Long Covid Positivity and Hope
As I have been doing “Life in the Slow Lane” for over 2 years now,
I figure I would share the many little things that made
“travelling slower through life” a little easier for me.
Please note, I am an ex bus driver. So having an upbeat personality is essential in the work that I (used to) do. Nobody likes a sad, upset or angry bus driver.
Everyone’s day lifts a little when you see that first smile of the day. Being your bus driver, I want you to have a good start to the day, regardless of the disaster that has happened before you even step foot on the bus.
Inspiration :
People speak of Hope as if it is this delicate,
ephemeral thing made of whispers and
spider's webs. It's not. Hope has dirt on her
face, blood on her knuckles, the grit of the
cobblestones in her hair, and just spat out a
tooth as she rises for another go.
@CrowsFault on Twitter 14:21 3/10/22
Thank you Matthew
Forgive me as I quote a lot of movies.
Also these things help me.
Results will vary from person to person.
As I am complying with the rules or the Reddit r/CovidLongHaulers, there are no medical recommendations in this.
Just a lot of common sense that helps those with Long Covid (LC) get up and moving again.
There are no instant fixes.
This is no checklist.
You are not obliged to follow any of this advice.
You are more than welcome to add to this advice.
Feedback via Reddit - u/GrumpyOldTech1670
Points to help your mental health.
My Turning Point
So there I was. Stuck in bed. Body not responding well to commands.
And I was miserable. I was in pain. I was exhausted when I moved.
I spent a LOT of days sleeping, because sleeping was the best pain relief.
Then I started reading, because one can only sleep so much,
and the human does need to move.
So reading and moving between bed and toilet was my existence.
Then I read about Dr Patch Adams research(again). I knew I was miserable to be around.
I was a weight on my family. Doctors and medical appointments were dragging.
Then my brain clicked on something.
“What if it was me not being bright that people around me were reflecting?”
First thing I did was to shrink my time in negativity.
I needed to stop being miserable to stop others being sad & miserable around me.
I still need to process my anger, depression, fear and
those other “wonderful” negative emotions to still be processed.
I needed to change my attitude within the confines of new (lack of) energy limits..
I need to see things in a brighter light.
Start chasing the silver lining in the cloud.
I started to want to change the world.
“If I want to change the world, first I must change myself”.
(Which is very hard when you are wearing a nappy….:P)
Got a snort of a laugh out of you, didn’t I?
Looked at my resources.
And that is when the different parts of my brain started brainstorming.
(borrowing characters from the TV Show: Herman's Head and the Movie: Inside Out)
Doubt : Like you will ever make anyone laugh?
Intellect and Imagination : (look at each other and smiled)
Heart starts getting excited.
Disgust and embarrassment : (whisper) oh no…
Joy straps Fear down and duct tapes his mouth : Silence is Golden, Duct Tape is Silver
Anxiety is looking around in a panicked state. “ what? What? What? What’s happening? What happening?”
Intellect grabs 1001 Dad Joke book and starts researching.
Imagination : Hold My Beer.
And I sputtered out a terrible Dad joke to my wife. My wife just stared at me.
She immediately took me to the Doctor to get some antidepressants.
I knew the journey was going to take a while.
I knew I was a funny as a screen door on a battleship
But I had something no one around me had. TIME!!
I also found I was retaining more information through brain fog
when the information was funny or made fun of the subject matter.
My wife thought I had flipped my lid. My poor kids were now guinea pigs.
Success was measured in the reaction given.
Stopping them dead in their tracks was the equivalent of a round of applause.
A groan meant the joke was comedy gold.
Timing and delivery was always important.
Introducing my kids to comedy was brilliant
as they started to see I was fighting back.
The anti depressants took the nastiness out of me,
and my brain said “I want to laugh and sing, and dance.”
I now had my goals.
My wife knows I can’t tell a joke.
I know full damn well I have two left feet and a singing voice a ship in a fog would be proud of..” (I live nowhere near the sea)
I don’t care! I want up. I want out. I don’t want to be a friggin invalid.
