They say “it takes two,” and that couldn’t be more true when it came to my COVID test. Two little lines, a whole lot of inconvenience.
I am a little bit of a control freak. Even though I do work from home, I keep a strict schedule. I make sure to exercise at least three times per week, work eight hours a day, have lunch between 2-2:30, and still have enough energy to take on anything life might throw at me.
All the news articles and TikToks in the world couldn’t prepare me for the infamous ‘rona.
Fortunately, I got a very light case. Sore throat, fatigue, and headache. I could still walk around and do some work without a problem. (Read: some work).
On Monday I only took a half day. I refused to let COVID beat me into submission. The first half of the day was a breeze, and I thought to myself, Maybe I could work a full day!
Fate had other plans.
After making a sandwich, I went into my little quarantine bubble and - BOOM - that was it for the day. Fatigue finally hit me and it was strong. I barely had enough energy to eat my sandwich.
As a result, Tuesday was a sick day. That was a great day for COVID education, like discovering that even though you feel perfectly fine, the moment you do something oh-so-strenuous like making tea, your body wants to quit the rest of the day.
Wednesday was another half day. First half: totally fine. Second half: Two-hour nap.
Thursday was my first full day back. I wasn’t sure if I was going to survive, with yesterday’s nap still fresh in my body. Somehow, I was alive at the end of the day due to one thing and one thing only: taking more breaks. Me from the previous week probably would’ve fallen over in disbelief.
Due to actually taking it easy on Thursday, Friday was fairly normal.
What does this all mean? It means I needed to ease my foot off the gas pedal. Let Jesus take the wheel, so to speak. And you know what? I didn’t crash.
If COVID does choose you as one of its unlucky victims, don’t be like me. Let it take its course. Do all you can to feel better and listen to your body. Don’t force yourself to work too hard. You got sick. You need to rest, as much as you might hate it. If you feel well enough to work, cool. If not, treat yourself with respect so you can get back to work in a better mood.
It does take two. Two little lines on a COVID test, a two-hour nap, and two jabs for the vaccine. I’m so happy that I got the vaccine, but I’m even happier to have been humbled by this whole experience. I’m not superhuman, and I’m okay with that.
