Five Psychological Strategies to Help You Deal with Long Covid | With Dr Sally Riggs 

Can u imagine my state of mind after having CFS for 23 years ? I have been in some deep dark holes that I never wanted to come back out of .If I did not have kids ...they r the only thing that has kept me going. I would def have hit that button u talked of, not doubt abt it. . It is the most horrendous syndrome/disease that robs u of any kind of quality of life. YOUR CHANNEL IS AWESOME GEZ. YT gives me hope, but my life is sh*t. I can hardly even see my kids now. I cannot travel. I hardly leave the house. . The medical profession have not helped me one iota. Not one. U do such a great job as being a voice for LC and by default CFS/ ME.

Going through long covid myself almost 7 months in now. For anyone who’s also going through long covid I’d recommend taking breaks from social media deactivate your accounts mentally this can be a good way to really just focus on recovering rather than feeling like everything is passing you by.

"LC has taught me an ability to be OK with just being, as opposed to doing". Absolutely. Especially after ANOTHER bastard relapse. Thank you for this.

Gez. THANK YOU. You have been there for us all, I hope I speak for everyone in this community that we are there for you too, if only virtually.

Thanks to Sally and Gez for sharing just how tough the bad patches of complex chronic illness (be it LC or ME or other medically marginalized illnesses) can be --- the community needs more health care workers sharing their LC and ME experiences in order to stop the embedded harm / gaslighting endemic in health care.

"Every old injury I ever had was there again," Wow - she's so, so riight. This is do true, and it's especially an issue for those of us who have been highly athletic in our lives. Exactly. It's so wonderful to hear someone acknowledge this.

Totally agree with Ella.. thank you for everything Gez. Slowly recovering here (March 2020) I think we will get there one day 😊

Thank you greatly for putting my life into words. It was a lonely 24 months until I found you all.

It is BRUTAL you get a bit better then you go downhill again you get no medical help and get left to deal with it yourself 2 years 33 years old every day is a struggle so many people ending there life due to no help its a joke

My mental anguish was during the 1st phase of what I later found out was long covid. For a couple of months I was trying to work out what the hell was wrong with me, all the myriad of symptoms that I couldn't understand how or why they occurred. I am still perplexed what actually happened as I tested negative in the March, the Dr did tests and they all came back ok and it was me who suggested it might be long covid. I am now slowly returning to my bike rides and so far touching wood seem ok. My best wishes to you and all who are still suffering from this.

Well done on another great video! I'd caveat "listen to your gut" with "but recognise if you're making excuses". Because my quality-of-life turned a corner when I became much more strict with myself (about daily meditation and breath work). It can all feel like a chore, especially when my symptoms flare. But I think my crashes used to be much worse because I would be prematurely defeatist towards the practices that help me whenever they got tough. Obviously, this doesn't apply to everyone, know your own mind and body!

I’m sure low histamine and meditation really was my turning point to help me recover . I was in fight flight a lot even before covid and so this has helped immensely over all and still do now .

Gez should be up there along with Chris Witty and Van-Tam in new year honour's!

This could’ve been titled strategies to deal with fibromyalgia or any chronic illness which leaves you unable to do what used to come so naturally. There is a grief to your loss. Then after acceptance (or at the very least acknowledgement) we find out way out of immobilisation - and you are spot on in the video it really isn’t - one size fits all solution, back towards wellness. What I haven’t heard before so powerfully expressed is to listen to your gut. In the beginning we are so helpless and vulnerable we will be grateful for any help. I’ve reached the stage now where I’ve empowered myself and found what helps me. There are lots of free resources but sometimes treatments cost. Luckily the pandemic has meant no holidays so my tip do your research and think about investing in your health. Thanks for this video. It’s very helpful. PS I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in 2018.

I feel pretty fine, don't know anymore what a relapse is. My insomnia is totally gone, all I have left is some headaches and the fact that I feel sleepy most of the time but that might be just me, lol. I still don't feel 100% after an year but I am getting really close to it.

I’m so sorry to hear about relapses over Christmas and New Year. I hope everyone manages to regain “the ground” and recover; going from strength to strength. Thanks for the video - as ever, giving support and hope to those of us who feel alone dealing with all this. Here’s to a Happier and Healthier New Year, everyone! 🥂

Thank you so much, I needed to hear this. I’m 8 weeks post covid and unable to work, struggling with breathlessness, fatigue and chest pain. No one really understands unless they are going through this themselves physically and mentally. Its a very dark lonely place at times.