It has been 18 months since this decision. I am moving most days now.
Symptoms are still complete rubbish,
and like to rear their ugly heads in different forms from day to day.
My kids are telling me jokes, my outlook on life is better.
And Covid is starting to get its ass handed to it.
Don’t get me wrong, there are days my covid symptoms kick my ass too. But just like Hope, described as above, I say to Covid, fighting fatigue, swaying with the vertigo, trying to keep the heart rate controlled when the POTS rears its ugly ass head, as say in my best Mortal Kombat voice “Round 2. FIGHT!” and it's on.
Kicking Long Covid with Humour while enjoying Life in the Slow Lane.
1) Understand while positivity and hope go hand and hand, they are not the same.
It’s the “hope I have a good day” vs “I am positive I am going to have a good day” argument.
Essentially the same thought, but very different in application.
One needs no convincing, the other is convincing you.
Although neither has any power over the day's events, both help shape our attitude to the day’s events.
Humans live best when they live in hope.
Rebellions are built on hope.
2) Always remember you are alive.
You are not dead!
Nor are you stuck with x amount of medical machines forcing you to breathe (but you are unable to move) in a sterile room with Doctor’s doubting your ability to survive. That is hard mentally, as well as physically. If you are in this situation, you need positivity in your life more than anyone on this planet.
Your body has chosen to live. So must your mind too. If you are home, you are already better than those who are still stuck in hospital. If you have people supporting you, you are in a better place than those who have little to no support.Small victories matter!!
If I had my way, nobody with LC (or any ailment) would ever feel alone fighting this (insert your favourite expletives) virus. You would all get top level support for the hard yards you are doing.
Yes, you are worthy of living again.
3) Remember : You can’t do this by yourself, so don’t even try it.
Anyone who has had to deal with car accidents (I am/was a volunteer firefighter) knows that car accidents are nasty business. And these accidents have ramifications for months & years afterwards. Not only on the survivor of the accident, but the people who know that person, and the rescue crews as well. We are human. We all feel, even when we don’t want to. Knowing what happens months and years after the accident gives you a good framework for dealing with long term illness.
The best quote for describing what it is like to have LC is like “Imagine you have been in a car accident, and when the paramedics arrive all professional, then they look at you, pause for a beat and unprofessionally say “Oh Shit” and then start working on you.” This is what the virus does to the inside of you.
Anyone who has dealt with a car accident will know that it takes a long time to get back to “normal”. To be healthy. You know you are going to need therapy (physical and mental). You need to be able to ask pointed questions so the medical professionals know what you have and hopefully be able to treat your symptoms. Having an advocate helps immensely.
You can’t do this by yourself.
You will need other people.
You will no longer conform to society’s “norms” anymore.
You have been given a new path, with your existing tools,and skill sets.
And, by reading this, you have tapped into more tools and skills to help you.
Feeling better yet? You should be.
You are now offically a part of a new team of specialists, dedicated to training professionals (and other newbies) on how to survive something never before been dealt with. Wow, you are now a trailblazer. Gotta feel good about that!
You have time. Something everyone else in the modern world would love to have more of. And you have it in spades. Use it to help others. Combine it with your reading/research skills (yes, you can do that between brain fog sessions) and you become a researcher. Good medical people love researchers.
Personally I have been blessed with a fantastic woman (my beautiful wife) who has attended EVERY SINGLE medical appointment I have attended. Not just for morale support, but because of my brain fog, I barely record 40% of what has been said. I know doctors give me anxiety, which ups my stress levels which increases my brain fog. But she knows 100% of what has been said and she asks questions that I would ask, if my brain functioned. I get the answers later when the fog lifts. This is the type of advocate everyone with LC should have. (No, she is not for hire…Sorry!)
Document every visit and what you (and your advocate) recall from that visit. That way, when the doctor says “How can I help you?” You can say “Here is the executive summary” and bring that doctor up to speed. They will thank you for it, and you get access to better medical care.
Brain fog doesn’t help you get the help you need.
