How to manage your mental health if you have COVID-19

Michelle Loughery caught COVID-19 on Boxing Day. She describes her physical symptoms as feeling like her lungs were "paralyzed," and she was lethargic. 

But her mental health also took a toll — she was scared of the unknown surrounding the virus, and became depressed thinking of the possibilities. 

Loughery, who lives in B.C.'s Okanagan region, said having COVID felt like having a "dirty little secret." 

"I never expected to feel guilty," she said. 

"I felt guilty for potentially risking my grandkids."

She also felt totally alone: her husband was away for work, and she had to isolate as per public health guidelines. 

Those feelings of loneliness, anxiety and guilt are completely natural, according to registered psychologist Dr. Carla Fry. 

"There's probably no one that I've spoken to that is in the middle of COVID illness or or has just recovered that hasn't expressed these things to me," she said.

Fry says that while everyone experiences illness differently, they will likely face some challenges with their mental health while infected with the virus. 

Though it's not possible to completely wipe that stress away, there are tools to manage it. 

"The goal is not zero discomfort in terms of mood or anxiety or upset," Fry said.

"The goal is to do something, anything, consistently in fits and starts to make it one per cent better, five per cent better, four per cent better, on a really good day hopefully it's 10 or 15 per cent better in terms of mental health, but anything counts. The goal isn't to be 100 per cent free of anxiety, worry, sadness, loneliness."

It's important to spend 60 seconds intentionally thinking about the guilt you may feel when you have COVID, says Fry.

Thoughts like "why wasn't I more careful?" or worry around infecting others are normal, but not something to dwell on.