This video came at just the right time for me. After a battle between my will and my body I had to admit that I was too fatigued and dysautonomic today to go for my booked session at the pool. Again. I lay on my bed with all the comments of how much swimming had helped others, the progress people have made by slowly building up their swim sessions running through my head and a longing to 'do something' that will help me progress, rather than lie here doing nothing as life drifts by. I'm an incredibly optimistic and hopeful person the vast majority of the time, but in these moments it's hard for the mind not to wander to memories of what has been lost - The climbing, the cycling, the adventuring, the freedom, and after almost 2 years not to beat yourself with 'what am I doing wrong to still be in this'. 5 minutes in and listening to your body is being encouraged and celebrated. Aknowledging that this is emotionally painful and sometimes feels hopeless, but that's how it is and it's ok - i'm really grateful for hearing that. So thanks Jez and Sally, and good luck to both of you for the remainder of your recovery. I'm sure we will all get there, and have learnt a lot along the way :)

Thank you and Dr. Riggs for this. Had COVID February 2020. Long covid since. Almost 2 yrs of "what's wrong with me?" Thank you for helping my understand.

Such an important and validating interview - thank you! So important to acknowledge all emotions, and "being ok with just being", hits home. There's a big culture of toxic positivity around which can be really demotivating for those struggling.

Thank you for this. The hardest part of this has been trying to exercise to reduce stress, and the exercise causing so many other issues.

This was helpful for me. I'm so angry about what has happened to me. First I struggled with diabetes type 1 for a decade since my 20s, then I got vestibular neuritis, and now this long covid. Sometimes I just feel so tired from fighting to live a normal life and I feel like my body shuts down on me. I worked so hard for my masters degree and now I have no energy to work. I'm so fearful as the PEM episodes seem to get more frequent and more intense. I often fear going backwards. I go to therapy and my therapist tells me not to focus on my symptoms but I feel that is like walking with a nail in my foot. Sometimes I cry on the phone to my mom and I noticed I can feel a little better afterwards. Maybe it's just relieve, I'm not sure. I just can't get to building up my life as I'm for so long slowed down by my health struggles.

Thank you.....silent tears.

Many thanks to you both. Helpful, practical, insightful words. And thankful that you have both been serious runners so clearly identify with that loss.

You give me comfort knowing I'm not the only one. I too relapsed massively all Christmas and spent the day in bed ..I'm still finding this so hard . All your advice and tips are just fantastic . Thank you for your transparency and honesty. I really get what you both said about not being able to give to others . I am naturally very sociable and love to help others but I know I just can't ATM other than for my two children . What would us long haulers do without you as our advocate ? Happy New Year and let's hope some treatments are on the horizon. The BC007 drug sounds promising doesn't it !

Thanks so much for this interview it really helps a lot. I’m a sufferer of long Covid since the first wave and I have recovered quite a bit with time but still got relapses until about 3 months ago. I was getting done for work and as I was having a cup of coffee on the sofa and chatting to my wife I suddenly got this overwhelming feeling of impending death, shortness of breath and chest pain. I got up and went to my room and mentally prepared myself for death. As my wife came in she held me and I balled my eyes out for a solid 5 mins. The amazing thing is I felt a lot better afterward. It was a big turning point for me and made me realise that even though I physically felt sick, my vitals were always good (BP, heart rate and blood oxygen sats and ECG) , a big factor causing the long haul Covid symptoms are psychological. I watch less news, deleted some social media apps and started being more mindful of who I spend my time with. People who are toxic in nature or zap my energy would often trigger Covid long haul relapses.

I've watched many videos about long covid and this was the first one that really hit home on the psychological front of dealing with this. Thank you so much for preserving and providing this valuable information. I also appreciate that neither of you sugar-coated the dark periods. I know them all too well, this past year has been hell dealing with my health issues, my dog's health issues, and having to come to the decision to put her out of her misery, and losing my father who had dementia so bad he didn't recognize me. I hope to never repeat another year like this again.

Thank you for posting this and your other videos. My wife has been suffering with long covid for almost 18 months, she went from running everyday to having to us having to use a wheel chair when we go to doctor appointments. This video really helps me understand her better.

Gez, once again I can't possibly express the depth of gratitude I have for you doing these videos. You're the single most valuable resource I've found. I hate to think where I'd be without having your channel to keep me going. I've got some caring people around me, but they just have no idea what it's like.

