Let’s Talk About Recovery
Why recovery from Covid-19 requires a shift in thinking
This week, whilst on a Zoom call for work, a colleague openly talked about their experience whilst a family member is being treated in hospital for Covid-19. They explained the severity of isolation for everyone involved but also their concerns and questions for what life might look like for anyone who has been treated for this virus and thankfully recovered.
This got us both thinking — people will have experienced complete isolation when at their most vulnerable and will be coming to terms with not only the physical after effects of the disease but the psychological and emotional ones too. How might this look? What does recovery really mean?
Add to that our collective experience of social distancing, self isolation and/or shielding, and we’ve got a complex challenge on our hands.
By day, I’m a Dance Artist, working with many different people, most of them considered vulnerable in some way. Before the lockdown, we would dance together, express ourselves, build a community, improve our health, be curious and creative, and develop friendships.
Now that we’re unable to physically meet, I‘ve spent alot of time working on new approaches to continue to support them. I’m acutely aware of the general isolation we are all experiencing and how, for the many already vulnerable people I work with, this just adds to an already complex and worrying situation.
But I hadn’t considered the people recovering after hospital treatment for Covid-19 — most likely because I’ve watched way too much of the news, and checked the number of cases and deaths far too frequently that it’s easy to forget that people are recovering all of the time too. It may also be because discussion of Covid-19 recovery at the moment seems to be mainly concerned with the elimination of the disease and after effects such as immunity and when things might return to ‘normal’.
The openness of my colleague to share their family’s situation reminded me that recovery is much more complex and Covid-19 is unique — it’s going to require a shift in thinking; the severity of isolation experienced is significant and different to other types of treatment. How can we as a society best support people who have experienced this illness, their families, friends, and communities?
The more I consider this the more apparent it is to me that this is a real moment of shift for us all. A shift towards creativity. A shift towards real, tangible experiences with others. A shift towards fully considering the ‘human’ parts of our existence — self expression, love, risk taking, touch, instinct, consciousness, change.
Non-linear thinking is also helpful. Approaching recovery as cyclical or circular, rather than one linear trajectory with an end result, cultivates freedom, acceptance, openness, and inclusivity.
Now is the time to embrace the elements of our lives that we may have considered non-essential before — opportunities to be creative, to learn a new skill, to make time for ourselves, to do nothing, to demonstrate vulnerability.
Beyond our basic needs we need meaningful experiences that bring joy, love, friendship, laughter, and the pandemic is certainly showing us this. That dance class that keeps your child occupied each morning is now a lifeline to providing structure, routine, exercise, entertainment, learning, and more. Millions of people have been joining in virtual exercise sessions not only because it helps them stay physically well, but because it occupies their minds, gives them something in common with other people, and helps them feel part of a community.
As someone who already works with people who have experienced severe illness or impairment, I regulary see first-hand how experiences that we often consider non-essential, or ‘nice to do’, such as dance and arts experiences, actually make all the difference. From the child who found the confidence to use speech for the first time, to the women in their seventies making new friends, to the teachers who found a new sense of self confidence they never thought they’d have.
These experiences change lives.
They give space to love, laughter, joy, solace, expression, and creativity.
They provide meaning.
So, for those people who have received treatment for Covid-19, it’s more important than ever that we value these experiences for them too, so that we can better support their recovery — considering not just the affects of the disease itself, but the impact complete isolation may have had and how life will likely now feel very different for them and the people closest to them.
In all the uncertainty, I am certain that this shift is happening and it’s going to help. Society is coming round to the idea that the complexities of our lives are not to be ignored, every part has a role, and the often considered ‘small’ moments of joy or meaning, are actually the catalysts for change.
So, when we’re supporting people in their recovery from this disease, let’s push forwards with creative approaches, experiences that help people feel ‘human’ again, that provide love and friendship. We’re likely to find that this helps with recovery in general too, not just from Covid-19, but from a wide variety of illnesses and experiences for individuals and communities. After all, we all need this, now more than ever.
