Navigating the Road to Long Covid Recovery: Tips and Strategies for Finding Hope

Today is the perfect opportunity to share my health struggles over the last four years in hope that it might help others who are in a similar situation.

Catching the Virus

I've had chronic fatigue on and off since March 2020, when I first contracted covid-19. I initially got better after 10 months.

After a reinfection in April 2022, however, things went downhill again and in addition to chronic fatigue I began to experience cognitive, pain and mobility issues, headaches, nausea, loss of appetite, palpatations and insomnia.

And now, four years later, having seen every relevant specialist on the NHS, I've finally been diagnosed with long covid or post-covid syndrome.

For those of you who know about post viral syndrome or ME/CFS you will understand the debilitating and unpredictable nature of this condition.

Fatigue however, is only one aspect of it, as long covid manifests in over 200 different symptoms, which effect every system in the body with each person's symptoms being unique to them. There's no one size fits all.

So if you've been suffering with continous and debilitating symptoms since contracting covid-19, I would highly recommend speaking to your GP about a referral.

Hope

There's lots more research into this condition now, and there are a number of support services, groups and paths to follow in order to understand and heal from this condition.

I'm currently undertaking an amygdala brain retraining programme to learn how to regulate the nervous system:

https://guptaprogram.com/

This course on the NHS to support long-term health conditions:

https://myhealth-devon.nhs.uk/local-services/hope-programme

These books have provided a wealth of information:

The Long Covid Handbook - Gez Medinger & Professor Danny Altman

Breaking Free from Chronic Fatigue & Long Covid Symptoms - Jan Rothney

Suzy Bolt is a yoga teacher, who's been helping people recover from long covid since 2020. She runs courses and has a community on Facebook:

Meditation for gentle covid recovery with Suzy Bolt

The Future

I will report back once I'm further along on my healing journey, but for now I will keep this short, as I've been pushing through for too long.

A friend with fybromyalgia and chronic fatigue told me years ago, that if I continued the way I was going, I could end up with the same condition, and she was right.

The only true way to prevent illness is to listen to your body and mind. They are always speaking to you...the very thing I've been teaching for over decade, but only now am I listening.

Don't do what I did and wait until you're forced to slow down. Look after yourself and put yourself first. It's your choice, no one else is going to make it for you.

Remember, you are as important as the next person, so take care of yourself and let tomorrow be the first day of the rest of your life.

I'll leave you with this poem by Layla Aylin that decribes it so beautifully:

How brave you are for slowing down. For not finishing that to-do list.

How courageous you are for not crossing that finish line, because your body said “enough.”

How fearless you are for choosing the quiet of your soul over those voices driving you always towards more.

How bold, how rebellious - you, out there, honouring your own natural rhythm, going against the culture’s breakneck speed.

We tend to make heroes of those hungry with ambition, relentlessly doing, producing always more.

We applaud those who refuse to stop or rest. Who push themselves so hard in the name of achievement, that they sacrifice their body and soul and heart in the process.

We celebrate those who are ill or ageing but never show it, never slow down, never reveal a moment of vulnerability.

This drivenness can be heroic, at times. It can be necessary for our survival or the greater good.

But, I want to make heroes of those who slow down.

I want to make heroes of those who listen to their bodies, who do not strive for more than what the soul truly needs.

I want to make heroes of those who do not force or push, but surrender to each moment as it opens.

I want to applaud those who may not be driven towards success as we know it, but instead are nurturing something deep and subtle and needed.

I want to celebrate those brave enough to cease all doing, even for a second, and sit with the ache in their hearts. A task many find harder than summiting the highest peak.

I want to make heroes of those who honour their limitations. Who are unable to keep up with the busy-ness of our times, yet show up to each profound, necessary moment.

It is truly an act of courage and rebellion to do any such thing, in a world demanding you resist your own self, your own rhythm, your own soul.

And the paradox is, that often when we cease our incessant doing, even for a minute, and listen to that quiet voice within, we discover what it is we absolutely must do, and what instead can fall away.

We finally hear the call towards what serves our soul, and what then will serve the world. Nothing more, nothing less.

A hero is simply someone brave.

So come, be softly brave.

Be a new, quieter kind of hero.

