What if I feel like a different person after COVID?

You might have the thought that being a different person is a bad thing that you can’t do the things that used to be very important to you.

It’s important to remember that it’s going to take time to recover, and that we can take smaller steps towards where we want to be. Just like you can’t be expected to run a marathon straight after spending 6 months injured!

You might also feel that because you can’t do the things you used to, this makes you a ‘worse’ person. It’s important to be kind to yourself, notice and open up to these thoughts and understand that it’s the caveman brain trying to force us back into action.

You can also adapt your approach to make sure you’re still doing the things that are important to you: 

• • Use memory aids to help with brain fog.
  • Meet friends locally or virtually if travelling is difficult.
  • Spend time with children in different ways such as playing board games rather than football. 
  • Remember your goals should be SMART, that is they should be attainable – they should be things that you are able to achieve.
  • You can still live in line with your values, even if you need to adapt to do this. For example one of your values might be being active or outdoors – you can make sure you spend time outside and be present in nature without over-exercising.