Thanks for all the stuff that you've put on you're channel, it's really helped. I had covid March 2020 had lots of ups and downs since then. I eventually managed to get up to working 8 hours a day sept 2021, loads of confidence then crashed mid October and had to have another 6 weeks off. Slowly building the hours back up now. But the process is definitely helped with all your research. Just looking forward to the day when I can strap my surfboard to the roof rack and go looking for some waves.👍

Thank you so much Gez and Dr.Riggs, This is so been my journey. I thought I’d cracked it over Christmas but crashed straight after. I will certainly be using your tips to help my recovery 🙏🏼

Thanks for these videos. 3 months in and still can't find an effective way to manage my situation but all the tips and people's stories help me as I feell less alone. I often think Iam going mad with the symptoms I have. Then I watch your videos and people say exactly what I am feeling and convey it better than I ever could.

I had a very similar Christmas. At my sons house with extended family and just became too fatigued and had to go upstairs and laydown. Even after that I still ended up cutting the evening short and went home. It felt awful, but had this long enough to know that pushing yourself only ends up costing you later.

Thanks Gez, another really helpful video, awful to hear about your relapse over Christmas but kind of reassuring for me as I also had one, it was a very sociable time with friends and family then a relapse after a walk (I have gone same distance previously). I hadn't considered the energy I was using and overdid it, I felt low and negative about ever recovering, somehow hearing other people's similar experiences helps! I can tell when I am not in parasympathetic mode as I wake up suddenly and heart rate increases dramatically, square breathing helps sometimes. Thanks again, hope you are improving after your relapse.

Hopefully we are going to have a greater population of emotionally aware and strong people ! I think this is one potential positive outcome of the pandemic!

This was such a great great video. You were the first person I found talking about long covid back in July of 2020. Mostly recovered now, but it was a great help to find you then. So many great insights from you and your guest. It can be such a dark time and a dark experience.

Where do I start ,where do I stop,who do I believe and who do I trust - Simples - YOU Gez - besides listening to my own body YOU are always SPOT ON and THANK YOU once again for a very informative, validating and comforting clip. Happy New year 🥳 to everyone of us long haulers - We're not alone.

She is absolutely right! Give yourself permission to do what you need to for yourself. My husband always says, Just take a breath. It's okay to do ;,x or ;,y , or just lie there. My big outlet as a Christian is talking to Jesus about everything, knowing there is no condemnation, and Hubby is wonderful support.

Note to self: this is the bit; 29:35. Gez, I think this might be the most helpful film you've made yet. Stay strong, everyone. There's light at the end of this tunnel.

Sounds like Christmas was a bit much for the long haul massive 🤕👍 I was exactly the same , being around family 24/7 is cognitive overload , great video gez as always , thank you 😁👍

Thank you so much for this video. I cried most of the way through it. I’m coming up on 2 year myself. This is so hard. I am going to try these ideas.

Thank you for this, Gez. After being stable at 90% of healthy baseline for months, I now suffer a relapse after a traumatic emergency surgery right before xmas. The relapse came on very slowly making me think I was free of this illness once and for all even after all that stress... how naive. I am beginning to embrace the "nervous system approach" to this illness, but even if I've not seen terrific improvement as of yet, it certainly has not made it worse. It is what it is and I'll keep going. Thank you for holding on, and a happy, healthier new year to you🖤

You and your videos has been a life savour for me during my long covid. Thank you once again.

the mental coping about your limitations is torture. To add to the stress I saw a neurologist at a long covid clinic in July and he is working me up for lewy body dementia. Can't get me in for more testing for 5 months to rule out the lewy body. trying to cope with this is so hard. I understand your euthanasia button comment I so agree. In my case that button would have been pushed.

Thank you Gez and Dr Sally. I'll need to listen again when I feel more alert, but simply naming the 3rd state, immobilization, is SO important for accepting it calmly and developing a different strategy for that phase. ❤

I think this is by far and away the best LC video you have done - and much respect to you for your honesty in this one. Would also now like to see you do a vid on the Vagus Tens experience

Thanks, Gez and Dr. Riggs. I already have a consultation lined up with a SSP practitioner. That particularly strategy really resonates with me. So THANK YOU!!! I know these strategies are not "cures" but my mantra for 2022 is to optimize both my immune and nervous systems to support my body's ability to heal. It may or may not be possible without a medical intervention that has yet to be proven (e.g. BC 007, HELP aphresis, IVIG, MAB) but until it's clearer what the pathophysiology is in my body .. I'm going to try. Acute COVID March 2020, Long COVID round 1 May-October 2020 -- recovery/remission -- round 2 Long COVID reactivated by V May 1, 2021 - present day.