You can’t do this by yourself.
You don’t have to do this by yourself.
There is no extra credit for doing it by yourself.
Get the help you need. Rely on people you trust. It’s OK.
We used to do it all the time, many a year ago.
4) Mental Health matters. (Spite the virus)
DID YOU KNOW that a child needs to laugh a minimum 14 times a day to maintain good mental health?
DID YOU KNOW that an adult needs to laugh a minimum 9 times a day to maintain good mental health?
Which means you need to laugh more to improve your mental health.
When was the last time you laughed? Too long ago?
“Robin Williams would be very disappointed in you” long ago?
(Read up what he did to Christopher Reeve after Christopher’s horse riding accident. Great story)
Yes, having LC isn't really comedy material.
But that doesn‘t mean we can’t have fun with it…
I can’t say, yell or scream this enough.
If your mental health sucks, your body will not heal!!
Yep, take all the time you need with that thought..
Choose Life. Choose to live. Spite the hell out of this virus. Give it hell by refusing to let it beat you. Yes, you feel like shit. Yes, you haven’t moved well in weeks/months/years. Spite the virus. Don’t let this tiny microbe dictate your life.
Men often ask women to smile because they know when a woman smiles, sings, hums, or dances, she is happy, which really makes her light up her true beauty. It also pisses women off to be “demanded to smile”. The problem is, men have forgotten that the best way to make a woman smile is to give her positive circumstances so she naturally smiles because of the circumstance, and then her natural beauty shines like a beacon. I know, I fall in love with my wife every time her soul is happy and she starts to smile. Most beautiful sight in the world to me.
Strangely a smile alters both men and women's dispositions. Which means, if you are worried about getting the virus making you ugly, start finding things about yourself you like, and hang onto it. That way, you restore your own beauty.
Ever wonder why very successful Actors and Actresses don’t seem to age? They have no need to be worried about food, and shelter. They are working when they want, where they want. Financial responsibility has been lifted from them. They are literally living how ALL humans on Earth should be living. It’s also conclusive proof that when your needs are met, you are happy, and your inner beauty shines through your outer body.
If it helps, I find you are a worthy person (because you are reading my blog)
and you deserve good things coming your way.
There, you now have a spark of happiness, now fan that to a flame.
That happiness is also going to annoy the hell out of this virus,
thus giving your body an edge at knocking the virus on its ass.
The repair crews in your body's morale lifts, and they do better quality work faster,
because the repair crews know you feel good about you. This has been verified in medical circles.
See, more reasons to smile.
Dr Patch Adams (yes, he is real) had greater patient healing success and faster healing times
because he refused to let his patients get “down in the dumps”.
He would encourage staff and patients to have fun while the patients healed.
The movie was good too.
When I was healthy, I started applying Dr Adam’s theory to my bus driving job, and my driving days were so much better.
Traffic jam? Cool, I got some resting time.
Road conditions awful? Fantastic, I am glad the passengers chose me (a professional) to drive them to their location rather than trying to find their own way there.
Bus broke down? Oh well, it happens. My passengers are still safe. And they get a bit of break from the rat race too.
My regulars come on board today? Yes, it is good to see you again too. It warms my heart immensely when I see you all again every day. Thank you for trusting me to get you there.
Our life is dictated by our own attitude.
Yes, mine is slightly ramped up higher than it needs to be, but so what?
Happiness is infectious too, and people love being carriers of happiness.
So how does this apply to Long Covid? The same.
Brain fog today? Oh well, I didn't want to do much today anyway.
Body not responding well? Whatever, it’s OK. I got time to help my body in its time of need.
So tired? Cool, I am training to be a professional in how to rest effectively. I am going to be THE champion of it. If there was an Olympic sport in resting, I am going for the Gold. Best part, there are no losers in this sport, just wonderfully rested people. And I am such a great sport about it, I will tell and help others so they share their experiences too. What? Building Community? Doing something useful? Helping others? Damn, I am doing a lot for someone who “can’t do anything” by society “norms”
Making my support crew laugh?
