Hacking My Way Through COVID

 

If you are wondering where I’ve been, the answer is locked in away in my master suite, battling Covid-19. That’s right, I am no longer a card-carrying member of the NOVID crowd. Which is a bitter disappointment as I really was starting to think I had some sort of superhuman immunity to it. But, despite vaccines, mask-wearing, and handwashing I caught it.

My husband and daughter had colds earlier in January. They tested negative for Covid so when I came down with cold-like symptoms, I assumed I caught their colds. I tested negative but a few days later, as I laid in bed shivering and worse than ever, a small voice said I just might want to test again and sure enough I had it. I texted down to my husband and was promptly locked away, like a princess in a tower.

My first thought was that I would spend my isolation writing the next Great American Novel. Or maybe I would use the time to set goals and plan for the new year? But after two days of not being able to focus on anything, I gave up all hope of being productive and gave in to the reality of being sick.

At the ripe old age of 53, I think it might be the first time I stopped struggling against my body’s needs. As a card-carrying member of the Type-A personality club, I always pushed myself when I was sick, never allowing myself to sink completely into the miasma of illness.

But not this time. On one hand, the illness itself made sure I knew who was in charge. The things it was doing to my body made sure that I absolutely could not do anything. Each day, a new symptom would pop-up and I could almost hear my poor, old immune system grinding as it tried to fire up to fight a new battle.

In addition to being physically unable to ignore my illness, I think I have finally gotten to a point where I realize it’s okay to go down for the count. It’s okay to not earn my keep. It’s okay to stay in bed and sleep and watch TV. The world will keep turning. My friends and family will still love me. I was kind of taken by surprise by this new acceptance. I guess that money I spent on therapy and self-help books is finally paying off!

Want to know something else I figured out? Isolation is great if you are mom. I don’t think I’ve done nothing, no housework, no food prep or planning, since I was a child myself. I know I’m privileged and lucky to have a support team that was able to keep things going in my absence, who brought me meals, and kept the home fires burning. I am so grateful to my husband and daughter and the best way to show my gratitude was to accept the help they gave me. Sure I could have masked up and got my own meals, but the best thing to do was to let them drop food at my door until it was safe to be around them. They felt proud and happy to do it for me too.

I was able to safely rejoin the world on Saturday, but a new lesson is emerging for me now-learning to ease back into normal life. While no longer testing positive, all my symptoms aren’t gone yet and I feel like my immune system is completely depleted. So, I am accepting that and moving very slowly. In fact, I have a timer set for an hour to write this, then it’s off to my daily, self-imposed nap. In the past, I would have been in overdrive, trying to catch-up after having so much time off, but that’s only going to lead to relapse or Long-Covid, neither of which I want. Baby steps it is.

Here are my top tips for hacking (literally and figuratively) your way through a COVID-19 infection (or any illness really). Keep in mind that I’m not a doctor, so you know, check with a medical professional before you listen to me.

1.     Remember that your time in isolation does not have to be productive. It’s okay to stare off into space or binge mindless TV. Every part of your system is fighting the infection. Your body AND your mind are involved in getting you better. Try not to work.

2.     Every day symptoms will come and go. It’s a lesson in impermanence. Try not to get attached to feelings about what is happening. There are days when it seems as soon as a new symptom comes on, an old one leaves. Report worrisome symptoms to your doctor but try not to be too anxious. 

3.     Move. I have asthma so I was very careful to do what I needed to do to keep the disease of my lungs. This includes doing a little movement each day, sitting up, rolling over, etc. and doing breathing exercises. After the first few days, I would do a very simple, ten-minute walking video and I would always feel great afterwards. (Again, check with your doctor to see what kind of movement you should implement.) I loved this YouTube channel’s workouts-they were just the right speed and the mother-daughter are darling together-they made me smile. John Hopkins has a nice PDF about things to do to support your body during COVID too.

4.     Practice gratitude, make joy lists. It’s lonely in isolation and the disease itself is scary. Try to stay positive.

5.     Naps are the best.

6.     Texting isn’t enough. Talk on the phone to friends.

7.     Open the windows and let in the fresh air. If the weather allows and the outside air is clean, try to get some fresh air into your space daily. It’s a burst of fresh oxygen and it will really feel good.

8.     Keep a bit of a schedule. While I did immerse myself in rest, I still tried to workout, nap, and eat on a schedule. This helped me stay grounded and the days went by quicker.

9.     Get dressed every day. It may only be into fresh pajamas or loungewear, but it helped me differentiate between day and night and just felt good.

10.  If you feel up to it, make some art. I loved this video by Sandi Hester about creating when you are sick. Again, don’t push it though. Just staring off into space is completely ok too!

Well, this post is longer than I expected-I suppose I had a lot to say after all that time alone. I hope you will keep it in mind in case you get sick-which I very much hope you do not. 

Have you fallen prey to Covid? Did you have any big revelations while you were down and out?