Yet another brilliant contribution to the recovery protocol for Long Covid. How l underestimated exactly how much it has cost you personally to keep going in order to not only get well yourself but to strive towards releasing others from the destructive misery that this illness can foist upon its victims. I take my hat off to you. and. Sally! 🎩☺️

True true true. Mahalo for these videos. It's been trying with doctors and even friends family members. My core group of. believers of long covid are slim to none and listening to you guys talk about this is reassuring. As I leave this comment I'm curled up inflamed Hating life wishing for a heal button to press and prayi g for end of this feeling. I was so active running, work out etc now not much. I lost my gigs performing due to this as well as people seems to me keeping me at a distance because long covid is thought as all in your head so I must be crazy. Great ideas always on your show. Keep up the great job keeping hope and actual practices to keep moving forward in Positive direction. Aloha Bolo

Thank you for your videos Gez! I greatly appreciate your time and efforts in bringing people suffering from Long Haul such great, real information and free resources! Some of us aren’t able to work and with everything being so expensive including medications, supplements, tests, doctors and specialists, this is very much appreciated!

Thank you so much for the work you do Gez. Your vulnerability and honesty in this video was very moving and powerful. We have probably seen you as a long covid superman, getting all the research done, making films etc, and yet you have been struggling too, and this video reminds us of that. Remember that you are doing great things for the LC community, but relax too, and look after yourself. Sharing with groups in NZ. 😊

I am so glad I found your page ❤️. I have been following you for6 weeks now and I love the information you share. I was diagnosed with covid in September 2021 I didn’t realize I had long covid until I tried to go back to work in November. It has been a journey every since. Thank you for all you share your videos have help me to accept, to understand and find some type of hope. I pray for your full recovery and many others as we travel this journey together. Keep sharing thank you

Thank you so much for this. My long covid is from the vaccine but the impact is the same. Great strategies I can use.

Thank you Gez: for being so publicly vulnerable and putting out such a belter post-Xmas. As well you’ve gone through and replied to folks which is really really touching! I too had the mother of all Christmas crashes, but though it was more painful than usual, it was shorter. I’ve noticed recently that a physical exertion crash is less painful and delayed 24+hrs (going to the hospital for a scan but not talking to anyone), whereas an emotional one (phone call to benefits people, or having relatives round at Xmas) is immediate and vicious and much shorter. Nowadays I can kind of reset to baseline after one of these by the next morning. It could be that I’m working with a Reiki practitioner now and she tells me I’m doing better at being thankful (she’s one of the practitioners from the NHS Medic Care programme looking after staff suffering burnout and doing a clinical trial of Reiki treatment ). I can’t access sound-based stuff so I don’t think this music therapy is appropriate right now but feel like the Reiki is similarly moving things forward for me. The five principles of Reiki are: Just for today, do not worry. Just for today, do not anger. Just for today, be grateful. Just for today, do your chores gracefully. Just for today, be kind to all living things.

Wow, exactly my experience when long-haul hit me, too. Comforting to hear ...it made me feel confident in what I experienced and experience still wasn't somehow imagined. Freeing - Thank you.

This was very informative about the immobilization phase! I have been struggling since Jan 2021 and thought I had quite the opposite of fatigue for many months, dealing with mainly mania and insomnia/neurological issues. These would result in a crash, which I called simply “going numb” or feeling “dead inside.” Being a person who in the past would use journaling, breathwork, meditation, yoga, workouts, reading etc to cope, I was so helpless with not understanding why my brain/emotions/gratitude/compassion/connection were just absent during these relapses. Dr. Riggs explaining the third level being immobilization helps me understand my process so much more now. I have had a hard time explaining to others why I didn’t reach out or respond to them like I normally would or do the things I would normally do to feel better. Even listening to soft music in my early days was too much sensory overload. Now I see that this was my reason. Running manic in sympathetic mode for so long was causing me to crash right into numbness. On a positive note, I am now able to listen to music again and will be looking for a playlist from you two soon😁 Oddly enough, the first style of music I was able to incorporate back into my life was any form of “oldies.” Particularly Vietnam era music! Strange, right??

Watching this video gave me great comfort. Thank you both for what you do! I am a lucky one. Been dealing with this since Feb. 2020 but after my first vaccine I began to recover. I have had a long difficult journey but I do see a light. Your video gave me validation and hope for my future and all the other people suffering from this horrible virus.

