When Long COVID-19 Symptoms Strike, Here Is How To Strike Back And Maintain Some Career Momentum

By Shea Ki

𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗲𝗹𝘁 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲?

That is what I am experiencing a lot lately. 

Even with being vaccinated and boosted, my family’s summer has been a rough one with our health because of COVID-19. 

🔹I am grateful for access to good healthcare and helpful medicine. 

🔸I am miserable with the incessant cough that is aggravated by talking.

🔹I am grateful the effects of the virus are somewhat manageable and science has helped us avoid a worse outcome.

🔸I am miserable not being able to work a full day yet or spend more time having fun with my kids while they are on summer break. 

🔹I am grateful for slow but steady progress, as I am better in some ways than when it started. 

🔸I am miserable with frustration when I begin a chore or project and then discover that my focus isn’t fully there yet and my energy comes and goes. 

🔹I am grateful for friends, colleagues, clients and dear family who understand that on some days I am able to show up and do all the things and then the next day it may be a totally different story.

It’s been almost 2 months of ups and downs with this nerve-racking stuff and the rollercoaster of emotions it also brings.

Here are a few lessons I've learned so far during my health journey with lingering symptoms of COVID-19 that I hope serve your career momentum:

Repeat Popular Personal Branding or Business Content

It is likely that if you are aiming to attract positive career momentum then you are building up your online personal brand or business reputation. Being consistently active on one or two social platforms is key to gaining more of the visibility that helps opportunity, clients, and new connections come our way. 

Suddenly dealing personally with COVID-19 often throws a huge pause in everything, including your pace online and offline. 

I've discovered that there is no shame in the repeat game, especially when your immune system is getting a beating by any long-term effects of COVID-19. 

Did you know that many may not have even seen your posts, videos, reels or other content the first time? So you are doing everyone a service, including yourself, by repeating a few oldies but goodies.

Even on your better days of this virus, it's best to save up energy so your body can use it to continue to recover. And on the bad days, getting even some of the basics of daily life done is a huge win.

So take the pressure off of creating new content for career momentum at this time. Instead, re-use several pieces that you shared before. And if you don't have an inventory of items to use from the past, optimize this time of recovery to share content of those you admire and are inspired by.

​Then take a nap.

Combine Holistic Remedies With Traditional Medicine

As much as I try to avoid medicine and it's possible side effects on my sensitive system, sometimes throwing in the white flag is necessary. Meditation, yoga, herbal teas, rest, energy work like Reiki, and other holistic practices certainly have helped me a lot during this time, but they haven't healed things up with this virus completely.

​Luckily, I have a great team of doctors who understand my preference for natural ways to boost my health. They also nudge me in a caring way to complement my mind-body-spirit approach to well-being with medicine that has shown to be useful on reducing the lingering symptoms of COVID-19. Right now, a combo of an inhaler and other prescription medicines plus breathing exercises, hot baths, and essential oils are doing their job to help my lungs heal and all my internal systems regulate.  

And a LOT of naps. 

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Don't Hesitate To Ask For And Access Help And Support

Although I do a lot of inner work to not fall into old habits of getting in my own way, sometimes I slip up on that. It took me longer than I want to admit to inform my friends, long-distance family, clients, and colleagues about the long-term covid symptoms that I have been suffering from. Once I started sharing and explaining what I've been experiencing, the offers for help, support, and positive energy sent my way have blown me away in the best ways possible. 

Many had suffered from COVID and it went away after a few days, but they have been super understanding that this isn't the case everyone. Several others  clued me in to their on-going symptoms and encouraged me to share more about what I'm going through. They reminded me that it helps others realize that they aren't alone on the rollercoaster of ups and downs in energy, focus, coughing, sleeping through the night, and other irritations. 

I adore those that also have said to me, "Let me take care of (x, y, or z) so you can go take a nap. 

Be Aware That The Physical Drain Of Covid-19 Can Impact Mental Health

Protecting my mental health is a top priority of mine. My family tree and personal health history command it. The on-going anxiety, unknown territory, and loss that COVID-19 brought on has threatened that area of my wellbeing more than once in the past few years. Since I tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this summer, it's now the lack of uninterrupted sleep, missing a ton of stress-relieving work-outs, not getting to see friends much, nagging cough that gets worse when I talk and not knowing when I will finally be fully recovered that gnaw away at my mind. 

I am grateful to also have professional help that I can turn to and a supportive partner who watches out for me with deep care, but not everyone is in such a circumstance. 

𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 COVID-19, 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐚 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐤𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝟏𝟎𝟎% 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐬.

🗣 And if you have ideas or tips on what has worked for you or someone you know gain some relief from lingering symptoms,  tell me with a DM on LinkedIn. 

For now, I am going to get this bath in the video below going....at least in my mind.

Then I am going to....can you guess? Yup. Take another nap. ​

​Let's keep taking extra good care of ourselves.

​💖And each other.

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