COVID19

The Unexpected Psychological Impact of COVID-19 - a Coloradan Shares Their Story

The Unexpected Psychological Impact of COVID-19 - a Coloradan Shares Their Story

I had Covid-19 in December of 2020. My partner came down with symptoms, received positive test results, and my physical symptoms emerged a few days later. Sore throat, fever and chills on the first three days, followed by sneezing and a runny nose, all accompanied by a persistent fatigue that could not be alleviated. By the seventh day of my symptoms, all upper respiratory symptoms had subsided, except that I was left without my senses of taste and smell. Once the novelty wore off, I faced the reality of losing 40% of one’s sensory input.

This was the beginning of a new chapter in my experience with Covid-19.

You Have a Video Call

You Have a Video Call

The migration to the online Telehealth platform has made it necessary for practitioners to implement countless policy and procedural changes to the daily functions of operation. From securing HIPAA-compliant document-managing systems and video conferencing, contact-less billing and payment options, to updating WIFI connections and hard-wired Internet, we are seeing the technological capabilities in this field. Online, you don’t have to wear a mask, you don’t have to divulge your body temperature, and we can continue our appointment schedules without limitation.

Living fully with loss, in the time of COVID

Living fully with loss, in the time of COVID

Can you allow yourself to grieve?

We often don’t realize that what we’re experiencing is grief; the package of thoughts, feelings, and sensations that are the natural response to loss. Our society mistakenly approves of grief only after the death of a loved one, and even then, society tells you to make your grief quiet, short, and tidy; nicely tied up in a bow after your four-day bereavement leave.

Yet, without recognizing and validating the losses other than death and the accompanying grief, we run the risk of languishing in a swamp of unsettling emotions that seem to have no cause or reason. That’s a recipe for deep depression and resignation; the very opposite of a rich, fulfilling, hope-filled life.