Trust your gut !!!! I've just been gaslit yet again by a new gp. I tried to explain that prior to covid I could teach 30 kids and multitask , I was a fully functioning human and lone parent with two kids and now I can't play a simple game with my kids without overload . I was told I was suffering anxiety . I have physical brain throbbing , lack of focus, I can't concentrate or remember things . I explained I couldn't even have Christmas with my family where I feel happy and loved and yet again it's all put down to anxiety because the symptoms are similar . All this new research about blood vessels, oxygen depletion and mini clots doesn't seem to be listened to . I am at a loss as to how to stay rational and sane when some GPS are dismissing us as having anxiety ! . No I have long covid and haven't been able to work for a year .

Great advice! I personally still have a hard time pacing myself when I finally can do a few things on a good day. On those moments i cannot even believe i'll ever relaps again. Yet a few hours later I can be this immobilized wreck again, with also a totally reversed mindset. I never before had the mental part change so quickly. And I don't seem to learn/change by trial an error. Is there any advice on this? Should you definitely hold back on good moments or is it ok to do whatever you can on those days because your body (and mind) tells you you can? Thx in advance. Your video's have been the best out of all I've seen and heard during my 23 month recovery!!

This is a very, Very, VERY validating presentation for me. And so very helpful for me. I had COVID-19 in March 2020, with cardiac and digestive symptoms that just never went away, crushing fatigue and neurological problems.My life as I had known it as an active and social 75 year old came to a screeching halt for the past nearly two years. So thank you both for this validating presentation. I was traumatized a year ago by a doctor who screamed at me that I never had COVID. I TOLD HIM WHERE HE COULD GO AND HE NEEDED TO TALK WITH MY cardiologist, endocrinologist and ENT. I thank you both for your help. Suggestions are spot on. Very interested in hearing more about vagus nerve self treatment.

Thanks Gez, The head games Long Covid plays are so insidious. I can think how I would do something, but when I try it's a disaster. I'm fighting with acceptance of the fact my physical state may not improve anytime soon. Coming on to my two year anniversary, my normal Polly Anna cheerfulness is failing me and I am grieving. This discussion could not have come at a better time. Best wishes for the New You to you and all the Long Covid community.

Thank you - my 17yo daughter is sick and not able to attend school. Thank you for sharing

This video has been so helpful .I suffer with fibromyalgia which I've struggled with for 20 plus years (I have long covid too) . I've often found relationships under strain and constantly beaten myself up about it, as you can imagine it has had a negative effect on my mental health. I think listening to how you have been dealing with these issues such as not being believed, has helped me put things in perspective and not be as harsh to myself . I'm taking the advice to rest and maybe rethink a few relationships that have been fraught for sometime , thank you 😊

totally agree .. one step at a time .. a journey to recovering ! we all need to trust our gut !

This video, made me cry…you to put words into a so long , hard and lonesome journey.. so sorry to hear that I am not the only one who relapse after 2 years..my english is not very good and I miss the explanation of the machine you seems to have for the parasympathic / sympathic Gez. You said…alpha?. Were can I get one…? Thanks again really. You made a huge difference for me those past 2 years. Wishing you full recovery in 2022! 🙏✨

Oh wow great video. I feel better after I let my emotions out. This illness is a soul crusher.

I am so sorry you suffered like that on Christmas it's heartbreaking. Frequency and breathing is really helpful. Tapping therapy helps me too and so do long bubble baths meditation. Feel better ❤ again so sorry you suffered over the holidays.

