shining my light bright, and that was okay, I knew I would return.
9. Get outside – Such important advice whatever we have going on in our life. I didn’t have the energy to walk, but just taking my drink outside made such a difference. This always surprises me as I always have doors and windows open in my little whare, but there is something different to have all that fresh air wrapped around you.
10. Don’t think too far ahead, but do! – Sometimes it is just a case of getting through each part of the chapter. It is knowing that this too shall pass, and until it does, I am just focusing on one moment and then the next. Through this night, through this coughingness, through this bit, while I sound like a dalek, through this bit where I can’t face a shower or get out of bed; and bit by bit we do get through those moments. As I started to get relief from the symptoms, as I started to sound less like a dalek, as I started to bring a lightness back into my communications and could celebrate my seriously cute hot cross bun, I knew I was on my way back, I was on the right path home to me.
Practical tips – Get tissues in, strepsils, anaesthetic throat spray, I found thicker fluids were easier than thinner ones when the throat was sore, paracetamol for taking the temperature down, ibuprofen for aches and pains, and having simple foods that are easy to prepare for when fatigue was high, but hunger pangs were too.
Please note this is purely my personal experience and what worked for me. Talking to two others close to me, we all had different symptoms. Should you get covid it will be a unique journey for you, but as Victor Frankl said it is up to us how we respond to it.