Few may applaud, it’s true, but your soul certainly will.

www.leylaaylin.com

In the Light of Consciousness

Even when the outside world is going crazy, we needn't be effected if we have a strong connection with our inner world. Regardless of what's happening in the outer world, our experience of life is determined by our state of consciousness...in other words how we feel inside. The outside world literally changes in accordance with how we think and feel inside. If we allow ourselves to be sucked into everything we're being fed across all media, then we will suffer. But if we focus on our inner world, we will free our mind of the thoughts that keep us locked in a state of fear and anxiety. The world is going crazy, there's no doubt about that, but we actually have a choice as to whether we'd like to participate in this madness. If we instead choose to concentrate of cultivating a strong connection with our inner world, that doesn't mean we're sticking our head in the sand, it means we're choosing the most effective survival tool and one that will make us stable and strong, so that we can change this world for the better and help those around us NOW, in this moment because this moment will effect every future moment. But you might be thinking, "I don't have time to sit around mediating or practicing yoga when there are more important things to be concerned with right now. I need to think about what's happening in the world because what if? And that's exactly the problem. Most of our concerns are about things that haven't even happened, so we are worrying about the scenario of the possibility of them happening. How about instead we cross that bridge if and when we come to it? The only place you can truly feel safe and secure is within The only place you will find the ultimate Truth is within The only place you will find all the love and support you need is within EVERYTHING that we're looking for is within us... But don't take my word for it, try it and experience it for yourself. Imagine suspending your thoughts and floating in the light of your own consciousness...like lying on a fluffy cloud, weightless, comfortable beyond imagination and without a care in the world.... This experience is available to you right now. You just have to find a quiet place, light a candle, sit with a straight spine (on a chair or the floor) and breath. Relax. Observe your breath. Repeat an affirmation e.g: "I am submerged in eternal light. It permeates every part of my being. I am living in that light. The Divine spirit fills me within and without" (Paramahansa Yogananada) Sit in silence. Breath. Relax. Just be. Sitting for 15 minutes every day will change your experience of life. Problems find natural solutions. Things start to work out more and more in your life and situations that seemed problematic, turn out to be blessings in disguise. Negative emotions no longer rule your life You will find freedom inside of you The more you practice, the better you will feel Instead of living in the darkness of our minds, let us choose to live in the light of our consciousness by staying connected to the unshakable source of strength, love and support that resides inside each and every one of us.

Navigating Through Fear & Anxiety

It's very easy at this time to be sucked into the fear and feel overwhelmed with anxiety, but how we feel, depends on the choices we make. Right now, more than ever we need to discern between what is enhancing our mental and physical well-being, and what is diminishing and challenging it. We need to monitor how much news we expose ourselves to, what kind of films/series we're watching, how we're spending our time, who we're communicating with and how we're nourishing our bodies and minds. Making choices that serve your well-being will change your experience from fear and anxiety to acceptance and gratitude. But how is it possible to feel peace during such a time? By making conscious choices and moving inwards... When we go deep enough inside of ourselves, we cannot feel fear because it doesn't exist beyond the mind. Our inner world is like the ocean beneath the waves, always calm despite the threatening tumultuous waves above. If we allow ourselves to be victims of our circumstances, we will feel battered and lost, but if we dive down, we find we are immune to what's happening on the surface and our negative thoughts and emotions fall away.

Inside of us is something truly beautiful. It cannot be put into words, because it is beyond the mind, but it is a magical place that will give you all the love, protection and comfort that you need. It's always there, but we are so caught up in our minds and the outer world that we cannot hear the stillness that exists inside of us. And it is in this space of inner stillness that we need to be spending more time than ever before. How can we access this space? By communing with nature, through silent meditation, guided meditation, chanting, yoga, enlightening literature, documentaries and listening to spiritual teachers. Inside of us is the doorway to AWAKENING our consciousness. When we begin to understand who and what we really are, we have an inner knowing that everything is happening exactly as it's supposed to. There are no accidents, only serendipity and things no longer happen TO us but FOR us. Basically, we cannot lose when we're connected to our inner world. So what choices are you going to make today for your health and well-being? Remember, our feelings and emotions directly affect everyone around us, so the choices we make are not only for ourselves, but for our loved ones. Choose wisely and look after yourselves.