- Support groups: “It can help to talk with others who are also experiencing similar conditions through online support groups or by seeking out others who can relate,” Kelly says.
- Therapist: “A therapist can validate your experience, provide you a safe space to process your emotions, and support you in identifying coping skills,” Kelly adds.
Educating yourself about this condition and consulting with an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialist can also aid you in coping with the loss of taste and smell.
“I think getting the knowledge out is key,” Phillips shares. “This is something I repeat to my patients. It’s more about how people in that situation can compensate. I don’t think it’s a treatment mechanism for taste and smell loss. It’s more how you deal with this loss.”
If you believe COVID-19 may have impacted your taste and smell, Talkspace suggests the following exercises:
- Test your taste
Try out foods with different characteristics. Make sure to try something salty (like a pretzel), sweet (a cookie), sour (lemon zest), or bitter (coffee). - Test your smell
Locate pure, pungent scents like vanilla or an orange peel, but avoid harsh scents that trigger other sensory reactions such as cleaning solutions. - Try the “Jellybean Test”
This is an interesting way to test both smell and taste. Simply pop a jellybean in your mouth while pinching your nose closed. Then, as you chew, see whether you can taste the sweet and sour flavors. Release your nose while you chew and see if you get the necessary odors to decipher what flavor the jellybean is. This is an important marker because it tests the process of retro nasal olfaction — bringing odors from the back of your mouth up to the nasal cavity.
Sensory loss can be devasting. Allow yourself to feel whatever emotions may come from this loss, but also remember to be gentle with yourself. Don’t focus so much on the loss. Instead, try focusing on gratitude and being grateful that you survived COVID.