To never want to leave my house again?

[Tanglefreeunicorn]

I’ve just had covid and Sunday is my final day of isolation. I’ve felt fairly ok, just shattered, so I’ve worked through it 8-5 like I normally would but now I feel really exhausted and I’ve got a hellish week next week because all my meetings that couldn’t go on line have been pushed to next week along with the meetings I’d usually have had.
Alongside that, although it’s made me feel really depressed, I no longer want to go out. It feels like it’s scary out there. DH said maybe we could go out for dinner on Monday with the kids but I don’t want to. I don’t want to go anywhere and the thought of it is making me feel very anxious.
I don’t feel well mentally or physically and now I want to go to bed and not ever get back up. I can easily see how people get to a place where they stop leaving their home, I feel like I’m teetering on the brink of it now.

Could you do a phased return next week? So just go in for the most important meetings and rest up as much as possible otherwise?
Spread any work out across the entire day and get DP to look after the kids?
Or just take some sick days. And definitely no to going out to dinner. That's just heaping more pressure on you.

Is your DP supportive - can you take a day to rest at the weekend? He could take the kids out for lunch or dinner without you - why not?

(Also, why don’t you have access to family money?)

Take things slowly. one step at a time and keep pushing yourself to take little steps. Don't allow yourself to not go out at all, but if you don't want to go out for dinner for now then that's fine.

Can you give yourself a couple more recovery days? It might be just that you are a little knocked sideways by the whole experience and need to acclimatise to normal life again.

If this is still an issue in a week or so then it would be worth you talking to the GP about some counselling.

You have had a virus - you are not normal 'tired'. Your body has been busy fighting off the infection.

Please look afteryoursef OP = call work and tell them you are feeling sick with Covid and need at least a week off.

You will make yourself worse - nobody is irreplaceable at work truly, but your health is irreplaceable to you.

You shouldn't have worked while feeling under the weather with a novel and dangerous virus, not wise!

Did you get it even though you are vaccinated op? I had it and like you weren’t very sick. I stayed at home for 3 weeks (paid though) but even after that for weeks I was so incredibly tired I could fall asleep sitting up. Never felt anything like it. If I finished work early (noon) I fell asleep basically after taking my shoes off and slept deeply for hours. It was horrible.

In the kindest way, I think you’re misunderstanding what your body’s trying to tell you.

COVID really is a different kind of tired. Your body was fighting off a major infection and you couldn’t see the battle that was going on inside yourself at the blood cell level but I promise you, it was major. Even if you got sleep, it won’t have been quality sleep, probably for that entire week.

Your anxiety is very real BUT I cannot emphasize enough how much anxiety can be caused by lack of sleep when you’re ill. I had to take steroids when ill, they stopped me when sleeping when already ill, and I was beside myself anxious. Well, and steroids have a horrific effect anyway. I think if you take some REALLY serious time to give your body the rest it needs, and I mean, maybe barely moving from the couch or bed for a few days, you may find the anxiety goes back down.

Though yes, there will be a feeling before this in some portion of your brain that COVID wouldn’t happen to you (even if it might not have been realistic) and now it has, you’re going to feel a bit different. But the world is not any less safe than it was. It’s exactly the same as it was before. You’ll find your footing.

DP has Covid at the moment, he travels a lot in his job so it was inevitable really. Many of his colleagues have already had it and they've all warned him to take it very easy even once isolation ends - it's the only way to build your energy levels back up. Working through isn't a good idea...

DH wants to go to Alton towers next week too. He’s booked tickets for my non-working day. I didn’t have a non-working day this week, I had too much to do. Unfortunately all of my own patients seem to have struggled this week and so it’s been one of ‘those’ weeks.
I am clinically vulnerable and I do think some of how I’m feeling now is to do with the worry I’ve had around it, but really I should be feeling relieved? I am surprised I’ve not been more unwell because my pre existing condition was cited originally as significantly raising the risk of being unwell or dying.
Instead I just feel very very very tired.

OP you don't seem to be taking on board the points here - you were unwell! The tiredness was illness, your body has been fighting a serious virus.

YOu aren't seriously thinking of going to alton towers?

As has been said, everyone is replaceable at work - you are risking your own health here. Just tell them you are taking a week off because you are still sick. As you have worked through so far you are not even taking more time off than normal for an illness.

I would expect anyone to have a couple of weeks off for even mild covid to ensure they rested properly.

If you keep going and this becomes long covid because you are pushing yourself you will not be doing any work!

Your DH is ignoring your health - have you advocated for yourself?

Same as with work, you need to say “I am tired and recovering from Covid, I need time to rest.”

You really sound burnt out to me, OP. Burnout is very real. Can you take a bit of annual leave after next week?
You've worked through not being well and I'm sure that has taken a toll on you mentally as well as physically.
Be firm if you're not up to going out. If you would rather put your feet up and watch TV, do that. You can't pour from an empty cup.

Don’t go out for dinner. Stay at home and rest as much as you can. Anecdotally, trying to push yourself through it increases the risk of long Covid.

I've not had covid but twice in the past had very bad flu. It wipes you out and really made me feel teary and emotional, especially at the thought of going out or having to do anything as I was exhausted.

You need a proper rest. Not dinner out, not looking after the children all weekend, not sodding alton towers. A proper rest, over a couple of weekends! Your DH needs to understand that. Then you can address any anxiety once you're more recovered.

In the kindest way, I think you’re misunderstanding what your body’s trying to tell you.

COVID really is a different kind of tired. Your body was fighting off a major infection and you couldn’t see the battle that was going on inside yourself at the blood cell level but I promise you, it was major. Even if you got sleep, it won’t have been quality sleep, probably for that entire week.

Your anxiety is very real BUT I cannot emphasize enough how much anxiety can be caused by lack of sleep when you’re ill. I had to take steroids when ill, they stopped me when sleeping when already ill, and I was beside myself anxious. Well, and steroids have a horrific effect anyway. I think if you take some REALLY serious time to give your body the rest it needs, and I mean, maybe barely moving from the couch or bed for a few days, you may find the anxiety goes back down.

Very well explained! @SudokuWillNotSaveYou

I think anxiety and depression are very real consequences of Covid. I felt very low and anxious afterwards. I know of friends who felt the same.
Being with groups of people was overwhelming. Hearing people talking felt intrusive and too much.
I had no energy and couldn't exercise. I didn't sleep well snd had awful anxiety at night.
These are real symptoms.
I'm sure this will be recognised in the future.

I do hope OP has taken on board these comments and has prioritised her recovery over social engagements and work.