Episode 5 - Long COVID & the Holidays: Staying Safe and Finding Joy

The holiday season can be rather stressful for COVID long haulers, especially for those dealing with severely debilitating symptoms. There is quite a bit of pressure to conform to social norms by dropping all COVID precautions while participating in holiday gatherings. This pressure often comes from well-meaning family and friends who don’t understand the risks or the physical toll that Long Covid takes. For many longhaulers, the festive season becomes a delicate balancing act - managing symptoms, protecting their health, and navigating social dynamics - all while trying to preserve some sense of joy and connection.   In our latest podcast episode, Jessie and Emerson dive into these challenges and share practical strategies for making the holidays safer and more manageable. From tips on pacing and boundary-setting to communication strategies and alternative celebration ideas, we’ve got you covered. Whether you’re a long hauler or someone who wants to support a loved one better, this conversation is packed with insights to help you navigate this tricky time of year with compassion and confidence.  Find a detailed guide on how to survive the holiday season, based on this episode (and including all of our sources and web links for further reading) on our substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/covidlonghaulerspodcast/p/a-guide-to-surviving-the-holiday?r=4uxv0i&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true  If you are looking for present inspiration and want to be mindful of where you spend your money this year, we have compiled a “disability wish list”. The first is a collection of disabled owned small businesses, the second is a list of presents that can support or bring comfort to disabled people:  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/17LDCCN4jmDuBIdf0GJtvt7iphLo8ENTLGMNVD1NBv1w/edit?usp=sharing If you liked this episode, we hope you will click subscribe so that you don’t miss any of our future episodes.  We’re still working on the Covid Longhaulers website and will post on social media when it’s live. For now, you can find all the promised resources from this episode on our substack: https://covidlonghaulerspodcast.substack.com/ To join our discord server, you can do so with this link: https://discord.gg/q4t6MUQ9Ah  You can also find all of our links here: https://linktr.ee/covidlonghaulerspodcast  And contact us via email with questions, concerns or feedback: [email protected]  Medical Disclaimer: The information provided here is not intended to serve as professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you have health related issues or believe that you are suffering from long covid, please contact a qualified health professional to get the personalized assessment, advice and treatment you need. We will not be liable for any direct, indirect or other damages arising from the use of this podcast.  We, from the COVID Longhaulers Podcast wish all of you a wonderful holiday season filled with joy, contentment, and as little PEM-crashes and flares as possible! We look forward to seeing you in 2025!