Hello! Long time no talk! I feel like I've been very absent from here and social media recently for a few reasons - one of which is that I've caught COVID. Just in time for Christmas. Great.
I started with a cold on Monday 13th and was convinced it was just an ordinary, end-of-term, working-in-a-school cold, so I took a lateral flow every morning before work which were all negative. Then, by Wednesday evening, I still felt rubbish so took another one, and it was positive straight away! After taking a PCR, it was confirmed - I'd tested positive with COVID the week before Christmas. All of my lovely, family-filled plans had to be cancelled, and to be honest I was (and still am!) absolutely gutted. I've not been feeling the most festive this year, so was looking forward to spending my week off spending time with friends and family to try and spark some Christmas spirit. But now, it couldn't feel less like Christmas.
Luckily, I've had pretty mild symptoms - a cold, headache, aches and just general exhaustion - as well as the dreaded loss of smell and taste which, honestly, has been the hardest part. Obviously I'm very lucky to only have mild symptoms, but I've been really struggling with not being able to taste/smell and I'm hoping it comes back soon! I've pretty much come to terms with the fact that I won't be able to taste my Christmas dinner (sob) and any chocolate I receive might actually see it into the new year.
With the date that my symptoms started, I'm actually free from isolation on Christmas Eve (yayyyyyy!), so it's not as bad as it could have been! Hopefully, if B doesn't start with symptoms/test positive (which he's managed to avoid so far!), we can still enjoy a lovely Christmas Eve/Day with my family.
I've been pretty absent from social media because, although I've been spending a lot of time in bed scrolling on my phone, I realised it was making me feel worse seeing other people out and about enjoying festive plans. So, to protect my mental health and my sanity, I've been pretty quiet. I also feel like I have nothing to share other than being miserable and moping around at home.
I'm worried about where this is going, because I've never known/seen so many people with COVID! It feels like we're right back at the start and haven't made much progress. Everything feels just as uncertain and scary as it did at the beginning. I feel like it's so much worse at this time of year because everyone works so hard all year to enjoy Christmas with their families. Hope everyone else is doing okay, and I hope you can still enjoy Christmas even if you're isolating and/or your plans have changed!