Long COVID update - Physics Girl (Dianna Cowern)

Hey Dianna, I'm so sorry you're struggling. I've also had a pretty awful time with it recently too. If you want to hear what's worked for me please read on, and if not - nice one for stepping back from work and doing what's right for you. I wish you all the best.

I caught it in March 2022 and totally overdid it going back to work after a 2 week break. I decided to stop working in November to try and give myself a decent opportunity to 'actually' recover (I'm fortunate enough to have been able to step away from work and just be a bit poor/frugal for a bit). I began to feel a little bit better in December and had 2 weeks where I felt almost normal! It's not a consistent improvement, and I've had another dip the last week, but the dips get less each time both in terms of intensity and duration. 

My work is physical (outdoor activity instructor), but the mental aspects of it were draining me too. I think you've made the right choice to take a break. 

What's really worked for me was just resting when I need it and a little bit of activity when I could, in addition to lots of rest, trying to do something a little physical each day, like just a 30 minute walk or 10 minutes if that's all I could manage has been helpful and I think has avoided total atrophy (I think of that in both a physical and emotional sense). Although I only started the 'bit of walking' after a proper rest early November (might have been a week or two). Too much activity or too little activity both made things a bit worse for me, but even if I made things a bit worse for a few days, it helped me to discover my boundaries of what I can and can't do right now.

I know it's so tedious to be how you are right now, my heart goes out to you and anyone else reading who might be going through this. Anyway, I hope this is helpful to read and not just unsolicited bloke advice!