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Living with Long Covid
Gemma
Community Manager Posts: 1,138 Wise Owl
It's International Long Covid Awareness Day tomorrow on the 15th of March! 🌟
This year's campaign, themed “Confront Long Covid,” urges the world to do exactly that — confront Long Covid. The campaign is aiming to raise awareness of the symptoms of Long Covid, and that NHS support is available to those who are suffering from the condition.
Our lovely volunteer @ebyrne556 has written the content for this brilliant post below, exploring their experiences with Long Covid and their recovery. 💛
Can anyone else resonate with @ebyrne556 story? We're here to listen. 😊
Alt text spoilered:
You can also view the post over on our Instagram page - https://www.instagram.com/themixuk
This year's campaign, themed “Confront Long Covid,” urges the world to do exactly that — confront Long Covid. The campaign is aiming to raise awareness of the symptoms of Long Covid, and that NHS support is available to those who are suffering from the condition.
Our lovely volunteer @ebyrne556 has written the content for this brilliant post below, exploring their experiences with Long Covid and their recovery. 💛
Can anyone else resonate with @ebyrne556 story? We're here to listen. 😊
Alt text spoilered:
Image 1: There is an image of a young person with a face mask on sitting down. The title of the image reads 'How I live with Long Covid' and at the bottom of the image there is text that reads, 'Swipe to find out more'.
Image 2: There is text that reads, 'With Long Covid recovery, there will be good and bad days, but allowing yourself the opportunity to prioritise yourself and practice self-care is so important.' Below this, there is text in boxes that reads, 'Plan out each activity every day, no matter how small it is. Pacing is extremely important, although it is not always easy. Prioritise what you need to get done each day. Allow yourself to feel rubbish sometimes. Set boundaries for yourself (it's ok to just say no).'
Image 3: There is text within a large box that reads, 'Around two million people in the UK are living with Long Covid, with approximately 90,000 being children and young people. It's quite a complicated condition to explain but in short, it's people who have been infected with Covid or have had side effects from the vaccine that haven't recovered after a long period of time.'
Image 4: There is text that reads, 'Long Covid is a highly fluctuating condition with symptoms coming and going over time and ranging in severity. The condition can affect every aspect of your life, causing physical, mental, emotional, and social challenges and can be difficult to manage. Some of the most common Long Covid symptoms include: chronic fatigue, breathlessness, muscle pain, heart palpitations, cognitive difficulties, muscle weakness.'
Image 5: There is text within a large box that reads, 'Before getting Covid, I was extremely active, outgoing and sociable. I was about to start university, enjoyed meeting up with my friends, trained in Taekwondo four times a week, and coached and competed. Currently chronic fatigue, muscle and joint pain are some of the main problems for me. I spend a lot of time doing things from my bed and am asleep very early most nights. My whole routine is very different now.'
Image 6: There is text within a large box that reads, 'I now can't walk for more than two metres without getting significantly out of breath and have a racing heart. I get light-headed after doing any exercise, such as going upstairs or standing for a long time. I've had to drop out of university and a lot of my freedoms and independence have been taken away from me. Life has changed significantly, and I now must go at a much slower pace.'
Image 7: There is text within a large box that reads, 'Long Covid has quite a negative impact on your mental health. There's the fear of the unknown in the future, and there's a lot of stigma and stereotypes around Long Covid, especially for young people. There is a lot of gaslighting from medical professions, who don't always believe your symptoms are real. There's also pressure from friends and family to act like yourself and just get on with things.'
Image 8: There is text within a large box that reads, 'This can also escalate your symptoms more, as you might not want to reach out for support from medical professionals due to the fear and stigma of not being believed. You can feel very isolated, and you can really miss and grieve being able to do what you enjoyed. Sometimes it might feel that everyone is 'getting on with their lives' and moving on without you. You can feel extremely left out and struggle with self-identity.'