Giving my support crew a bit of a rest?
Helped in making a couple of decisions today?
Actually did something unexpected? (Put some plates in the dishwasher, empty the bin for my wife)
Heck yeah, that good stuff feeds me what my mind needs.
The “I am not useless” feeling.
The “I am going to live” feeling.
The “I f*cking achieved something today” feeling.
The “I retained some new information in spite of my brain fog” feeling.
The human brain loves this “little victories” stuff and cannot get enough of that good energy.
And my support crew picks it up too, and they help me as well.
Positive feedback loop, affecting everyone?? Oh yeah, best feeling ever.
I haven’t felt this good stuff since that last BBQ with my family and friends.
No, that bonfire, where we sang, danced, joked, laughed until our sides hurt.
Yeah, I want those days back too.
Hang on, I am the author of my life. I get to choose the script, not some microbe.
I want that fun, that laughing at the bonfire again.
Oh, Covid-19, you are so in for it now. I am going to hit you with everything this human has at his/her disposal, until I get my long term dream. I am going to make you rue the day you decided to infect this body. Covid, you are now going to be the one suffering, not me.
You are now chasing little victories, and celebrating like crazy when you achieve them.
Hey, I walked a little further than normal today! Woohoo!!
My wife brought home bananas!! Yes! You are amazing, dear. Thank you!! Thank you!!
(Bananas have potassium, which helps boost healing. One a day if you can get them and tolerate them)
Hey, I put my plate in the dishwasher. (It took 10 minutes for me to walk there, and I didn’t fall over but I did it myself!) Woohoo!
These are the little victories. Get excited about living again.
Little victories always need celebrating. Why? Because when the brain is happy, the body wants a piece of that happy action too. And the body will fight like hell to get it.
Best part : if I don’t achieve anything today, IT IS OK!
Rest up and try again tomorrow. You have got time. Time is on your side for a change.
This virus didn’t kill me, and I am gonna make sure that this virus regrets that decision not to kill me. I am going to be a badass, like in the action movies.
“Covid virus. I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don't have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for a virus like you. If you let my body go now, that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you.”
Liam Neeson,
Phone monologue,
Movie “Taken” (slightly doctored to suit Long Covid)
Hope? Positivity? Militant positivity?
I am going to make the US Armed Forces look like a ragtag, undisciplined militia compared to what I am going
to do to this virus.
I am going to arm everyone who Long Covid was stupid enough to infect with the best weapons in the universe.
Knowledge and the willpower to use it.
(My wife reminds me I have been on antidepressants for a while.
My sister let slip that she uses them too, which convinced me to try them.
I feel no different, but a big shadow lifted from my personality and my body started to improve.
But importantly, my kids stopped avoiding me and started engaging with me again.
It’s hard when sometimes you need others to help you solve problems you didn't know you even have.)
For those who can’t read between the lines, dopamine rocks.
5) Grieving is NORMAL, for everyone!
Having an angry day?
Having a “it’s all too hard” day?
Having a “I can’t do this anymore” day?
You have just lost the life you have always known.
It’s OK to grieve its loss.
You are not going back to it.
(well, not anytime soon anyway, just convert it to a long term goal that’s a long way down the road)
So yes, grieve! Process that grief. Get it out of my headspace. Let it go.
Because you need to be here, now, using maximum energy (Capt’n, I’m giving it all she got),
fighting this microbe and everything it’s trying to do to you.
And pining after things you can’t do just saps energy (mentally and physically).
Don’t take it out on your support network!!
Take it out on the virus. It’s its fault.
Process those damn pesky emotions.
Don’t hide them. Don’t bottle them. Don’t think they don’t matter.
PROCESS THE EMOTIONS, so you don't have to waste a single drop of energy dealing with them later.
Talk them out. Feel them out.
EMOTIONS MATTER!!
“For one to truly know themselves, one must know every part of themselves. Physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. If one denies just one part of themselves, one can never be whole.” Anonymous. (finding the source of this quote)
Break out that movie that brings you to tears. Bawl your eyes out.
