How do you deal with trying to work when hit with covid 19?

[igiftcenter]

I don't know if there exists a place to post this but....
I'm trying to motivate myself to work after getting hit hard today by covid 19 testing positive in tests today. I stare at the computer screen... my mind wants to work, my body tells me it isn't going to happen 😞

Have any of you been hit by covid 19 and how did you cope with the urge to work / design when you're weak. My symptoms are not life threatening at this point but I do have a couple of chronic illnesses it could affect later?

That's all I have energy for today. Will check back and see if there are any ideas or even if you want to just share your covid story as it relates to your work / designing.

Be well everyone and happy holidays to all

[igiftcenter]

Sorry I just tried to cancel this.... too late.  Please just ignore post. I'm not here to pout

[CrazyMermaid]

It's not pouting to wonder how to work when you are sick. It doesn't matter if it's Covid or the or a cold. If I am a little sick I do easy products. If I am really tired etc. I just turn on Netflix and relax. 

[Cat]

I agree with Nelda, you're NOT pouting! You probably need to just allow yourself to rest and heal.

That being said, when I have days where I'm not motivated or tired or whatever, I usually do busy work sorts of stuff like dealing with a few things that need optimization, making a new color of an old design, or publishing an existing design on a new product. I like to try to publish at least one new thing each day, but some days a recycled old thing is all I can muster.

Get better soon - and if you do have other chronic illnesses that could make you more vulnerable, you probably want to see your doctor and ask about getting on Paxlovid ASAP - I've heard it works wonders!

[Windy]

I'm so sorry you are not feeling good! I think the best thing is to just take a few days to rest up!

[Polenth]

Trying to force yourself to work will increase the chances of lasting complications. Get some rest. Ease back into work as slowly as you can afterwards.

I've had several years of not being able to work much. I couldn't really do anything at the start and mostly I've done basic patterns and such when I could work. I'm only just getting back into making new art for next year. The good thing is Zazzle stuff kept on selling during all this. Take advantage of the flexible working hours and passive income, so you can get the rest you need to recover.

[DesertSky]

I'm so sorry to hear you have Covid, several of my family members do, too. I agree, it's not pouting at all. I understand wanting to keep working, especially this time of year, but it's probably best to just relax and let your body fight Covid. As was said earlier, Zazzle is and will still be here. Your health is the most important thing. I hope you feel better soon. Take Care.  

[EvalineMae]

Sending you wishes for a speedy recovery. You post some of the most helpful and insightful replies in this forum, we're all glad to offer what support we can when you need it!

Good advice already, just take care of yourself and do anything that seems like a quick win if you feel like doing anything at all. If you tend to get chat messages from customers, and feel up to it, I'd keep an eye on those to field to customer services or answer where you can. Otherwise follow Polenth's example with easy patterns, or if your collections need updating work through that, or simply sketch some ideas for building on later if that's how you work.

But if you can take time out and rest, that's probably what you most need right now.

[KeegansCreation]

It's really hard to work through Covid and really not worth the effort. When I had Covid I was too tired and muddleheaded to do any effective designing. I just wandered through the MP and let other peoples' designs wash over me.  I had to stay vertical most of the time to keep crap from building up in my lungs and if you're in that position too it can be tempting to think that if you're vertical you might as well be doing something useful with it. But don't. If you have to stay vertical, just read, watch TV, wander through the MP or close your eyes and listen to music. I hope you get better soon.  

[igiftcenter]

All very useful and well thought out suggestions. I'm grateful for your time and input. I think I'm just going to stay off here altogether or maybe just post one new product a day to keep my store from becoming stagnant.  The good news / bad news is: I had to cancel my wife's 70th birthday party this Sunday but the good news is I caught this / found out in enough time not to spread it to 24 other people at a party. I'll check back one a day to see any additional suggestions. Be safe everyone

[Barbara]

I spent 3 days sleeping when I had covid. No choice. Then I spent a couple weeks coughing. Then I went back to work. All three of us in the house had it at the same time. No one to wait on anyone else, but it didn't matter. We were all asleep. Zazzle wasn't on my mind at all.

Colorwash's Home

[KC]

Don't feel bad about it at all. And try to relax unless you really have the urge to do something. I like to make colorways/color variations when I'm sick or distracted or blah. Or take selling designs and put them on different products. Just the easy stuff though.

But sleep if you need. It's a funny one and everyone's experience is different with it, even within my own household. Husband was really down and flu-like and fever for at least 5 full days and slowly came back to normal within about 12 days. 

Younger son was kinda sick for about 3 and stuffy for a while after that. 

I had crazy acid reflux and achy legs for 3 days, then felt fine, got bored in my little personal quarantine, felt great for a few days, then the dry hacking cough set in for over a week, which was worse than the beginning of it, then felt great, followed by a good month of tiredness and now two months later, finally losing the brain fog. So strange. 

So just try to relax and go with the flow, eat well, stay hydrated, and drink tons of water : )

[jennifer22]

I agree with everyone who says to take it easy and relax. I had it over the summer and it kept me away from work for about a week. If you qualify for Paxlovid, I recommend checking into taking that, too. It needs to be started within 5 days of symptoms. It helped me quite a bit, although I did have a minor rebound (with very minor systems and again testing positive).

[buxmontweb]

I agree with the others - take it easy, rest up and get well soon!

[chefcateringbiz]

Sleeping all day and liquids is the best way to recover most germ- or virus-related illnesses. Forcing yourself to work just drags it out. I never work when I'm sick because I seldom get sick, and while everyone else was taking 2-week cooties-contact (but no symptoms, of course!) vacations, I was stuck making up for their absences the whole time, and I was only supposed to work 20 hrs per week. Sucked.

[CreativeLeahG]

I'm sorry you're experiencing this, it SUCKS!

I've had long Covid twice, each time lasting around 6 weeks and I'm ill presently not Covid this time, but a really long drawn out virus that is just as horrid with a vile cough. So I have not been productive myself for few weeks now.

It sucks, BUT if you can let your body rest, do not force it to work. Recuperate, eat well, drink lots of fluids (the usual) and watch a ton of Netflix.

If you need to work for income .... ask yourself if you can change your income (increase it) in this short time frame or if you can allow yourself to rely on the passive income generated while you rest. 

Get better soon 🛌

[WolfMoonArt]

@igiftcenter, I hope you are feeling better by now. I have been dealing with Covid myself this week since Sunday. Tested positive on my first day of getting symptoms, and still positive as of yesterday, so I'm missing out on a lot of work. I have not been too ill, but for a few days did not want to do anything but rest. Feeling much better since yesterday, and even better today. Just a little congestion, as if I had a cold.

Anyhow, I don't think missing several days designing on Z will really put you back considerably, if at all. I have not been really active with my store and have really gotten lax about it, mostly because I'm working at my job so much of the time, but I'm still making sales. That's the beauty of Z, that it becomes passive income. Not totally passive, but I'm sure you know what I mean. I'm sure I would be making more money right now if I was working more actively in my store, but sometimes you have to take a step back now and then. Just let it be. I'm sure you'll be back to it in no time.

[SimplyDesigned]

If you are able to write some things down on some paper, brainstorming is always helpful I find, at least when it comes to designing. A childhood friend I've kept up with has taken up a mechanic profession and him telling me if swapping motors and other things has jogged my mind with designs like "swapping engines is hard but, it's honest work". If you think about family and what they do for work it could result in some nice designs when you DO feel better. I too had COVID and it lasted about 2 weeks.