How did having Covid-19 impact your mental health?
Ravi Davda
Ravi Davda, CEO of Rockstar Marketing, a digital marketing agency based in the UK.
It Was the Lowest Times of My Life
I had Covid in December 2020. I’m not going to lie; isolating myself for three weeks was tough. Generally, I’m an active person. I go to the gym most days of the week, go for walks, and work from a coworking space. Obviously for these three weeks, I couldn’t do any of that. But the worst thing was that I got sick badly. I’m only 33, so [I] consider myself fairly young, but it still hit me hard. I didn’t know when I would recover.
My mental health was affected by this. Some days, I would think I was getting better, and suddenly, that same evening, I was sick again. It was one of the lowest times of my life. Luckily, my wife was around to support me, but she also got sick herself. I’m definitely happy to come out the other side and now live a somewhat more normal life.
Scared, Isolated, and My Mental Health is an Ongoing Struggle
The experience was hard on my mental health because it was scary and isolating. As days passed, my breathing still struggled, and my energy was very low. Even going up the stairs felt like a workout. As someone who was regularly active, this felt humiliating and incredibly frustrating. I had no control over my body. I was 22 but felt much older.
Having Covid-19 was a test of my mental strength. Recovery was especially frightening because there was still no medicine to treat the virus unless you went to the hospital. One night, my father’s oxygen level dropped, and he had to go to the hospital right away. This was scary because we had heard of so many people who went to the hospital and family was not allowed to visit. Luckily, he was treated, stayed for a week, and recovered fully.
Overall, it was hard mentally to deal with the symptoms of Covid-19 while isolating myself from family, friends, and pets. My hobbies had to be put on hold, and the recovery was long and hard. I still have long Covid-19 symptoms today. It still impacts my mental health now.
Arianna Kaminski
Arianna Kaminski is an author, podcaster, and photographer at Arianna Kaminski.
Olga Voronkova
Olga Voronkova, Marketing Director at KeyUA.
Mentally Draining, Irrational Thinking, and Blaming Fate
It was May 2020. The whole world was appalled by the horrors of the pandemic. I was strictly following all the covid safety protocols as specified by the government and keeping regular checks on my family for even mild signs of the virus. It was on a weekend when interacting with my team at work, I felt breathless. I immediately exited the virtual meeting and contacted a nearby hospital.
Since covid cases were increasing, they sent two people within a couple of hours to take my samples. The next day I got the online report, and it said I was covid positive. It was frightening as international health departments were still struggling to figure out effective cures. I immediately isolated myself in my room.
The [next] few weeks were horrible. I felt like a prisoner in my own house. I couldn’t take a stroll on the terrace adjacent to my room. I couldn’t sip coffee in the armchair kept on the balcony. The little window in my room was the only way for me to peek into the outside world.
The fear of the unknown virus made me think about why I fell prey to the disease. Was it just a coincidence or ‘Karma’? Though these thoughts sound silly now, there was a time I blamed fate for my illness.
The oxygen cylinder, PPE kit, and overwhelming smell of sanitizer made me sick. I was certain that I wouldn’t survive this catastrophe. I was mentally drained and physically too weak to think rationally.
Helpless, Anxious, and I Still Panic
Back in 2020, I caught COVID-19 when I was out to run for some groceries. I work from home, so I only went out once or twice a week when needed. It was the worst for me. I live alone and do not have someone to take care of me. Although I had to rest and was on leave, I was always anxious while in quarantine. As I was feeling helpless, I would always think If I would get it soon or not because, after a week, the symptoms were getting worse. I was quarantined for more than 14 days because my symptoms did not improve. I am anxious whenever I get a cold or if someone near me coughs. I sometimes panic when I cannot catch my breath.
Tim Anderson
Tim Anderson, Owner of PowerInsider.
This is a crowdsourced article. Contributors' statements do not necessarily reflect the opinion of this website, other people, businesses, or other contributors.