Thank you for your outstanding gap-filler and effective work, helping so many people from all over the world (including myself in Budapest, Hungary). My COVID story: 1. Got sick in early November 2020 2. 4-5 days of severe flu symptoms 3. Lost sense of smell and taste for 12-14 days 4. Felt mostly recovered after 14 days, light breathing problems persisted 5. After 20 days of isolation, I have started doing on-line salsa classes and was ready to go back to teaching… 6. This was the turning point: out of blue, high pulse, tension problems, adrenaline rushes overnight and eventually a relapse have started 7. Was kept on sick leave by GP and got beta-blockers and Frontine for the heart, tension and pulse problems (felt it nearly killed me, I took them at night) 8. Major, severe insomnia followed for 4 weeks (throughout December I could not sleep more than 2 hrs a day) 9. Neurological problems developed, huge muscle pain, twingling feeling in my joints, trembling, major headaches, ’phantom smells’ (when stepping out of the house, air smelled like as if there was a swine farm next to us, I couldn’t stand the smell of certain foods, lost 7 kgs, smelled dog or cat urine in certain parts of the house etc.) - this is a very underrated part I would like to highlight. It can cause the first mental issues, because your family/environment starts telling you ’It’s all in your head’. 10. When paralysis, and inner fever, dermatological problems, hot flushes with trembling would not stop, I was taken to E.R. - they could not find anything 11. I needed to go back to teaching after 2 months, hardly could move, had no treatment in December 2020 whatsoever, there was no vaccine, hospitals were guarded by military in Budapest, basically, all my symptoms got psychologized and got 2 mg of Xanax and an antidepressant to cope with the problems saying ’I had panick attacks’ ! 12. I could not sleep at all, yet I had to be in the classroom at 7.30 AM I took the medication but with the knowledge how addictive and terrible both are for 2 weeks. I took me 6 months to taper down these horrible medications which were obviously not helping with long - Covid! I can say now with a clear mind that I was absolutely mistreated. My entire environment (doctor, pharmacist family were conviced I had ’mental problems’ because of quarantine and the virtual teaching that hit teachers and students, which I systematically refused. I still have the impression that doctors are using outdated protocols for diagnosis and are not fully educated on this topic. My recovery story: 1. I knew that I had no choice but to pull myself by the hair out of the water (as we say in Hungarian). 2. I had the luck to work with 4 specialists for 6 months: a) psychologist with GI background and psychiatrist that I insisted on because of the psychiatric drugs I was given to have somebody monitor it during the whole time b) a somnologist to help with sleeping and mindfulness c) massage therapist to help with body pain (once in every two weeks) 3. Apart from all the professional help I sought out, I insisted on the following things: 1) Systematic routine - waking up and going to bed, eating the same time 2) Fully limit screen time, after 10 years could finally read before falling asleep again 3) Taking high doses of Vitamin D, B 1-12, Zinc, Selenium, Magnesium, C, Collagen and a natural supplement based on mushroom extracts, ginseng and ginco biloba for brain fog 4) Drinking herbal teas with fresh ginger and garlic graded into, and organic honey and freshly squeezed juices, smoothies 5) Cooked my own food, kept a very healthy diet based on fresh and organic food (mind you, I was hybrid teaching, hence a more flexible timetable allowed me to do all this) 6) Have conscientiously decided that I want to raise my child, go back to work and go back to normal, for a mother tiger it is a huge motivation 7) I went back to 12 hours of hybrid teaching, where I would try to pick up a normal life somehow (husband drove me to work, picked me up like a bag of potato, told kids and colleagues that I could not carry things, do certain things and asked for consideration, taught with legs up on a chair etc.) 8) I have done 30-40 minutes of guided meditation everyday 9) First 10 than, 20, than 40-60 minutes of gentle walks with a community of dog owners every day, on fresh air and sunlight (in the winter it was a crucial factor) 10) Picked up socializing (either by sending videos, calling everybody), trying to get positive energies and support anywhere I could 11) If I couldn’t move, insisted on 10-15 minutes of laying on the balcony listening to good music and just „drinking” the good energy of the sun 12) yoga with Adriene (check out her RU-vid channel) for breathing exercices, yoga for muscle, joint pain, and the terrible headaches 13) stimulating acupressure points, looked it up on the internet to help with headache, restimulating my brain 14) Lots of gentle physical things, cuddling, hugging with loved-ones helped with oxytocin levels and with the worst nightmare pulse and heart palpitations to calm down, my dog’s physical closeness and insticts were really helpful 4) Got the Sputnik V vaccine in March and April 2021, felt much better, in fact, by the summer my 21 year-long ragweed allergy was cleared miraculously 5) Watched Gez’s videos that were the first breakthrough in my eduction of the subject and for somebody finally validating what was going on with me! The hardest part was to get off Xanax and the antidepressant which I was very mad for treated with, but with the horrible insomnia I had no choice. I had to learn how to eat, walk and commute in the city again. I got back my life in the summer of 2021 slowly, and thanks to my lovely family, I could move to a new place and make life-altering changes to put this nightmare behind. I am also trying to keep up with all the above, although not entirely, as we are back to full-time teaching and the stress is not going anywhere. If all fails, my best advice would be to spend as much time out on fresh air and sunlight, we always underestimate the effects of these two simple things. Gez, one more time, I would like to thank you for all the authentic reasearch, information and education you put out to the world. Another gift to a Hungarian follower is your lovely, clear, very intelligent English which is also great to listen to! Lots of positive energy, faith and strength to you and to all still struggling, Kata from Hungary

Best yet....Ive run myself ragged following every idea/treatment/supplement....now Im going to follow my gut.....thanks Gez .....for keeping going even when youve been as unwell as we all have....

