Everyone understands that to learn to play the piano, or to maintain or improve your skill level, the ideal is to practice everyday and if not every day, then several times a week. Sometimes this is just not possible, whether it is because you are going on a holiday for a week or two, or a month or two. Unfortunately, sometimes it is because of illness.
No matter what the reason is, these gaps in our piano practice happen. Fortunately or unfortunately, whatever the case is, this is just a part of life.
So when you have to have a couple of weeks or several months where you are unable to do any practice, the first thing is to accept that this is the ways things are. Don’t feel bad about what is not possible because this will be detrimental to your focus when you get your piano practice started again.
The next thing you need to understand, is that your standard will have slipped due to the lack of practice. Don’t think that this is a bad thing because it quite literally happens to everyone who doesn’t practice for a period of time. It is completely normal, so don’t worry about it. You will be able to get back to your previous standard but it won’t happen overnight.
When you are able to start practicing again, don’t have huge expectations of yourself. You most assuredly can get back to your previous standard, but it’s just going to take a little time and practice.
When you are getting back into practice, try to get back to your old practicing routine as well. If prior to your break that you were practicing six days a week, then try to do six days a week. If you do 15 or 20 minutes in each practice, then try and do that same amount of time. If you were a more advanced piano player and were used to practicing an hour a day, I would encourage you to start with 20 minutes for the first week of practice and then gradually build up over time, to get back to where you were before. This is especially important if your lack of practicing is due to a period of ill health. Ultimately, what is best for your health is much more important than how quickly you get back into practicing the piano.
If you have fairly low expectations of yourself, when you start practicing again, then you are less likely to be disappointed and/or frustrated. Just remember this: With enough time and enough effort, you will get back to your previous standard and then beyond. It is an absolute certainty.