Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

October of 2016 was the beginning of a new normal for me, far before COVID-19 had started. It was a time of grief, sorrow, and bargaining. It was when I had obtained my mystery minor chronic illness. Mystery because I’ve had my tests done, and they all came out 100% fine. Minor because I am still able to carry out my day-to-day activities. And chronic because from one point forward, I had to deal with loss of energy and concentration for everyday of my life.

Countless times have I been told that nothing was wrong with me, and all of these are mere signs of anxiety. However, my change in physical appearance and internal sensation tells me otherwise. Drastically, I had become paler, weaker, and more tiresome. It was clear to me that something had changed. What it was - I was not certain for sure.

Dealing with mysteries can be unsettling because there is no definite answer. Not even science - the discipline which purports to know a lot of things - could tell me what I was facing. This had forced me to fight and cope using my own means. And for eight years, I have built a set of coping tips that I would like to share about today.

1. Gratitude

I keep a gratitude journal where I list things I am grateful for each day. This helps me focus on the positives despite the sea of negative feelings. In it, I list down all my blessings, however minor. It helps me realize I have a lot to be thankful for.

2. Exercise

With chronic fatigue, it may seem counterintuitive to exercise, but exercise helps release endorphins and maintains good chemical balance in the brain. Even simple walking can help lighten one’s mood, so I highly recommend this.

3. Friendships

Keeping close friends helps distract me from wallowing, as I shift my focus on others instead of just myself all the time. They also help me lower my feelings of anxiety whenever I rant to them. Just be careful not to rant too much because that will just bring the mood down.

4. Reframing

Self-blame is common with chronic illness, but we must realize that some things are beyond our control. Reframing thoughts can help shift our focus on things we can still do rather than things we cannot do.

5. Rest

After a day or some hours or some minutes of hard work, it can be rewarding to get some rest. Rest is the universal reset, which not only resets my energy levels, but also resets my mood.

6. Hobbies

Having hobbies are a great form of satisfaction because you can achieve small things during your free time, whether it is a new stuff toy you sewed or a new song you learned to play.

7. Moving Forward

My motto is “Keep moving forward.” This means that we mustn’t keep feelings of regret or other negativity from past experiences. Moving forward means that we forget about small things, and focus on things that build us and make us better people.

With all these tips, dealing with chronic illness has become easier and more manageable for me. It is never easy, but baby steps such as those listed above help me get through my day, week, month and year. I hope that even as cliche as all my tips sound, it can help reinforce the idea that these tips do work. I assure you that as long as you keep following these tips, and your own coping strategies, you are on track to be a much better self. A lot of times it is hard, but the silver lining is that we emerge stronger, braver, and more empathetic in the end.

Hi. I'm new here, I have a group of children who I took from the street and I'm helping them to get some education and also good shatter, food and sleeping place.
Some of those children lost their both parents doing the COVID-19 in Liberia.
So it's also good to be part of your group so we all can work together.
Thanks for your understanding.

Some children in my country need helping hand to find shatter, food and good education.
Those are children who there parents died doing the COVID-19 pandemic in Liberia West Africa.

Hey all! Is anyone here struggling with long covid? I recently wrote a psychological research paper for my psychology class on the anatomy behind long covid and the drastic rise in autoimmunity rates it has caused throughout the world. Would anyone be interested in reading this? Let me know and I will publish it on here! Many mind blowing facts and research on the topic.

In September, 2023, we moved my 21 year old son into a residential life skills program for young adults with autism and developmental disabilities. It was a huge leap of faith for all of us.

Before he left, #Anxiety filled our house and consumed our thoughts. Would he be able to engage and participate? Would he handle the separation from me? Would the OCD that escalated in the wake of Covid-era isolation and its lack of supports and socialization render him stuck for hours every day? Would the staff be as wonderful as they seemed?

I told myself so many stories of what could go wrong – but I never allowed myself to hope for what could go right.

My son’s attitude about going away from home can best be described as “resignation.” “I know most people who are 21 have already gone away from their moms.”

“If it weren’t for Covid I probably would have already done a program.”

You get the gist.

Drop off was relatively quick – pull up, unload, few minutes of logistical talk with the staff, and go – he didn’t want a hug, or even to exchange goodbyes. He turned around, walked (bravely) into his new house – no tears, no entreaties to change the plan – and set off on his journey towards independence. Amazingly, I didn’t cry. Didn’t get teary, didn’t have to swallow past a lump in my throat, didn’t sob. (All things I’d done when I dropped off my daughter at Dartmouth six years earlier.) Maybe it was because I got such a great feeling from the staff. Maybe it was because he didn’t cry. Or maybe it was because I was ready – even if we didn’t know if he was.

