My personal encounter with covid-19

Today I share with you a slightly different message to my usual posts. I’d like to share my personal reflection on 2020 and my encounter with the virus in early December 2020. 

I appreciate the pandemic feels like a never ending saga but we will see light at the end of the tunnel. Like all of you, I spent most part of 2020 if not with tiered restrictions, then in lockdown. Even when we were ‘allowed’ to move/socialise more, I often chose to stay in a quiet space. Believe me this was not coming from a place of fear but I viewed this entire year as an opportunity to slow down, unlearn habits and change tack.

I’ve been on a journey of self discovery for many years and 2020 really was a year to pause and consolidate. I immersed myself in reflection and a process of rewiring and especially in light of some rude truth awakenings in the social and family dynamics. For me this was not about waiting for things to ‘go back to normal’ whilst filling the void with entertainment for my ego, feeding myself with endless negative news and conversations that drills us down into a funnel of fear. It was an invitation to grab the boredom bull by the horns and deep dive into discovering our true selves, reflect, learn how to streamline our lives and embrace the infinite opportunities, starting from ground zero.

As a health professional, I work with clients with all sorts of mental, emotional and physical complaints through Ayurveda (a profound system of medicine with a focus on preventative health care), and on return from my holiday in March, The way in which I practiced suddenly changed overnight and I was unable to run my London-based clinic, but this unforeseen force of nature allowed me to show up online in ways that I had previously procrastinated about and I learnt to accept something I had resisted.

What’s more, I had worked with clients on their healing journey for many years, but I must confess I had sometimes neglected my self care practices at the level of regularity that I knew would be beneficial for my health.

Whilst the 2020 lockdown presented an opportunity to indulge in Netflix, social media and Zoom chats (myself included); for me, it opened up the space to focus on all things ‘SELF’ and for that I am extremely grateful - I expanded my morning rituals and practices which included movement, extensive breath work, meditation and daily long walks in nature. I was able to rest well at night and I managed to give more focus to my diet and stay aligned to the seasons and the circadian rhythms. It also gave me time to pick up a few courses that no doubt will expand my offering to you and spend a little more time tapping into my creativity whilst spending only a limited time on the social media platforms. What’s more, I had the opportunity to do a home Panchakarma cleanse and a deep dive into my spiritual practices. On reflection, 2020 was quite an expansive year for me for the most part. I was able to melt away into the Ayurvedic lifestyle of my dreams and sustain better balance.

So all was going well, but then in early December I started to experience unusual exhaustion, headaches and body aches but none of the signs of covid-19 that we hear more about - loss of taste or smell, fever, dry cough. So at first I thought it was the glass of wine earlier that week and an intense workout so thought perhaps I had overdone it  and landed a head cold. But to be safe for my clients and family, I decided to get tested to which the results came in positive. So let the 10 day self isolation begin!

I was exposed to the virus through a channel completely out of my control so this was upsetting as thus far I had taken meticulous measures to keep myself and everyone around me protected. I felt helpless and vulnerable, both physically and mentally, how could I be going through this when I've been working so hard to prevent exposure? I had become the patient which felt alien and I then had to remind myself that even doctors, practitioners and therapists get sick and it's what we do next that matters.

My symptoms extended further to include joint pains, a mild fever and dry cough - I was extremely thirsty and I’m not gonna lie, for a few days I was totally floored and it was all pretty ugly. The NHS did a sterling job with communication, track and trace and checking in regularly by phone - not that you have any energy to even speak - to anyone!

The moment my symptoms first appeared I opened up my herbal medicine cabinet and self medicated myself with several Ayurvedic healing herbs and herbal teas. This included lots of ginger, turmeric, black pepper, lemon, cinnamon, chyawanprash, tulsi, guduchi, echinacea etc., a super simple diet of soups and kitchari, if I even felt hunger for it which had also disappeared. To be honest even doing this much felt a real challenge in the first few days.

Much to my astonishment, I miraculously resurrected from the main symptoms after just 6 day, nevertheless, I took the time to fully rest and recover for 14 days and guess what? Not a single paracetamol was in sight. I am truly grateful to not have to struggle with symptoms of long covid which is troubling so many people right now. I truly believe that my speedy recovery was a result of the intense preventative healthcare measures I had taken in the 6-8 months in the run up to being struck down. The self-nursing during the most difficult days, literally saved me and sped up my recovery. A true testimony to the science of Ayurveda and the healing properties of natural medicines, an underpinning balanced diet, fresh air, and supportive beings are vital to keep us physically, mentally and emotionally strong which supports our immunity.

There is no perfect or one way to heal but I will say that getting aligned to what worked for my personal wellness is what really mattered in the end and I wish this for everyone. I found myself immensely grateful to those wonderful caretakers that were truly there to get me through the dark days, particularly those that brought food round and did the shopping pickups as well as all those people who expressed love by checking in regularly to see how I was.

Over this lockdown 2021, let's focus on bolstering our immunity - by cultivating our diet and lifestyle that best suits our constitution and the winter season. Prevention and personalised wellness ‘is’ the cure and if you do get exposed to the virus you can support your recovery with the right Ayurvedic tools. We can overcome this! We need to channel our energies to the longer term outlook. Please stay protected and get tested if you have any doubts that you may have been exposed to the virus in the first instance.

If you want to learn more about Ayurveda for yourself - Sign up for my workshop ‘Ayurveda & Immunity’ on Monday, 18 January at 19:00.