Break out a video that makes you laugh. Get those good endorphins going.
Get angry at something and focus that anger on doing something positive with it.
Sharpen that brain to cut through the brain fog. Just don’t wear yourself out being angry.
Anger takes a lot of energy, and you don’t have much at the moment.
But you will have more energy later! You need to believe that.
Because the more you process the emotions, the more it strengthens your mind and soul to focus on you getting better.
Nobody can properly work when they have a lot on their mind. So learn to clear your mind.
Grab that Calm/Peace/Zen and l learn to remain calm like the cool martial art people
(Think Chuck Norris, Bruce Lee, John Wick, Michelle Yeoh, etc).
Don’t give that microbe anything to inhibit your progress.
Plan, plot, scheme, undermine, be really nasty to anything that microbe wants to take from you.
Make that microbe know it’s picked the wrong person to infect.
Focus your thoughts and let your feelings flow through you, so you have that calm.(Yes, Master Yoda)
If you haven’t worked it out yet, I funnel my anger, frustration and other negative emotions into my creative side. Who knew I could type, with a flair of fun?
Practise your peace/calm/zen/moment of silence.
Use your emotions to fortify your mind into getting better.
Note : Don’t grieve too long. You need the energy for the healing/recovery stage.
6) Eat, Drink and Be Merry, for tomorrow…
We will kick that microbe ass!!!
We are warriors.
We have survived the first round of the battle. The infection.
Now we are back for Round 2. The healing.
And you know, I think Covid is starting to get a little nervous here.
Ah, we are definitely getting the upper hand on it. Getting an edge? Sweet!
A war that is finally worthy of warriors like ourselves.
The Battle of Bulge.
Taking on enough nutrients to ensure that the body has the resources to fight.
An Army runs on its stomach.
Don’t feed the soldiers well, the battle starts to turn ugly.
You are sick. You are worthy of eating.
Don’t give a damn about your body weight for a while!!
(Yep, I can already hear the doctors cringing on this one)
(Just don’t go overboard, small meals regularly helps)
Well fed soldiers will defend and fight well.
Starving soldiers don’t do anything to stop the enemy.
Your body is the same.
Keep hydrated. Flush that damn virus out.
Watch your electrolytes levels. Salt is necessary for the human body.
Keep eating.
You will either have the energy to do something.
OR
Your body will divert the whole damn lot of that energy to healing.
Either way, the food will not go to waste.
It will go to your waist, but when you start moving again, it will disappear from that too.
Bonus : Fed people are happier people. +1 Mental Health points.
Please note : For chronic fatigue sufferers, smaller meal sizes more often build more energy than 2 or 3 larger meals a day. It’s the same amount of food. It takes body energy to produce energy. So smaller meals means less energy to process the food and more energy to spare for moving and healing.
Don’t suffer. Treat your symptoms. Take the pain relief if you need it. Mental health improves dramatically when one is not in pain. Heat pack your sore joints. Make the room you stay in comfortable.
For bonus mental health points, eat the food that makes you happy.
Enjoy the food.
Stop using food as a fuel source, and treat it like the joy it should be. Make it a moment.
Chocolate Cake for breakfast? Why not?
Ice Cream for brunch? Definitely.
I haven’t had a ______ for ages! Let's get some of that divine tasting stuff. I know my body loves it.
Why do I feel like eating chocolate and peas? Ah well, both vegetables. Vegetables are good. ..
Only want a banana for dinner? Have a banana then.
You know what your body needs, and when.
You have time. Work out what food helps your body with no negative after effects.
After all, you have time to do that now.
7) WATCH YOUR SPOONS.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoon_theory
This is paramount.
You need to build energy.
As a chronic illness/chronic fatigue survivor, you have been given a limited amount of energy to do things.
We nickname them spoons. Energy = Spoons, clear?
So, if you only have a few spoons, use them wisely.
Get up and move if you can.
Trust me, therapy to get the muscles moving again (muscle atrophy) sucks.