Image 9: There is text within a large box that reads, 'What has really helped me cope with challenges has been learning to say no and prioritise my own health and wellbeing. Support from friends and family is also really important. I've made many new friends through volunteering online and although I have never met them in person, it feels like I know them well. Connecting with other young people who have Long Covid is also important as you can feel they understand you and support you.'
Image 10: There is text within a large box that reads, 'I've started journalling and writing poetry and am getting some of this published. It's a real creative outlet for me and allows me to express what I'm going through without having to verbally, as this can be difficult. For someone who trained in Taekwondo four times a week, this is something I miss. lot and struggle with, however, making sure that I'm doing some stretching every day helps me feel I am keeping active.'
Image 2: There is text that reads, 'With Long Covid recovery, there will be good and bad days, but allowing yourself the opportunity to prioritise yourself and practice self-care is so important.' Below this, there is text in boxes that reads, 'Plan out each activity every day, no matter how small it is. Pacing is extremely important, although it is not always easy. Prioritise what you need to get done each day. Allow yourself to feel rubbish sometimes. Set boundaries for yourself (it's ok to just say no).'
Image 3: There is text within a large box that reads, 'Around two million people in the UK are living with Long Covid, with approximately 90,000 being children and young people. It's quite a complicated condition to explain but in short, it's people who have been infected with Covid or have had side effects from the vaccine that haven't recovered after a long period of time.'
Image 4: There is text that reads, 'Long Covid is a highly fluctuating condition with symptoms coming and going over time and ranging in severity. The condition can affect every aspect of your life, causing physical, mental, emotional, and social challenges and can be difficult to manage. Some of the most common Long Covid symptoms include: chronic fatigue, breathlessness, muscle pain, heart palpitations, cognitive difficulties, muscle weakness.'
Image 5: There is text within a large box that reads, 'Before getting Covid, I was extremely active, outgoing and sociable. I was about to start university, enjoyed meeting up with my friends, trained in Taekwondo four times a week, and coached and competed. Currently chronic fatigue, muscle and joint pain are some of the main problems for me. I spend a lot of time doing things from my bed and am asleep very early most nights. My whole routine is very different now.'
Image 6: There is text within a large box that reads, 'I now can't walk for more than two metres without getting significantly out of breath and have a racing heart. I get light-headed after doing any exercise, such as going upstairs or standing for a long time. I've had to drop out of university and a lot of my freedoms and independence have been taken away from me. Life has changed significantly, and I now must go at a much slower pace.'
Image 7: There is text within a large box that reads, 'Long Covid has quite a negative impact on your mental health. There's the fear of the unknown in the future, and there's a lot of stigma and stereotypes around Long Covid, especially for young people. There is a lot of gaslighting from medical professions, who don't always believe your symptoms are real. There's also pressure from friends and family to act like yourself and just get on with things.'
Image 8: There is text within a large box that reads, 'This can also escalate your symptoms more, as you might not want to reach out for support from medical professionals due to the fear and stigma of not being believed. You can feel very isolated, and you can really miss and grieve being able to do what you enjoyed. Sometimes it might feel that everyone is 'getting on with their lives' and moving on without you. You can feel extremely left out and struggle with self-identity.'
Image 9: There is text within a large box that reads, 'What has really helped me cope with challenges has been learning to say no and prioritise my own health and wellbeing. Support from friends and family is also really important. I've made many new friends through volunteering online and although I have never met them in person, it feels like I know them well. Connecting with other young people who have Long Covid is also important as you can feel they understand you and support you.'
Image 10: There is text within a large box that reads, 'I've started journalling and writing poetry and am getting some of this published. It's a real creative outlet for me and allows me to express what I'm going through without having to verbally, as this can be difficult. For someone who trained in Taekwondo four times a week, this is something I miss. lot and struggle with, however, making sure that I'm doing some stretching every day helps me feel I am keeping active.'
You can also view the post over on our Instagram page - https://www.instagram.com/themixuk
♡♡♡
Post edited by TheMix on
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