Covid Support Thread
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Oh, fuck. I’m sorry.
Well maybe it’s not so much about increasing the Zoloft but maybe tweaking something. I mean, a pool is great, and can be part of your exercise, but you’ll also need to walk every day. My mental health was poor in the beginning of 2021 when I was barely going outside, and it stabilized when I started doing 10k steps a day in addition to 20-minute weights sessions (beach body, now Apple Fitness+). Totally not comparing my mental health or situation to yours, but walking is so important, and so is going to bed and getting up at the same time.
You both are so right! Walking is so important and especially outside; I know I’m not getting nearly enough sunlight. I just got portable oxygen yesterday (the kind that looks like a purse you see old people wearing…oh joy) and my doctor recommended pulmonary rehab. My hope is that with those things, walking and swimming, as well as yes, fixing my sleep schedule, I can come out of this funk this summer. I have a giant birthday (omg) at the end of the year and I’m having a comedy show and renting out the back room of my favorite brewery and I’m determined that it’s going to be awesome, Covid or not.
As far as Covid, it seems like we’re in such a different phase now because it’s just here to stay and so many people I know have gotten it. People who have been SUPER careful (including myself) have gotten it. Vaccines and boosters help so much, though; I would definitely have gone to the hospital were it not for the vaccine.
@TheLadyE I’m sorry you and your family are having a rough year. My parents have a lot of marital issues and have for ages, and while my parents’ problems are different, I’ve found it helpful to not engage. Their marital problems are theirs to sort out and if one needs a shoulder to lean on, well… that’s what friends and mental health professionals are for, not children. Highly recommend setting some boundaries there so as to not make someone else’s burden yours to carry when you yourself have enough of your own problems to deal with. I felt mean when I started doing this, but for me, it was crucial.
And yes to walking! It’s super underrated for weight management and mental health. Put some earbuds in and grab your pups! Set attainable goals for yourself. Maybe right now it’s just walking at least one mile/day. When that becomes habit, up that goal a little. The whole 10,000 steps thing is great, but the number is arbitrary and if you’re currently very sedentary, probably not the best/easiest goal to start with.
Oh my goodness @TheLadyE – that sounds emotionally and physically exhausting – no wonder you’re struggling. I agree that setting small goals can be beneficial. I write my to-do’s down and I usually have one that says “Clean / Organize” and if I toss something in the garbage – tick mark. I do the laundry – tick mark. Put the laundry away – tick mark. Those little tick marks pile up and by the time I’m ready to write a new list … it looks like I accomplished something (and I have).
Also really important is to not beat yourself up if you don’t accomplish the small goal. Be as kind to yourself that you would to a friend who is struggling.
I’m so sorry you’re going though such a hard time, LadyE.
I know this is anecdotal and I don’t want to pressure you to pop more pills but I recently asked to up my lexapro and the small difference in dosage has like changed me from feeling pretty okay but meh to actually feeling pretty fucking happy when the world isn’t engulfed in flames around my human rights. Take it as a grain of salt but it’s made a great difference even in my energy levels. And I wouldn’t even say I was in a particular bad place, I just talked to my doctor about how I was feeling and we agreed to try a little more.
Oh @LadyE, that’s a lot! I hope you are feeling much better as you recover. Definitely getting out for a daily walk/run has been critical to my mental health over the past couple of years. I don’t know how you feel about fitness trackers, but my husband got me an apple watch in 2020, and it actually is a motivator for me. And I love a hot shower – it’s about the only thing that made me feel functionally human when I was postpartum and dealing with all of that! Sending you big hugs.
Wendy, I’m so sorry to hear about Joanie. I hope she’s feeling lots better and that the rest of you stay healthy. Have you been masking/distancing in the house? My kiddo tested positive on a rapid test way back in Sept. 2020, and we tried to isolate as much as we could, but I think if one of us got it now we would probably not go to those lengths.
I actually just took my daughter to my college reunion last weekend. I attended a women’s college, and our class’ 20th reunion coincided with the commencement weekend (the odd year reunions take place after commencement). There are a lot of traditions and feminism that I really wanted to share with my kid and I was so thrilled that we got to go, even though I knew it was a big risk! There was a strict vaccination requirement, including boosters for those eligible, an indoor mask mandate, and all outdoor meals. We PCR tested 48 hours before, rapid tested the morning we left, and wore our KF94s through the airport and on the plane. Got back Sunday and tested negative on all our rapid tests so far, and a PCR last night, so hopefully we will be okay. That is definitely our last “risky” thing until we travel again in July, aside from my kid going to school as one of just a few still wearing a mask (eye roll! Get with the program people!! I am boggled by kids coming to school without masks, especially those with siblings under 5!) While I’m still wearing a good mask everywhere indoors, and doing basically all my socializing outside, I’m kind of to the point where I’m not willing to forgo experiences altogether. It’s not sustainable to never get a haircut or visit with friends.
@TheladyE I hope you find things to help you start to feel better! Def try to set some boundaries with your parents. This is a them issue and shouldn’t be bringing you into it. Though I’m sure that is easier said than done. I had to put my foot down when my mom tried to trash talk my dad after she left him. I told her to talk to a therapist because he’s my dad and I can’t help her. She didn’t like it and was angry with me for a long while.
I hope your husband recovers soon @KTfran and is feeling ok.
No matter how much I walk I can’t seem to walk more than 7000 steps a day. I do have a desk job and do get up and do walkabouts occasionally and I walk my dog twice a day. I guess I need to walk her longer but time constraints sometimes. It does feel good to get outside though!
7k steps is great! I was actively trying to lose weight with 10k and it was working. It doesn’t have to be 10k by any means.
Omg @rangerchic, I have trouble getting above 7,500. And we don’t even own a car! It’s crazy. I look at my steps and I’m like how have I not walked more?
To get 10k I have to take a 25-min walk in the morning and evening, plus walk the dog a couple times. But on a normal workday pre-pandemic I’d get 7500 no problem and it wasn’t hard to get 10k. Working from home youd get just hundreds if you didn’t make a huge effort. And that really is bad for people’s mental and physical health.