Yes, move but don’t exercise. Work with a physiotherapist to “exercise” yourself to health. Make sure the doctor signs off on it, and don’t expect miracles. Just enjoy the movement. It’s not about getting stronger, it's all about moving. Rest when the body gives you the first hints of tiredness. Don’t push through unless you are absolutely sure you are not going to pay for it tomorrow.
But most importantly, DON’T OVERDO IT!
PACING is your new game.
If you do it right, you have energy for tomorrow,
Get it wrong, and you will be wiped out tomorrow.
Why? Because you start taking from tomorrow's allotment of spoons when you over do.
And in the extreme case(s) of overdoing it, you can start pulling spoons from 2 to 7 days ahead in one day.
Yeah, you won’t be moving much for those next few days.
One person mentioned “Tomorrow's spoons are more like sporks. Work the same as spoons, but are extra spiky just to let you know you should've over done it”. Meaning : You are going to hurt a lot tomorrow if you use tomorrow’s spoons.
If you run out of spoons, treat yourself with grace.
Be kind to yourself so as not to lose more spoons.
Deal with the frustration quickly and abruptly so as not to lose more spoons.
WARNING : There will be days when you realise you have a lot of spoons. You are going to feel energetic. You will want to get up and do things.
DON'T DO IT. It’s a trap, and you will lose progress if you do use those spoons.
Stick at the same pace you were doing yesterday.
Conserve those spoons because your body is going to use them in your next heavy repair session,
usually when you are asleep.
Best part, anything left over from the heavy repair, will be added to your stock of spoons.
Now I will mention the words “True Rest”.
This is the rest that you need to ensure the body does its best healing rest.
Get yourself comfortable. Food and Drink nearby.
Breathe in through your nose for 3 seconds (or as long as you can).
Hold for 3 seconds (or as long as you can)
Breathe out through your mouth with your lips in a ring shape, for at least 5 seconds (as long as you can)
Yes, that was a cleansing breath.
Now, clear your mind as much as possible.
Do not allow any “I should be/I could be/I would rather be” thoughts intrude.
Those thoughts are chewing spoons. Let them go.
Remain in that position until your body needs to move again.
Take as long as you need.
Watch familiar movies or TV shows (nothing that taxes your brain), listen to some music, relaxing podcasts (ones where you DON’T think), read a book, nap. Watch the world go by.
There is nothing for your brain to do than just do nothing and enjoy the world.
This is “True Rest”
You will find that your energy will recharge faster if you can achieve “True Rest”
More energy/spoons you have, the more you can fight off the virus.
It is still slow building, but since you have time, time is not an issue anymore.
8) Reduce your need to feel sorry for yourself.
You will need to be kind to yourself.
Practice on your support people on how to be kind, patient and express gratitude.
You know, in the way those truly kind, old folks do.
Be the best patient you can be.
It really helps people coming back to support you.
Once your support people truly feel appreciated, then apply the same kindnesses to yourself.
Not so easy, huh?
Most people are their own harshest critics.
Problem is, your body doesn’t need a critic.
Your body needs love, patience, kindness, joy and peace.
And a damn good coach (your mind).
Sympathy is all so very nice in very small amounts.
But you didn’t get a papercut. You got no holds barred microbe messing up my life.
My body is already running a marathon,
and it has none of its original controls and warning system working properly anymore.
Things don't want to function like they used to. .
So your mind has to be that harsh but fair coach.
You are literally learning how to walk and talk again.
Think “Looks like my car, sounds like my car, but when I am in the driver's seat,
the seat is in the wrong place, the buttons and warning lights are moved around.
I try to move and things go berserk.
I try to do something and a whole wall of warning lights lights up more than a Christmas tree.
I use the left indicator and the horn sounds. What the heck has happened to the car I was familiar with?”
Sounds familiar?
Welcome to Long Covid.
You are not thinking you are wrong when the body just ain't doing what you want it to do.
This virus thumps your main “wiring loom” (nervous system) from brain to body.
Your body is rewiring to offset the damage
but now, to use my car analogy, “if you use your left indicator, the horn sounds”.
