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From graded exercise and diet, to mindfulness and everything in between, let’s celebrate the wins in our recovery and share what’s been working for you!
Living with Long COVID can feel overwhelming; striking a balance between maintaining your pre-COVID daily routine with recovering from a chronic illness can be challenging. We’ve heard from members of the community that living with Long COVID can sometimes elicit feelings of powerlessness, with the process of recovery and engaging with health care providers as research evolves creating a sense of uncertainty for many. One tool for empowering your journey to health is self-care. Self-care is the practice of taking an active role in protecting you own wellbeing and fostering behaviours that promote health and active management of illness. Taking charge of your health by creating a plan for self-care could include:
· Prioritising time for yourself
· Making time for graded exercise (with advice from your health practitioner)
· Healthy diet
· Sticking to a sleep schedule
· Engaging in support groups and keeping in touch with family and friends
· Meditation and breathing exercise
If you’ve tried many of the above suggestions but find it difficult to maintain momentum when you’re running low on energy, you’re not alone!
So how do you balance self-care with living with a chronic illness, such as Long COVID? Here are our tips for ensuring you’re meeting your self-care needs…
1. Determine your base level
For those of us living with reduced function, jumping out of bed and going for a jog around the block is outside the scope of possibility, for now at least. Determining the things that need to be achieved each day is a great place to start. For me that looks like making sure my dog has her needs covered, the fridge is stocked with healthy food (so I’m not tempted to reach for anything from a golden arch!), my space is clean and I’ve done my breathing/grounding exercises so I’m at my best to take on whatever the day throws my way. Your minimum could look a little different – you may enjoy journaling with a coffee, meditating to a YouTube video or taking some time with your children after dinner. You might like to spend some time making a list of the things you need to accomplish on any given day, including the things you need to ensure you’re well positioned to make it happen.
2. Practice self-compassion
“If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete” – Buddha
Each of us sits in relationship with our self. Sitting with a self that feels exhausted and is experiencing physical discomfort can be daunting, particularly if prior to Long COVID you’ve been firing on all cylinders. This is when we need to build and flex our self-compassion muscle.
Each of us has access to an internal emotion recharge station via the practice of self-compassion. Taking the time to refill your own reserves by curling up in bed when you need, talking to a supportive friend when you need, or allowing yourself to feel whatever arises in the moment, that is the practice of self-compassion.
3. Devise an achievable routine
Developing a routine that works both with and for you ensures you’re well placed to achieve your wellbeing goals. This could look like preparing your meals and clothes for work the night before so you have the energy you need to get moving in the morning, or you might find that you’re energy levels are higher in the afternoon so you schedule some light stretching after lunch. Getting to know what works for you and creating a flexible schedule around your current limits will support you on your path to recovery.
4. Plan for ‘rainy day’ activities
Some days are worse than others and living with Long COVID can be unpredictable – some days you may feel up to tackling a walk with a friend and cooking your favourite meal, and other days you may find it’s a struggle to get out of bed. On the days you have little energy to do most things it can help to have a care box with non-energy zapping activities. Think an easy to read book, a crossword puzzle, mindful colouring book, your favourite podcast or tv series saved to your device.
5. Connect and seek support
Living with a chronic illness can sometimes feel isolating. You don’t have to go it alone. Finding a group of peers, such as the one here in the Long COVID community provides an opportunity to express your feelings, learn helpful information about living with Long COVID and provide hope.
Now over to you! What have you found helps you to practice self-care whilst living with Long COVID? We’d love to hear about your wins 😊
I have recently developed anxiety and depression, which together with my extreme fatigue, brain fog and breathing issues when I over exert myself, make life very challenging. I think I have to accept I'm living with a chronic illness, instead of fighting it which leads to frustration, which in turn leads to anxiety and depression.
I have found self care a bit of a balancing act. The doctor keeps pushing me to return to work (which is quite a demanding role, physically and mentally). So I have been attempting working 20hours a week and finding there isn't much energy or time for self care after that.
I have managed cooking one meal a week, so it is large enough to freeze enough meals for my son all week.
I look after my pets each day and try to get one small cleaning job done. The rest of the time I lie around watching movies etc....
On the upside I can now managing reading 3 pages of a good book and remember the story the next day..... What an achievement!
As for work, I have just found a doctor who has another patient with long covid, so he's more supportive of work life balance.
My garden is in desperate need of attention and is my favourite past time. On my weeks leave, I am hoping to find energy to pull a few weeds and maybe take the week to mow small sections of lawn each day......
I think self-care can look a bit different when you live alone. Certainly, living with others means you have to take their needs into account too, but living alone also means there's nobody there to cook a healthy meal for you when you're wrung out (so you end up eating cheese and crackers!), and there's nobody there to do some gentle exercise with (especially when all your pre-Covid exercise buddies expect that you're back to normal since you had Covid so long ago) ... and there's nobody there just to ask how your day was, make you a warm drink and encourage you to have a rest. Of course the upside is that you can do what you want, when you want, but equally there's no-one to share chores with, and help on those days when it takes a supreme effort just to roll out of bed and you're already running late even before you've left the house.
Having said all that though, some self-care for me is gentle walking and accepting that I'm not as fast as I was pre-Covid, it also means giving myself permission to read fiction just for pleasure (and not persevere with books I'm not enjoying), and sometimes getting a movie from the library and putting my feet up on the couch to watch it. Also, having ice-cream once a week ;-)