Long Covid - Is it Here to Stay or My Temporary Setback?
Sometimes, you need a healthy dose of patience and a willingness to change.
Too many of us take our health for granted until we lose it. I’m guilty of it. If you agree, can I see a show of hands?
If we’re being frank, I must admit that I’ve expected my body to thrive on junk food, little exercise, and prayer for the past long while. But unfortunately, sometimes praying that you’re not damaging your body is all you’ve got when you live a sedentary life.
These past five weeks, I’ve faced a harsh reality when stricken with Covid. I’ve needed to face that I’m not as young as I used to be, I’m heavy, and I live with an auto-immune disease. Pair these together, and it’s a recipe for a longer time for recovery. But I never imagined it would take this long.
I have had plenty of time to reflect while plastered to the couch with my head on my pillow, unable to lift it for more than a half hour at a time. Until now, where I can finally last longer before a wave of intense fatigue hits.
When I was at my lowest point during the virus, I vowed I'd eat healthier if I made it out of this. But now that I’m on an upswing, I’m finding it hard. Sure, I have good excuses. I’m not well enough to do significant shopping for healthy foods, and my digestive system is slow because of the fatigue, but they are excuses because I have choices.
I need to stop buying chips and chocolate bars and stop eating strictly carbs daily. But this is easier said than done because from as far back as I can remember, I’ve always used sugar to lift my mood and give me heightened energy. If it caused me to crash later, I never correlated the two.
So here I sit, riddled with guilt, which is never a pleasant emotion if you’re trying to change behaviour. Especially if it’s eating healthier when you’re a person who uses food to feel better.
I suspect many of you also have certain habits that aren’t serving you. Are you waiting to hit rock bottom like me, or are you struggling to change?
As I slowly recover from Covid, I have become mindful of what I’m putting into my body. At least that’s a start, and I’ve minimized my sugar intake. Unfortunately, I could not stomach coffee during this time, so I’m using this hiatus to downsize the three large cups a day in the future to stick to a less caffeinated life.
If nothing else, it will help lower my perpetual anxiety.
I am a work in progress.
As soon as I feel capable, I intend to make meal plans that point to healthier living. Once I’m on track, I will do the same surrounding exercise, so hopefully, the next time (if God forbid there is a next time) that I catch a devastating virus, I will be better prepared.
That said. I must stay mindful not to blame myself for not bouncing back as quickly as others because there’s a good chance I’m not at fault. There are uber reasons that don’t center around my behaviours, including issues that have to do with my M.S.
I likely will never know, but as I strive to live a healthier lifestyle, only good can come from it. Does anyone else care to join me?
Unfortunately, I haven’t written anything during these past five weeks. But fortunately, I had chapters pre-written for my series that I shared on Medium during this time.
While too many of them are already published to share as a friend’s link, I’m hoping since I’ve made them not strictly for members that, you’ll be able to read them all. The story is not yet fully written but is published four times weekly, so you can continue to come back to this link to follow along.
Crime Always Pays List of Chapters
I look forward to sharing happier news and stories in next month’s newsletter, during which time I hope to be back on my feet and writing galore.
Until then, have a wonderful month.