Being diagnosed with shingles on 29th January 2024 was not part of my New Year Self-Care Plan.

Almost 14 months later, in March 2025, I have reached the point where I can wake up, smile, stretch, and lift my arms overhead without shingles nerve pain.

In hindsight, getting shingles and associated post-herpetic neuralgia was one of the best things that happened to me in 2024.

It forced me to examine my (lack of) self-care and how that affected my well-being, how I cared for myself, and my relationships with myself.

Best of all, I have finally regained the focus and headspace to sit down and get back into writing, which makes my heart sing.

To celebrate this milestone, I am excited to share the three core self-care practices (Gratitude Meditations, Yoga Breathing Exercises, and Yoga Nidra meditation) I focused on to help me restore my energy and recover from the lingering effects of shingles nerve pain while being the primary full-time carer for my parents.

I know how easy it is for us women, carers, and busy people to neglect ourselves and rush around tending to everyone else’s needs and concerns.

I hope my experiences of recovering from shingles pain can inspire and support you to prioritise your self-care and put your needs on the table, whether recovering from shingles or another painful condition.

The Unexpected Journey of Shingles

When I was diagnosed in January 2024, I assumed shingles would be a short-term illness — a minor blip in my routine with a quick recovery.

How wrong I was.

For months, the pain felt like a broken tap dripping steel pins into my body.

I dragged my body through the day while my brain felt like a squishy packet of thawed-out mushy peas.

As a self-employed freelance yoga and meditation teacher, writer, and the primary caregiver for my elderly parents — my 92-year-old father with rheumatoid arthritis and my 90-year-old mother living with advanced Alzheimer’s and diabetes — being unwell didn’t factor into my way of living and doing things.

To protect myself, I started to move my body stiffly, like a plank of wood, unsure if this pain and stiffness would become my new normal.

I mentally reviewed my lifestyle and realised how much I had dropped the ball on self-care.

Like the dripping tap, self-neglect affected my overall well-being.

I had to pause, take stock, and consciously reprioritise my health and my desire for wellness to recover.

My morning routine of yoga and meditation practices had slipped.

I realised I needed to take control of my recovery through intentional self-care practices, especially first thing in the morning, to set the tone for the day.

Twelve months on, the physical scars on my back and chest remain, and I still experience intermittent pin-prick-like pains in the same area.

Mentally, I still tire easily, but my energy, sense of joy in life and physical energy levels are returning.

I can now walk home from the shop, carry a small bag of groceries, and wear tops without fearing jarring nerve pain from the fabric brushing against my skin.

I still care full-time for my parents, but (most days) with a greater intention and determination to be kinder to myself.

So, if you’re recovering from shingles — or any other chronic condition — I hope these three simple, restorative self-care practices I turned to will inspire and support you on your self-care and wellness journey.

Understanding Shingles Pain

Like most people, once I was diagnosed, I went down a Google and YouTube rabbit hole trying to learn more.

I didn’t know much about shingles despite being 61 years old.

I thought shingles was a thing of the past — or something you didn’t get if you had chickenpox as a child, like me.

I didn’t realise that the number of shingles cases was increasing, nor did I fully grasp how stressed and weakened my immune system was and how that could trigger the virus’s reactivation.

The links at the bottom of this article provide more details about shingles, post-herpetic neuralgia, treatment, symptoms and the shingles vaccines.

In hindsight, caring for my parents 24/7 since 2020, combined with my father and I recovering from a nasty bout of COVID-19, had wrung me entirely dry.

My immune system was compromised, yet I continued pushing myself, fulfilling the cultural and societal expectations of a daughter caring for elderly parents.

I had ignored my body’s signals for too long.

When the shingles pain refused to subside, despite taking the required anti-viral medicines and pain relief treatment at bedtime, I knew I had to sort myself out, reevaluate my life and refocus on my well-being.

I meditated, and during the practice, I asked my body, “What do you need to recover?”

It became clear that I had to return to the basics, rest more and focus on the following three key calming, restorative self-care practices.

My Three Essential Self-Care Practices for Recovery

1. Morning Gratitude & Affirmations

Before shingles, my gratitude practice had slipped off my radar.

But once I realised how destructive my waking thoughts were, I reintroduced a gratitude body scan meditation each morning.

Instead of waking up and mentally feeling tired and overwhelmed by pain and worrying thoughts about the future, I would focus on the here and now and express gratitude for my body and environment.

For example, I mentally say:

• “Thank you, arms, for helping me turn in bed.”
• “Thank you, back, for supporting me through the night.”
• “Thank you, eyes, for opening a room full of happy memories, pictures, and plants.”
• “Thank you, breath, for breathing and energising my body.”

