Checkpoint
Post-infection recovery, plus 6 things.
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There’s a little over a month left of Summer Break for my kids, and I’m popping in to say hello.
I didn’t forget about you. In fact, my brain hasn’t stopped reminding me of how I’ve dropped the ball on all of my responsibilities, promises, and plans….
But whenever that guilty feeling creeps in, I squash it with words from friends and fellow COVID long-haulers who’ve assured me that my lingering mental fog and fatigue won’t last forever.
(And, dare I say, I’m grateful it was only brain fog and fatigue left over.)
Out of two close acquaintances who caught COVID in late 2021, one said he’s finally getting out of his mental haze and fatigue something like 8 or 9 months later, and the other is in his fifth month and seeing progress.
Mine is lessening too. Slowly, but progress is notable now. And I’m thankful for that.
Along my journey toward restored health, I made a few mental health and mental fitness changes that were presently achievable.
I’m back to journaling three long-hand pages, 5-to-7 days a week. And in an attempt to re-sharpen my brain, I’m doing puzzles — specifically Sudoku and Mahjongg — and steadily trying to read again even though my brain can’t get through a page without re-reading it up to three times. (Then, retaining information is a whole different beast to battle….)
But I’m trying. And with roughly five weeks left of the kids’ Break, I have a good feeling about the beginning of the upcoming September school year.
It’s also been nice to spend more quality time with my family.
In past summers, I had a tendency to rush family activities so I could get back to working. I’m a work-driven person, but my kids don’t understand that concept yet. They see it as Mom prefers work over us, which isn’t the case at all.
So, my COVID-infection experience may prove to be a value check: What’s actually important to me? If COVID had ended me early, would I have been happy with what I left behind?
I would have been content, don’t get me wrong — the past two+ years have proven that I am better at the life we built than I thought I was — but I’m glad I keep getting further opportunities to better myself for my family and for me.
I have so many things I want to talk about, but it’s probably best to leave it there.
Instead, here are 6 things I thought you might like to know:
During my downtime, I binged And Just Like That… The Sex and the City revival show (meh), The Gilded Age (loved it!), and now I’m currently on the sixth and final season of Downton Abbey. After the Downton movies, I’m going to try to read again at night instead of show-watching. (We’ll see though. I’ve quite enjoyed watching shows on my own that my husband isn’t interested in.)
Also during my downtime and recovery, I replaced my Autism research and writing obsessions with rescuing my skin. (I’ll have to write about this too, but in a nutshell, I fell into the whole “natural skincare” craze when I tried to go “zero waste” roughly 7 years ago, and wound up creating problems for my skin due to lack of proper product preservation.) Now, I’m finally healing my skin with a gentle-options, commercial brand I hadn’t already tried before — Avène — and rebuilding my skin barrier in the process. So far, so good. My favorite products that have helped the most are the Tolerance Control Soothing Skin Recovery Balm (for dry skin) and the heavy-hitter Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream.
I started reading Pep Talks for Writers in hopes to get my brain re-engaged with writing.
I deleted all social apps from my phone for mental health reasons, and changed my YouTube news-watching habit into funny videos and skincare tips. Thanks to both Dr. Shereene Idriss and FailArmy for helping me stay sane and entertained throughout the COVID brain-fog experience.
I got my second COVID-19 booster vaccination, and my kids got their first boosters! Just in time for mask mandates to (potentially) return. 😅
“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” —George Bernard Shaw
My best,
Sara
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