Not surprisingly, mental health is a major concern for many of us. For those who have contracted COVID and are currently experiencing long hauler symptoms, the anxiety is even higher. In the face of such uncertainty, how can you stay positive? How can you protect your mental health in times of such high stress? Allison Noelle Megherian, a 33-year-old music teacher and mindset coach living in Long Beach NY, currently suffers from long COVID. Here’s how she’s managing to stay strong in the face of persistent, often debilitating symptoms.
Her first symptoms
Before contracting COVID-19, Megherian was the picture of good health. She started her mindset-focused coaching business, lost 40 pounds, and even published a motivational book for kids. But in November 2020, everything changed. “I found out I was exposed to COVID and three days later I got sick. It felt like I was hit by a truck,” says Megherian. While she didn’t have to go to the hospital, she had severe aches and pains and slept 18 to 19 hours a day. “I have never felt like Allison again and it has been almost a year.” Megherian was bedridden for two weeks. She lost her sense of taste and smell, and dropped a lot of weight since she couldn’t eat. She was out of work for a month. Despite her symptoms, Megherian was determined to feel better and tried making some dietary changes to improve her gut health, which included drinking celery juice. However, after a month her hair started to fall out and her gut has never truly recovered. “The fatigue is something I’m still struggling with,” Megherian explains.
A “complicated migraine”
Although her energy was low, she began feeling better and functioning on a daily basis. She got vaccinated in March 2021, but her symptoms persisted and at the end of April she passed out at work. “They thought I had a stroke, because I lost all feeling on the left side of my body,” says Megherian. When she arrived at the hospital, her vitals were fine and the doctors couldn’t figure out what was wrong. It wasn’t until she spoke to a neurologist that she discovered she was suffering from a condition called a “complicated migraine.” Megherian returned to teaching after Labor Day Weekend, but wearing a mask for hours at a time has been a challenge, cutting off oxygen to her brain and making her migraines worse. Regardless of all the physical stress COVID has put her body through, Megherian remains mentally strong. She wants to share her story with the hope of helping others who are enduring similar hardships.
How living with long COVID has impacted her mental health
As a mindset coach, Megherian understands the importance of protecting your mental health, and it’s this belief that has been her driving force throughout her healing journey. As difficult—both physically and mentally—as this experience has been for Megherian, it has also forced her to focus on gratitude in a new way. “This entire experience has forced me to lean more into my dreams and what’s important about being alive,” she says. “It’s taught me to be grateful. My family and friends are amazing, but they matter to me now more than ever before.” Working with clients and empowering others to live their best lives is not only her passion and purpose, it’s what gives her inner strength. “When I’m able to help people, it makes me feel better,” Megherian explains. “It fills my cup.” And that’s why she wants to share her story. “Being vulnerable, and really putting yourself out there, makes you more relatable as a human being,” Megherian explains. “It’s about remembering that we’ve survived all of our bad days. We’re all still here. It’s believing ‘I will get past this. Things will get better. Take the good with the bad and just keep going.” Next, read what symptoms of COVID-19 look like if you’re vaccinated.
Sources
Allison Noelle Megherian, interview