It was weird, but just switching my focus, noticing what was good and beautiful about my body, and actively looking for the good in my immediate environment took the edge off the pain my body was in.

After two minutes, my brain cells were positively buzzing and firing with a sense of spaciousness and calm, leaving me feeling energised and ready to face the day.

Remembering how good I felt doing my gratitude body-scan meditation, I quickly extended my morning gratitude to include a 24/7, around-the-clock awareness of “gratitude and appreciation of my body and life”.

I wasn’t spiritually bypassing my pain.

Oh no.

This pain was stingy and real.

Instead, I consciously breathed in the truth, “This too will pass” whenever I experienced stingy nerve pain or fatigue. And, instead of shrivelling up, I would tenderly expand my chest and lovingly whisper a few kind affirmative words to myself, for example:

“I see you, pain. I know I am exhausted and have little patience, and that’s OK.”

“Ntathu, you are doing so well; be gentle with yourself. Remember, you gave birth to twins, you got through an emotionally draining divorce — trust — this pain, too, will pass.”

As I started to shift my thoughts, my shoulders and jaw softened, my belly relaxed, and the pain subsided.

In the first few days, saying gratitude and focusing on how fully I was breathing felt like a long process.

Sometimes, it felt easier to sit tight, and I wouldn’t want to move my body, but caring for my parents full-time meant I had to get up and get on with life.

There was always something to do.

Rest didn’t feel like an option, so instead of pushing through and ignoring my pain, I found getting things done more manageable when I refocused my mindset and treated myself with kindness and self-compassion.

The gratitude practice extended into bedtime.

While drifting off to sleep, I would mentally review my day and reflect on the day’s small joys and give thanks, for example:

Sitting with mum and dad chatting as we ate the meals I prepared, for the pile of dirty washing waiting in the linen basket to be washed and grateful that at the flick of a switch, I had access to electricity, water, and means to wash my clothes with an automatic washing machine.

I was (still am) grateful for cosy bedding, a comfortable bed, a journal, and food in the cupboard if I wanted a late bedtime snack.

This slight shift in focus helped lessen the edge of my pain, and I started my morning thought processes feeling lighter, more spacious and calm

Practical Tip: Try This:

If you haven’t got a daily gratitude practice, I invite you to try it.

You can start right now.

Shift your focus from your screen, gaze around the space you are in, notice the shapes, colours, and objects around you and acknowledge how they support you throughout the day.

For example, your mobile devices and laptops give you immediate access to contact with loved ones and read articles which uplift and educate you.

You could also practice a gratitude body scan meditation by noticing how you are sitting/standing/lying and giving thanks for the bones, muscles, tissues, and organs working silently together to keep your body and brain in homeostasis.

If you like journalling at bedtime, write down a few affirmations that resonate with you — things like

“I am grateful for this moment.”

“I give thanks for my health” and “I am grateful for my family’s health”.

You may feel silly or self-conscious saying affirmations; however, I encourage you to give the practice a go, and you may be pleasantly surprised.

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2. Breath-Based Practices

In the early days of shingles, I was still recovering from the tail-end of COVID-19, and my breathing felt tight and restricted.

My pranayama breathing practice had slipped over the last year, and my usual 10 to 20 minutes of morning practice had morphed into a quick inhale and exhale as I woke up.

Early in my shingles recovery journey, I realised that breathing fully, using the full expansion of my breathing apparatus, would be necessary as the tightness in my chest caused by post-herpetic neuralgia affected how I felt and made it harder to breathe.

Conscious restorative breathing exercises became my anchor in managing pain and stress and calming my worrying thoughts.

Every morning, after saying my gratitude affirmations, I sat quietly, observing the practice’s effects on my body and mind.

Then, I would switch my mobile phone on and practice the following traditional yoga breathing sequence for 30 minutes.

My body craved quiet, restorative breathing practices, so I replaced the first exercise in this sequence — Kapalabhati (as I found this exercise to be too vigorous and energising for my body at that stage of recovery) with a simple breath awareness exercise, which you can also practice with the script below.

1. Find a comfortable, supportive position on your back or sit in a chair.
2. Lower your shoulders, tuck your chin in slightly to lengthen the back of your neck, and get a sense of the back of your body being supported by the support you are resting on. Next, bring your attention to your everyday breath; notice what you notice without consciously changing how you breathe.
3. Then, as you become more aware of the rhythm and pace of your breath, I invite you to
4. Take a slow, steady, deep breath through your nose for a count of 1 … 2 … 3 …4…
5. And slowly breathe out, through your nose, again for a count of 1 … 2 … 3 ….4…
6. Repeat this breathing cycle for three to five rounds, noticing what feels different about your energy and mood when you complete this practice.

