A few lessons Covid caught me.

Sarah Prescott

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3 min read

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Mar 14, 2022

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It finally came. On the same day the Queen got it I came down with Covid. Yes folks, it is still out there and happening. I was one of the lucky ones — my symptoms were mild — but it still took three weeks to clear. And no doubt it was only mild because I have had three jabs. I’m incredibly grateful it was mild and I don’t have long Covid. But it did get me thinking about how self-employed people navigate temporary illness. So I thought it would be useful to share a couple of things about getting Covid recently as a freelance person.

1 — Pace yourself

This was one of my more successful areas. I took some days off when I felt bad and I worked short days for a while. Weirdly, I found it helped to work, it took my mind off things whilst in isolation. But I stopped when I needed to, particularly if a pesky headache had built up. It required a bit of prioritisation, but it was good in the end. I didn’t attempt anything I knew I was going to find particularly difficult. I found some meetings I attended cheered me up (although a small minority really didn’t). Looking back on that now, I have some useful insight from those daily choices. I now know a bit more about what drains my energy, well or ill.

2 — Have a plan

One thing I learned was as a consultant its good to plan for this. It would have helped to have “preset” out of office emails or similar “living will” plans in place to cover this eventuality. Despite it being nearly two years into Covid, on a certain level it still came as a surprise. Whilst I managed it, its hard to do that kind of daily communications planning if you are feeling groggy or headachy. I kept worrying there was someone I had forgotten to tell (there wasn’t). A bit of a shame really. I was lucky this time, as I didn’t have complex critical deadlines to juggle. Next time though, it might be different. I am super grateful too that my to-do lists were up to date. Really helped in all sorts of ways, principally peace of mind!

3 — Manage your media diet

I did quite well on this in the first couple of days. I watched an evening show as the main event, and didn’t consume too much stuff late at night. I also used the Do Not Disturb feature on my phone. Sadly, though, the War in Ukraine began a few days in, and I just couldn’t help myself get sucked in. I slept worse the more I consumed. I was a textbook case of too much “blue screen” some nights. It is a strong reminder to try to keep to healthy habits over the long term. Given the importance of the War and the way its repercussions seem to be so immediate, shocking and far felt, I do not regret consuming that content. It seems irresponsible to pretend it doesn’t exist. But I might have done better to watch most of the updates on the War in daylight. If I had my time again I would have made more effort to stick to the pre-War pattern.

One more thing. I’m kicking myself I didn’t do more creative things. I never seem to have time for art and crafts anymore, and it seems I am too out of the habit perhaps. But next time I am ill I am going to get my sketchbook out and hope I get some inspiration…