Misdiagnosed with epilepsy at onset, I found a new helpful Dr and Cymbalta. I returned to work for 4-1/2 mos and got Covid again. Another 5 day med triggered memory of dreams and nightmares so bad I was hoarse for a week from screaming during one. I have great ideas, then forget them as I try to write them down.

What a wonderful video, hope that it reaches as many people as possible and that it helps whoever needs a guide! Thank you for sharing :)

Thank you Gez another good article no surprise. I had long covid since March 2020 and while the physical aspect has been debilitating and exhausting, I noticed as time went by the mental issues have started to become more and more problematic and harder to deal with, sometimes even more so than the physical. I hope you devote more time in future to talk about this.

have coped with symptoms of fatigue, pain, brain fog, insomnia daily for 14 years. diagnosed with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. dismissed by the medical community b/c no definitive tests to diagnose. have been told symptoms were due to having epstein barre virus at some point. it definitely affects your mental health. doctors have told me i have the symptoms b/c of depression.

What a fantastic video, it’s very affirming to hear a specialist talk through what to do when it gets tough. Sometimes I don’t want to be a zen little master, I want to be grumpy and lay in bed. Thanks for your continued work, we WILL recover

In an important way the current outlook for long COVID patients is worse than that for many cancer patients. Most cancers have a typical recovery or death period - in a year or two it will be mostly over one way or another. Long COVID patients don't see more than a glimmer in the darkness. Kudos to Gez and the other warriors who are changing that.

Best interview yet Gez! Wishing Sally and you a better health in 2022. I have had to make some very hard decision in order to getter better from long COVID. I am not the same person as before Covid and never will be. But listening to Sally and Gez, I know we are on the right track with recovery, however slow and grinding it may be. I feel better but still have to accept that relapse can be around the corner any time, any day. My best wishes to the community out there and thanks again for your wonderful interviews.

Very timely Gez. A lot of us (including me) have had a tough time over Christmas. Sending you psychic healing wishes for the new year.

Oh my word, spot on, more pieces in the jigsaw. Sorry to hear that you have had another relapse, please take care, be kind to yourself.

Sorry to hear about the relapse Jez, they are so demoralising. Thanks to both of you for this piece and I was struck once again by how many of us were runners before Covid. Hanging on to the dream that 2022 may see me putting the running shoes on. Meanwhile it’s yoga and walking for me both of which are lovely but…….

Where do I start and who do I trust is exactly where I am at. It’s frustrating. I’ve had to step back quite a few times. Really can relate to her!

I'd like to add that many (most?) of us are being exposed to Omicron right now, which is much more subtle than previous variants but can definitely stir the pot back up and re-ignite some of the 'dormant' symptoms we may have progressed through. I became sick right after Christmas and wasn't able to access a test (big problem in the US), but I strongly suspect this is the case as my brainfog returns to levels I've not experienced in over 6 months. I've developed a persistent headache that I didn't have with the first Covid infection (pretty much the ONLY symptom I didn't experience last time, although I didn't develope severe respiratory illness - dysautonomia was and remains my primary challenge). So keep in mind that subsequent exposures may be contributing to backslides. One of my strategies is to compare current state to the worst days, which I've not come close to in a long time. It's hard not to be anxious about returning to full debilitation, but we must keep the faith in order to heal.

The human connection is so important but so most ppl don’t understand this illness. We need support groups, anyone interested?

Gez! Perfect timing!! Really needed to hear this today after also missing Christmas and in bed til yesterday!!! Really awesome. So encouraging ❤️Thank YOU!!

The part in Section 5, around 29m 30s is SO wildly validating. I haven't had anything for anyone- not even a desire to describe what's going on. So I've isolated. I wish I could go somewhere for a couple of months and simply focus on healing.

Such a helpful video, thank you so much to everybody who has participated!

Thank you for this video. Thank you for shining a light on the strategies to tackle the low mindset moments. I needed this because yesterday I had a huge fatigue day. Thanks again!

I suffer from depression and anxiety and covid made it 10× worse i suffered for almost a year of long covid i had to stop vaping i stopped drinking caffeine and i take vitamins and CBD everday and i been doin some workouts and the last week and a half i have felt better then ever for first time in my life im feeling happy again

So true Sally.

Thank you both for taking the time be so honest and real in this amazing interview. I've seen how my mindset has shifted radically when I've had relapses. I knew that I wasn't able to access the parts of me that are grateful or feel joy but I didn't until now put together that it was because the freeze/immobilize response was preventing me from being able to access these parts of my brain and psyche. Super powerful stuff you guys. Thank you!!!!