Doing three to five rounds of the simple breathing awareness exercises mentally prepared me to complete the rest of the yoga breathing exercises in the video sequence.

By the end of the 30-minute breathing exercises, the tight-squeezing nerve pain had reduced, and my ribs and body felt peaceful and spacious.

3. Yoga Nidra for Deep Rest

Yoga nidra, often called “yogic sleep,” became my third intentional self-care practice and afternoon sanctuary during my shingles recovery.

Unlike traditional meditation, you don’t have to sit upright or focus intensely — with yoga nidra, you lie down, listen to the guided relaxation, and allow your body to rest deeply.

Allowing my body to rest and giving myself permission to nap during the afternoon proved difficult initially—again, my old habit and voice of self-criticism and living life at full throttle took centre stage.

Dragging myself away from that “push-push energy” to gift myself a rest and a chance to lie down took a lot of self-love and belief that it was OK for me to rest.

As I settled into my new routine, daily yoga nidra became my new normal. I allowed myself to rest, nap, and sleep during the day.

My body was tired, and the space, energy, and sense of rest and nurturing I felt after the yoga nidra meditation practice reaffirmed how important it was to take time for myself.

Practice Tip: How to do Yoga Nidra Meditation

Yoga nidra is easy to practice.

• First, ensure you are warm and cosy in an area where, hopefully, people and pets won’t bother you.
• Then, choose your preferred yoga nidra meditation audio or video (see the resources section below) you want to listen to, make yourself comfortable lying on your back (or side, if that works best for you), and press play.
• Next, you let the facilitator’s voice guide you through the practice.
• Through guidance, your body and mind slowly settle into deeper states of rest and conscious relaxation.

In yoga nidra, it is perfectly normal if you drift in and out of sleep, fall into a deep sleep, and don’t wake up till the session has finished — or, in some cases, in the morning!

If you nod off during the practice, when you notice this has happened, return your attention to listening to the facilitator’s guidance.

Or, if you notice a silent pause in the guided meditation, tune into your body’s wisdom and listen to any messages your body may have for you.

Because of how the subconscious mind functions, you’ll continue to benefit from yoga nidra’s therapeutic effects even as you drift off to sleep.

Try This: If you’re new to Yoga Nidra, try listening to a free session on YouTube:

1. Three of my favourite yoga nidra teachers offer guided yoga nidra meditation for free online on YouTube: Ayla Nova (Yoga Nidra and Beyond), Kristen McCarthy (Yoga with Kristen), and practitioners from The Amrit Yoga Institute.

When you’re ready to take a moment for yourself, you can also practice yoga nidra meditation as part of my recent Pop-Up Restful Yoga Nidra meditation series on YouTube. 

Final Thoughts: The Power of Gentle Self-Care

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learnt (again!) through this experience is that self-care isn’t a luxury — it’s a necessity.

Like most people, I know you can’t pour from an empty cup, yet I was doing just that.

I have experienced burnout before, so deep down, I knew I was slipping back into unhealthy patterns and habits.

However, that old programming ran deep as I routinely ignored my body’s needs and pushed through my fatigue.

Getting shingles was good for me!

It forced me to shift my focus, explore how I looked after myself and my values, and face my failure to prioritise my energy and well-being.

Shingles nerve pain taught me patience.

Fatigue taught me to slow down.

It reminded me that health is wealth, and nurturing myself isn’t selfish — it’s vital to my growth and healing and gives me the energy I need to get through each day with patience and understanding.

As a caregiver, I am also re-learning the importance of setting boundaries and asking for and allowing myself to receive help, which is OK.

I am used to being the person others turn to for support and guidance, the person organising and running workshops, and teaching others yoga to meditate and relax.

Feeling vulnerable and physically struggling to get through the day, noticing how self-critical I had become — and having to ask for and accept help — was an insightful, humbling, yet powerful lesson.

So, if you’re navigating a painful condition like shingles (or any other health challenge) and your self-care practices have slipped, start small.

Breathe.

Nap.

Be gentle with yourself and practice self-kindness as you express gratitude and appreciation for any blessings you may discover through your illness.

The simple practices I turned to can help restore your energy, boost your reserves and soothe your mind as you gently reclaim your right to rest and restorative self-care.

As promised, click here for a comprehensive resource for more details about shingles, post-herpetic neuralgia, treatment, symptoms, and an insightful article, Why Should I Get Shingles Vaccine? by fellow Medium writer Dr Jan Patterson.

Thanks for reading my article.

If you found these self-care practices supportive and have further tips to encourage others to take care of themselves, kindly share your thoughts in the comments below. Thank you.

Be well, and remember — giving yourself permission to pause, nap, and rest is OK.

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