Winter Storm 2026-Does this Remind You of COVID Too?

So I’m not a fan of being trapped in my house.

I spend a lot of time in it, but also really like having the ability to leave to go to work, work out at Pilates, meet a friend for coffee, or run an errand.

This winter storm reminds me a little bit of COVID, as well as the ice storm we had in North Texas in 2021.

I remember, having just moved to Texas in 2019, just getting to the point where I knew where things were. I was able to work, and had just, in January of 2020, started at the group practice where I continue to work to this day. I had a very small client load, having just started, and ended up being off work for a few weeks due to an ankle/foot injury that affected my ability to walk.

It was at that time that I was diagnosed with ADHD, which probably had in part led to the injuries I had been getting yearly for the previous several years at that time. In addition, I have a diagnosis of Ehler’s Danlos Syndrome (EDS), which makes my joints flexible and more likely to be injured. The criteria for having hypermobility EDS increased in 2017, and I received my diagnosis in 2018.

One of the things that goes along with EDS is that at about the age of 50 the pain increases. Looking back on that time in my life I understand more fully how my mental health was. I was in pain, with chronic back pain and an injury where my foot was broken, which went undiagnosed for 2 months following my injury.

Not being able to heal as well as being trapped at home with a lack of mobility, wasn’t good for my mental health.

This is a long winded way to say that the past weekend into this week feels a little like those times. I feel trapped at home, although I am not injured so my lack of mobility is ice related and not injury related, which is a real positive.

I worked from home Friday because I wasn’t sure when the rain we were getting that day would turn to ice. I spent the weekend doing things I like, which include working out, reading, playing cards with my husband, talking with family and friends, and watching TV/movies with my husband.

But still, the memories of the days when we were home in 2020 for COVID, and the ice storm of 2021, are there. In 2021, we did not go to the grocery and I was just returning from a trip to Florida, so lack of food was a stressor. We were new to understanding that when there is ice in Dallas, things just close.

Until it melts.

We had rolling power, and spent a lot of time playing cards, reading, and watching TV/movies when we could. Twice we drove to Chick Fila to get some food, and the second time I believe it was open.

So how do we cope with all of this?

One of the things I need to do when I am feeling trapped is to move. I sometimes move my body by working out. I write, like I’m doing right now.

I play piano, and sometime I just like to sing along to playlists I have. I tend to draw at times, and have sort of worked on learning to knit, although that isn’t going very well for me 🙂

It is hard, as we are in situations where we have no control, not to feel frustrated.

I have a friend who really likes to do crafts, who was pretty content when we talked yesterday. She’s someone I like to work out with and go to coffee with, which we both talked about wishing we could do on Sunday morning.

When I am meeting with someone in therapy, we frequently talk about coping skills and what can help when we are feeling stressed or anxious. For me, being trapped at home is a trigger.

As an epilogue to this post, today is a sunny day above freezing where I have been able to get out twice to work out and run errands. Tomorrow I get to go to the office to work again, and am looking forward to that.

What are your triggers that cause some anxiety?

What coping skills do you use when you are unable to get your social needs met through the usual means?

What is a hobby or interest you have that you’ve been meaning to do and haven’t started yet?

What would you like to purge or re-organize in your house that you haven’t taken the time to do?

I hope you have stayed safe and warm during this winter storm that covered most of the country.