Prompt 3: My health and COVID-19

 In the first couple of months of the pandemic, I experienced depression. I had little to no desire to leave my house, exercise, or eat food. I averaged one meal a day and primarily was sedentary. At some point, I think my parents began to notice my mood and decided there was a need for change. They had me take the dogs for an hour-long walk every day, rain or shine. Walking every day was not something I had done consistently before covid as I did not have much free time in high school. I noticed my mood began to improve as the weather became warmer, and I continued to exercise. My appetite also started to come back.  In the first month of COVID, my family stockpiled can food and frozen meat to limit the number of times spent at the grocery store. This changed our diets slightly because the food was no longer as fresh as it used to be.

For example, instead of going to the market to get fresh bread, fruits, and vegetables, we ate processed bread that could be frozen and canned fruits and veggies.  Later, we had the financial means to try out meal delivery kits. This allowed us to get high-quality meals delivered to our house without the fear of getting COVID. COVID exposures were a bit of a worry at the beginning of the pandemic. My mom has Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), an autoimmune disease that caused her to need her spleen removed. My little brother had cancer and is now missing a kidney, and both of us kids have struggled with asthma. If one of us had COVID, these non-communicable diseases might have made it more difficult for us to fight it off. 

Luckily, everyone in my family received their vaccine very quickly. By late April, my immediate family and extended family were all protected against COVID-19.