You are not crazy. Your wiring loom (nervous system) has been eaten at and “there ain’t nothing is running right, captain”. That is OK. Once you understand that you are indeed damaged, and your body is working triple shifts to get the damage fixed, you will understand there is no need to feel sorry for yourself. Be proud that your body is working to get things back to “normal”.
(Another analogy. Your wiring is damaged, the wires need replacing, but unlike an electrician who can just cut the power and replace all the wiring in one hit, the electricians of your body are replacing wiring that is live. So wires are going to touch, short, be wired wrong, just to fix the damage. It’s a long, careful, drawn out job. Ain’t you glad you ain’t paying in cash? But you are paying them in kindness, by relaxing, keeping your thoughts to a minimum to reduce the chances of your wires shorting. Hence “True Resting”)
Be your body’ cheerleader. Get the resources the body’s needs to do the repair work. Allow the workers as much rest as they need. Feed and look after them, so they don’t quit. Be the best manager ever to your “employees”. Get your support workers (family, friends, neighbours, medical staff, etc.) to be a part of the team that is going to kick this little microbe ass.
You are going to beat this virus. You need to believe this, above everything else.
It doesn’t matter if you do or not, you just need to believe you can beat this, every friggin day..
This is as much a Mental war as a Physical war. Coordinator and conquer.
“Together we stand, Divided we fall” Union and Military saying.
9) Lighten Your Day.
Ever notice that when we are sick, we curl up in a ball, into a dark corner and not move?
Guess what? You are doing it wrong.
The human body needs sunshine.
The human body needs lots of fresh air.
The human body needs time outside.
The human body needs cleansing.
The human body needs human interaction.
The human body needs to have fun to want to live.
I know the medical industry writes massive amounts of papers on this subject.
Our grandparents swear by these methods. Because everyone knows, it works.
If you stay inside, you are depriving your body of some essential nutrients.
It also taxes your mental health.
Open the curtains. Open the windows. (Weather permitting)
Look at the trees, touch the grass. Connect with nature.
These are essential needs for a human.
If the park or yard is too far away, start planning your new goal.
Smile and convince yourself you are a worthy warrior, fighter of covid.
Be proud of the hard work your mind and body is doing to kick this little microbe's ass..
Turn off programs and things that make you depressed or angry. No need to waste spoons that.
Give yourself a bright and cheery thing (to you) that makes you have 100, no 1000 reasons that you want to live. (If you think that earning more money is a bright and cheerful thought, you are wrong. Without your health, you ain’t got nothing)
Avoid negative people, or have some cheery banter ready for them.
Give them some positivity.
Nothing upset a negative person more than a positive person feeding them positive things.
Extra bonus : you can chuckle about it later.
The more light we give out, the more light returns to us.
And not always in the way you expect.
Put out the brightness and watch the brightness come back to you in spades.
And NO, you don’t have to be Little Mr/Ms Sunshine every day. Spend your energy wisely
It’s not possible for a human to be upbeat everyday but there is nothing stopping you from giving it a good go.
10) This is NOT the end. This is just a chapter of your life.
Long Covid is not a death sentence.
Yes, life as you have known it is gone.
Your 200kph sports car has been traded in for a cart and mule.
You are no longer in the “rat race” anymore
You are “Life in the slow lane now”
You may have a full recovery. You may not.
You may be able to run a marathon again
(in a couple of year’s time, you may be able to start seriously marathon training again)
You may not.
But you are the author of your life.
All great stories have the hero have a major setback.
But they usually all overcome it, and come out as far better people than before.
Why not you?
And the thing people forget about going slow is, you get to see more of the world.
You see the beauty and wonder. You have time to chat.
You have time to find out what you're truly designed to do.
(Who knew I could type? Certainly not me)
You have time to embrace little things you never had the time before.
Look for the silver linings on the clouds.
"Everything turns out OK in the end. If everything is not OK, then it isn't the end yet."
And when this chapter closes, another chapter begins.
And, In this chapter, our hero…..
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