Hi Gez - I think this is your best video yet so many thanks! I had been getting better from LC for months - back to exercise and running with no PEM, etc! Then crashed at Christmas - seems to be a theme for quite a few of us. Just physical, cognitive and emotional overload I guess. My main issue is insomnia and disrupted sleep which then impacts everything else. I would really really appreciate some practical advice on how to help recover from insomnia - not just the usual sleep hygiene / CBTi stuff that we all know about and doesn't cut it! Thanks again and wishing you a very happy and healthy 2022!

Thank you for another brilliant video and also for inviting questions for Dr Riggs. I'd like to ask if she has any advice specifically on dealing with the fear of dying during sleep which I and many others have developed since having long covid. Any help with this debilitating condition would be much appreciated!

I am really glad to listening to you because I know what are my physical problems that started after covid but also the fight and fly I am not really depressed and in denial but is very difficult to relax and breathe, insomnio and anxiety symptoms that I had before covid I am in therapy it's help but not enough and my physical health has been compromised and even when I am getting a little help from a Dr the symptom that is not letting me get better there is not help so I found myself knowing what I think I need and not getting help and no knowing where else to get it outside and that sometimes depressed me and make worry and feeling alone and being aware that certain things are in your hands but other not and not knowing what else you can do to get the help and if I find something is so expensive that I can't afford. I just bought a book about the vagal nerve and it comes with exercises I am going to start reading to see if that helps thank you so much for sharing and offering different ideas and suggestions how to help yourself in this particular moment of my life

This conversation was moving and affirming - I was anticipating the 5 tips, but didn't expect to find myself in tears, feeling extremely validated on some of the emotional and social aspects of the disorienting journey of going very quickly from a relatively privileged, healthy person to someone navigating chronic illness and aiming for recovery amidst a global pandemic. (I got sick in March 2020, right around the same time as you both, Gez and Sally - the long haul began in early July...). I'm so grateful for your ongoing long-Covid education and sharing, Gez - and Sally, I really appreciated your insights, reflections, and I'm deeply grateful that you'll be advocating from your role in the health care system: the gas lighting moments with a GP / health care professional have been surprisingly painful - like a kick and betrayal when you're already down. (I can tolerate people's not-knowing, but projecting that as blame and minimization back onto me felt so painful, infuriating, disrespectful and could sometimes trigger a feeling of greater isolation and helplessness). The concrete tips are helpful, I appreciated the polyvagal theory piece - and I resonate with the recommendations. It's kind of fascinating that a 'silver lining' of this illness (and I do NOT mean to put rose-coloured glasses on it, at ALL) seems to be that it's inviting many of us to learn to calm and settle our whole systems and have to reckon with deep, holistic healing and examine fundamental habits and patterns of living, in service of recovery - that turn out to have some transformative gifts that might not otherwise have been catalyzed, had we continued on with our old 'status quo' (which again, is not to minimize the losses and grief for some of the 'pre-Covid' privileges and experiences that may still be out of reach). Anyway, THANK YOU both and I look forward to Part II - and wishing all here a healthy New Year, peace and wellbeing. P.S. I also had a brief but TOUGH holiday relapse, and I see many people below did as well - what the heck exactly is going on with that?!

Excellent, thank you. Look forward to next Discussion.

Thank you very much for this public service work, it's amazing to see! I wanted to bring to your attention point 2 of the "tips". As a layperson I completely understand the need to simplify things -- making something sound difficult isn't going to help anyone try it -- but at the same time I think it's sometimes useful to clarify that something is indeed complex and care should be taken. In particular, I would love to see a little bit more discussion around "letting the difficult feelings out". I've found there are various stages and "classes" of feelings and some can be let out, some not, and that the duration is important as well. I wonder if it would be possible to elaborate on this further as I wouldn't be surprised if this is a key issue for a lot of us right now -- letting things out is impossible or perhaps could even be counter-productive sometimes.

Gez, another super helpful video which nailed a description of the problems associated with long Covid. The suggestions were expressed well and some were new to me. Dr. Riggs was great. SO sorry to hear you are still having severe relapses. But please, never doubt your purpose. You have helped so many of us more than you can ever know.

My daughter is 11. She got diagnosed with LC in September 2021. This is such a helpful interview. Thank you.

I can relate to the anger. I am so mad that those of us who are doing our best wound up with this additional WEIGHT on our bodies & souls. The imbalance of life. It's very painful

This video resonated with me on so many points and issues. Thank you so much. It made me feel seen and understood.

This really resonated with me. I cried thru most of the video. Would be very grateful if you could link me to that vagus gadget yr talking about. Hope this year is better.