Let us help you feel hopeful and connected again. Regular therapy sessions can improve your concentration, mood, and physical well-being. Your mind and functioning have been altered through no fault of your own. You don't have to tough out the turmoil in your brain and body. Trying to cope with that despair without an experienced guide just prolongs your suffering. The fact that you are wrestling with the unknowns of COVID can make that hopelessness even deeper. The truth of depression is that the sense of hopelessness is often overwhelming. There is no shame in using organizational tools and systems to balance out the brain fog and keep you on track for as long as you need them. Create drop zones for important items so that you always know where to find them.ĭon't beat yourself up for using these supports or hide them from your employer and loved ones. When something comes to mind plan it, plot it, post it, record it right away. If your brain fog is complicating work or relationships, lean heavily on your planners, alerts, apps, and lists. Instead, schedule chats with a loved one, read in the park or listen to an audiobook.Īs you accept your symptoms, also cope with helper aids. Go slow when it comes to crowded, noisy, draining places. Go out for a while but avoid sensory overload. Doctors advocate lots of healthy fats, leafy greens, fish, and, proper hydration. Don't overdo waking hours at night or oversleep during the day.Įat whole, healthy foods. Make sure to get an appropriate amount of sleep. If fever or muscle pain returns, stop and contact your physician. More oxygen to the brain is a good thing. Get 20- 30 minutes of regular aerobic exercise. Decide to vaccinate, wear a mask, and or practice social distancing. Research shows that honoring the mind-body connection is one of the most significant difference makers. You may believe that self-care will only fatigue you more. COVID infection likely fatigued you, the resulting depression has likely exacerbated and prolonged that fatigue. Self-care should be an everyday priority. Regular use of acceptance and mindfulness may help you train your outward focus, sharpening cognitive ability as well as reduce depressive thinking that might result from self-criticism and frustration. Do so without forcing yourself to pay attention, simply observe where your attention lands and what comes to mind. For as long as you can, use your five senses to observe your environment and your natural responses. Meditate, go on a nature walk, or simply steal a few moments throughout the day. Mindfully allowing your brain and body to experience the world, in the moment, could prove very cathartic and freeing. Try to embrace the idea of "it is what it is". Practice Being Present As a Way of Retraining Your Focus and Energy. You may find that your spirits are lifted and you can combat powerlessness and helplessness by staying on top of the growing body of helpful information concerning long haul COVID depression symptoms. These can help you stay informed and aware of research as it progresses. It may help to compile a little library of trustworthy articles, videos, or blogs like this one. In addition, remember that knowledge is an evolving power. Rather than focus on the uncertainty of being a long-hauler, consider it a positive that proven therapies and tools exist to help you with your symptoms now. Depression and brain fog were linked long before the pandemic. There is a well of knowledge to be gleaned and applied to your current challenges. It may help you to consider that, though the virus is novel to the medical community, your resulting mood and cognitive conditions are well-researched. Key Strategies for Coping with Long Haul COVID Depression and Brain Fog First, Take Heart that COVID-19 is New but Depression and Brain Fog Are Not. So what does coping look like practically as you manage long haul COVID depression? Let's see. With support and a plan for managing well, you can survive the worst and recover well. Still, if we've learned anything from our pandemic, it's that we can cope. To put it simply, life after COVID infection may require you to employ as many mental coping tools now as you used to endure the losses, lockdowns, and mandates of the last several seasons. Research says it often accompanies another symptom as well: depression. Now, some of us, infected months ago, are still feeling it in our bodies and minds.Īre you struggling to concentrate, focus, and pay attention? Perhaps you feel less "with it" and persistently cloudy? The experts call that feeling "brain fog." It's a long haul Covid symptom and, often, that muddled feeling comes with mental exhaustion and a deep lethargy. As if COVID-19 hadn't done enough to change us and turn the world upside-down.
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