Almost immediately my son was happy. He was engaged, comfortable, learning life skills and building independence, starting to form peer relationships. The staff turned out to be extraordinary. And he handled being away from me like a champ. This allowed for an incredibly positive anxiety-to-freedom ratio for me. Suddenly, my life was mine again. It became about figuring out how to fill my days, instead of my sons. Truly a transformative experience for me – and for him.

Before he went away, during the depths of his debilitating OCD (and the accompanying anxiety and depression), The New York Times Spelling Bee was the thing that initially had helped him start to recover – it became the thing that got him out of bed every day, had him smiling and laughing again, and facilitated bonding with family. When he

arrived at his residential program, he brought his love of the Bee to everyone there. The staff all became instantly obsessed with it, and it’s a constant source of conversation and connection. Every day, my son texts me asking, “did you get the pangram?” The time that text shows up lets me know if he’s having a relatively good day or a stuck one. On a recent Saturday morning, this text came through – and it’s just one more example of how the Bee is so much more than a game to us.

“Did you get the pangram yet? Good word for me. Considering I’m all grown up.” I’m not crying, you’re crying.

Now, six months into the program, he’s had his ups and downs. He’s still happy, and the staff is still awesome. The OCD waxes and wanes. Whether your kid is neurotypical, autistic, has anxiety or OCD, or is just trying to be themselves in this crazy world, this parenting gig is no joke. Elizabeth Stone said that having a child is “to decide forever to have your heart walking around outside your body.” That’s definitely what it feels like for me.

And right now, my child is walking around, hours away from me, part of an amazing community that keeps him safe and happy and helps him work through his struggles with OCD. I’m so proud of him, so lucky to have found the right program, and so thankful for the reminder that we need to take chances, push beyond comfort zones, and believe in our kids.

Since December I have began a very stressful journey of being a new me.
I recovered from laxative abuse and eating disorders which I’ve had on and off consistently for 21 years (I thought it was 19…until I did the math) scary that is!

The nurse practitioner I was seeing assured me that my problems were Fibromyalgia and that my stamina decline was likely due to Covid which I had in 2022. I honestly never thought that Fibromyalgia gets this bad. I had a mild version of it until now.
When I went to the river a while back in my chair. It was the first time being there independently since I moved back here in 2018. I never walked there once because I knew I couldn’t do it.
I rode along those old familiar paths and I couldn’t help but cry. I have memories of when I was a teenager walking my dog there every morning. We went EVERY morning. I was proud of how long I could walk. And when I went along there in my chair I couldn’t help but wonder what the heck happened from that time to now? I don’t recognise that girl anymore. To be honest I feel like I’m stranger to myself now because I’ve lost myself somewhere within those 21 years.
But I’ve decided lately that life is so worth living, I’ve decided that life is a gift!
I had that reality check when I had the kidney scare which scared me enough to recover from Anorexia.

I enjoy each breath I take now, I thank God I woke up this morning and that He was gracious enough to give me more time.
He has opened the Red Sea before my eyes so many times in my life…He is a merciful God. I don’t think we truly understand or trust His mercy because it’s beyond our understanding.

I have to come to accept new me. My painful me, my weak me…I have finally given my body permission to be fragile and it was all the more eager to take me up on that offer.

My brain still wants to do something and contribute something though. And as my Mom suggested maybe I should do some activities in town.
My town doesn’t have many activities to offer but maybe I could go with a group that has day trips? Maybe I could get out more independently and enjoy life as it is now. I feel more confident I’ll survive the trip now that I go in my chair.
My head is clear, it’s my body that no longer wants to come with me. I want to be able to do something each day, especially in winter when the days are so long and boring!

I’m just not sure how? I don’t know how to get involved with anything like that and I don’t want to be a burden to anyone. I’ve thought of going to the Trade Show this year but it’s in the arena and I’m not sure how assessable it is. I don’t want to be a bother to others and I’m not that interested in buying that new swimming pool on show. I just thought it would be something to keep my mind occupied.
Anyways, that’s all for now.
Take care Mighties! God bless! ❤️💕🦄🎨☘️