I recently tested positive for Covid-19. Getting the results back that you have the virus that started a global pandemic, has taken so many lives and continues to affect all aspects of life is extremely unsettling, scary and overwhelming. I’ve been reflecting on my experience with Covid-19 and wanted to share my experience in hopes to build understanding and empathy for those affected by the virus.

Symptoms and Uncertainty: Cold, Flu or… Covid?

As I’ve gotten older I’ve learned to listen and trust my body when something feels off. It was a Tuesday afternoon and I’d had a productive work day, but my body felt tired. My head was congested and I wasn’t my usual quick, pep-in-the-step, happy self. I had scheduled a 5:45pm Sculpt class at Corepower. I’d been on a roll lately with my cadence and didn’t want to miss a day, but something was telling me my body wasn’t up for it. Looking back on it, I’m glad I trusted that instinct and didn’t expose the class to my early onset symptoms. That evening I put myself to bed early, hoping that a full night of rest would kick this thing. Wednesday morning I woke up feeling absolutely awful. I had a low-grade fever, body aches, headache, was very congested, and extremely tired. This led me to wonder… is it a head cold, the flu, or Covid? Luckily that same day, the New York Times published an article, “Is it Covid 19 or the Flu?” Knowing that Covid cases were on the rise in Denver, I scheduled a Covid-19 and Flu rapid test.

“We’re sorry to inform you, but you tested positive for Covid-19.”

After getting tested I received a call from Urgent Care. They told me that I’d tested negative for the flu but positive for Covid-19. Here are the key next steps they shared with me to stay safe and keep the virus from spreading to others.

1. Contact Tracing: In order to prevent the spreading of Covid-19, inform everyone that you’ve been in contact with for the past few days. That includes any workout classes you attended, services you received, etc.

2. Quarantine: There is varying advice on how long to quarantine, my doctor recommended 10 days since I first started feeling symptoms. This should go without saying, but it’s best to be isolated from your partner, roommate and avoid all contact with people.

3. Treatment: Ease symptoms by getting lots of rest, hydrating, and using over the counter medications.

4. Track your Symptoms: Everyone experiences covid differently, track your symptoms to see how the virus develops. In particular watch your temperature and blood oxygen levels and keep close tabs on your respiratory system.

5. Action Plan for if Symptoms Worsen: They advised me to contact my doctor or call 911 if my symptoms became unbearable.

Caring for Your Mental Health

In all of the articles I read about Covid-19 they were extremely focused on the physical impact and rarely mentioned the mental health affects. I tend to get down and feel sad when sick. Luckily by now, I know this about myself and have some tactics for identifying, acknowledging and preventing that downward spin. With Covid-19, you’re not just sick but you’re isolated without social interaction, physical touch or in person connection. It can be really hard, therefore I wanted to share some of the tactics that helped me.

1. Download a Meditation App: the Headspace app is a great tool for soothing music, guided meditations and daily lessons.

2. Stay off Social Media: I was sleeping the majority of the time and didn’t want to check social media. Looking back on it, I’m really glad I didn’t expose myself to any of that content. It’s important to focus on your one goal: getting yourself healthy.

3. Take a Warm Epson Salt Bath: This helped my mind and body aches the most throughout my sickness. I love using Dr. Teals Epson Salt Cannabis Sativa Hemp Seed formula.

4. Journal: I always keep a little journal near my bedside to write thoughts. My rule of thumb? Write your thoughts down, get them out of your head then rest.

5. Connect with Your Close Friends: When sick, I often retreat and isolate myself, however I found that the occasional text to some of my best girlfriends helped a lot. It made me feel connected, happy and loved.

6. Virtual Therapy: I kept my bi-weekly therapy session with my counselor and opted to have it via phone.

7. Get Sunshine: I tried to make a point of sitting outside on our porch for even 5-minutes everyday to get some vitamin-d, hear the rustling of trees and have some fresh air.

My Feel-Good Essentials

One of my leading principals is “elevate the everyday” and that extends to being sick as well. When I’m physically and mentally not feeling well it’s even more important to create a restful, relaxing, and comfortable environment.

1. A Good Throw: A good throw does more than provide warmth. It’s comfortable, soothing and cozy. I love my heavier weight Jenni Kayne Alpaca Basketweave Throw. It was with me at all times.

2. Comfortable Sleepwear: I’ve always been a big jammy girl. I can thank my mom for that! Having lightweight, comfortable jammies allows your brain to switch into relaxation mode and sleep well. Lately I’ve been loving this striped double gauze pajama set (shirt, pants) from Madewell.

3. Candle & Room Spray: Occasionally in the evenings, I’d use a room spray and light a candle to refresh the room. After being sick in a room for a few days, it can start to feel icky. I love using the P.F. Candle Co. Teakwood and Tobacco Collection.

4. Water Pitcher: I find that if I have water easily accessible, I drink much more of it. I’ve been loving this water pitcher from Ikea. Bonus, it’s only $3.99.

5. A Good Read: I’ll admit, I slept the majority of the time while I was sick. But when taking baths I’d opt to distract my mind by reading Sally Rooney’s new novel ‘Beautiful World, Where Are You.’

6. Greenery or Flowers: I repositioned a bouquet next to my nightstand. Flowers and plants are a good reminder of hope, light and beauty. In the dark times, surround yourself with little reminders that this is a short moment in a long life.

Navigating Work

I pride myself on being a reliable, hard-working member of my team and really struggle when I’m unable to fulfill those responsibilities. I often find myself putting my work above my mental and physical well-being, and I wouldn’t recommend it. In the initial days of being sick, I was stressed about my accumulating workload and approaching our busy Q4 season so I tried to power through. Unfortunately I relapsed. Luckily for me, I have an incredible boss that advocated for my health and encouraged me to take the time to rest fully before returning to work. Looking back, I wish I would’ve requested the time I needed to rest fully before coming back to work. I found that clear, direct communication was key, as well as thanking my colleagues for their support in my absence.

The Day-to-Day

We weren’t prepared to quarantine for 10+ days, however we quickly adjusted. We were fortunate enough to have some great resources available, such as:

1. Hello Fresh: Our friends had conveniently gifted us 3 boxes, the meals came with all the ingredients needed, were healthy and easy to prepare. I have a few boxes left to gift to friends. You can receive $100 off with my code.

2. Amazon Prime: While I have mixed feelings about Amazon, the one-day delivery was great. We ordered all of our groceries through Whole Foods and they were delivered within 2-hours. We were also able to order medications and other essentials. Here are a few of the thing we ordered:

   • Disinfecting Cleaning Supplies

   • Medications

   • At-Home Covid Tests

   • Pulse Oximeter

   • Nuun Hydration and immunity tablets

   • Four Sigmatic Defense Blend

A big thanks to my family, friends and coworkers for checking-in, Scout for never leaving my side and Nathan for taking such good of me - I’m incredible grateful. If you or someone you know has been affected by Covid-19, I feel for you, I hope you’re able to surrender to rest and find moments of peace that allow you to heal.