My Happiness Coach

FIVE long days…

I was sick for 5 long days with COVID. My symptoms started with a cough after Easter lunch. By Sunday night I felt as if my lungs were on fire & I was going to cough them right out of my body.

I was sick.

I thought it was bronchitis, caused by my allergies (which had bee acting up). So, I went to work on Monday when I couldn’t get in to see the doctor until Tuesday morning.

My tests came back from the doctor positive, both strep & COVID. I was really sick & very contagious. I felt horrible. Not just because of my symptoms but because of all of the people that I saw on Sunday & Monday.

I made the calls & let everyone know. They were all very chill about it & just concerned about how I was feeling. So, I concentrated on following my doctor’s orders.

I took care of myself. Fluids & rest, plus getting up & moving around (this is important to stop the formation of blood clots). I was getting up & moving around, this also helped keep my spirits high.

But the thing that I did that stopped me from wallowing in my bed was…

PRACTICING COMPASSION.

Compassion for myself was the key to me staying positive. I knew that work was going to be crazy when I returned, I knew that it could take months to get to 100% health. I knew that I could have lasting issues due to the virus. So I was kind to myself. I let myself rest & kept moving like my doctor told me to do (to prevent blood clots).

Even a couple weeks later, I still have a wicked cough. Although it doesn’t happen often, it is definitely made worse by my vaping and smoking. These are really bad habits of mine that are being addressed. The biggest thing that I have been struggling with in energy. This is probably due to my body still recovering from surgery, at least partially.

The lack of energy that I’ve been facing since getting sick with COVID is real. It is real & a pain in the ass. I am behind on all of chores that I had given myself before COVID. This is being compacted by my current lack of energy 2 full weeks since major symptoms subsided.

Compassion gets harder at this stage. I’ve been here before…

Exhausted to the point of depression.

I am aware of the slippery slope here. On one hand, you have the physical, mental, and soul tiredness and you allow yourself to rest, but if you give in here you get the other hand.

The other hand is resting too much, especially if you are feeling depressed. Depression is a mental illness. Mental illness is part of my daily life, so please remember that I am not a doctor nor do I have degree in social work. I am the face of anxiety, bipolar2, cPTSD, and symptoms that reflect a few mental illnesses. (Yuck, I don’t like that word.)

But I got offtrack; which leads to my other lasting experience with COVID – brain fog.

COVID brain is real & disruptive. I find myself searching for simple words, forgetting to do things, getting distracted & going off topic. Sometimes its just figuring out simple problems or forgetting what I am doing. I’m not as bad as I was when I was really sick & it’s been getting much better each passing day.

COVID stinks, so please be aware of how you are feeling & test!!! Testing and quarantining is our best defense against a virus like COVID. But if you find yourself testing positive, stay compassionate and loving towards yourself.