Long Covid Podcast

I talk with Jacqui from New Zealand about dropping from a high-energy, ultra-active life into severe Long Covid, then building her way back to running, swimming and full work. Mel Abbott joins us to explain why calming the stress response comes before increasing activity, and how tools like breathwork, visualisation and emotional processing can change the trajectory. 

• Jacqui’s pre-illness pace as a high achiever and endurance athlete 
• Catching Covid during grief and prolonged stress, then dismissing the risk the second time 
• The slide into dizziness, dysautonomia and post-exertional malaise after pushing through 
• Hitting a severe crash, insomnia and becoming bedbound with full-time care needs 
• The first shift: education about the nervous system, threat responses and prediction loops 
• Practical regulation: frequent calming exercises, breathing, meditation and timers 
• Using visualisation to rebuild safety and confidence before returning to exercise 
• Gradual return to normal life: walking, driving, swimming, cycling and running 
• Handling setbacks and symptom flares by reducing fear and regulating stress 
• Maintaining wellness long-term with compassion, flexible movement and emotional tools 

Links:
https://www.curablehealth.com/ 
https://thesteadycoach.com/ 
https://unlearnyourpain.com/mind-body-syndrome/ 
Alan Gordon - The Way Out, 
Mel's website: https://empowertherapies.co.nz/
The webinar that Jacqui talked about: https://empowertherapies.co.nz/pages/webinar
The Switch Programme: https://empowertherapies.co.nz/pages/the-switch

Message me! (I can't reply to these messages)
For more information about Long Covid Breathing courses & workshops, please check out LongCovidBreathing.com

(music credit - Brock Hewitt, Rule of Life)
Support the show
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Long Covid Podcast is self-produced & self funded. If you enjoy what you hear and are able to, please Buy me a coffee or purchase a mug to help cover costs

Transcripts available on individual episodes here

www.LongCovidPodcast.com
Facebook Instagram  Twitter
Facebook Creativity Group
Subscribe to mailing list

I love to hear from you, via socials or [email protected]

**Disclaimer - you should not rely on any medical information contained in this Podcast and related materials in making medical, health-related or other decisions. Please consult a doctor or other health professional**

In this episode of the Long Covid Podcast, I explore one of the most common — and often most confusing — parts of recovery: overwhelm.
Overwhelm can feel like your whole system suddenly says “too much”:
too much noise, too many sensations, too many decisions, too many feelings, too much uncertainty. It can build slowly over time or arrive out of nowhere — and in Long Covid, ME/CFS, & other post-viral conditions, it often shows up faster and more intensely than before you were ill.
In this gentle, practical episode, I look at:
What overwhelm actually is
How overwhelm shows up in the body
Why overwhelm is so common in recovery
Reframing overwhelm as communication, not failure
Practical tips to avoid overwhelm, and to meet it when it hits
By the end of this episode, my hope is that you feel less alone, less confused by your own reactions, and more equipped with language and understanding that can help you navigate overwhelm with more compassion for yourself.

Links: 
Breath Awareness: https://insighttimer.com/LongCovidPod/guided-meditations/gentle-breath-awareness-from-loch-ness-with-waves 
Reset Button - 2 mins to tranquility: https://insig.ht/xee2ILEGaZb?utm_source=copy_link&utm_medium=live_stream_share
Gentle Somatic Tracking: https://insig.ht/Jlnf2P0w32b 
STOP: From Overwhelm To Ease: https://insig.ht/1UCyrM2w32b 
Amy Davies episode on Internalised Pressure: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1835170/episodes/19021956

Message me! (I can't reply to these messages)
Support the show
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Long Covid Podcast is self-produced & self funded. If you enjoy what you hear and are able to, please Buy me a coffee or purchase a mug to help cover costs

Transcripts available on individual episodes here

www.LongCovidPodcast.com
Facebook Instagram  Twitter
Facebook Creativity Group
Subscribe to mailing list

I love to hear from you, via socials or [email protected]

**Disclaimer - you should not rely on any medical information contained in this Podcast and related materials in making medical, health-related or other decisions. Please consult a doctor or other health professional**

We hear Lalita’s Long Covid recovery story, from tachycardia and air hunger to a steady return to health by focusing on nervous system safety. We share practical tools for regulating symptoms in the moment, plus the mindset shifts that make self-compassion possible when you’ve been dismissed or frightened. 

• Early signs after COVID including raised blood pressure, numb lips and fatigue 
• Second infection followed by tachycardia, dizziness, vertigo, chest tightness, brain fog and air hunger 
• Repeated emergency visits and the impact of being told it is anxiety 
• Understanding Dysautonomia and the autonomic nervous system as a unifying explanation 
• Combining nervous system work with naturopath-guided supplements and gut support 
• Using Bowen therapy, Craniosacral work and sleep practices such as yoga nidra 
• What bioresonance is and why some people use it to check for layers of stressors 
• Breathwork as the main anchor, including longer exhales and quick calming techniques 
• Stacking breath with tapping, somatic tracking and reassuring self-talk to build “proof of safety” 
• Emotional processing with body scans and EAET-style exploration of deeper patterns 
• A client case study showing how addressing stress and trauma can reduce symptoms fast

Links:
Lalita's Website: www.stressfreefast.com.au

Message me! (I can't reply to these messages)
For more information about Long Covid Breathing courses & workshops, please check out LongCovidBreathing.com

(music credit - Brock Hewitt, Rule of Life)
Support the show
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Long Covid Podcast is self-produced & self funded. If you enjoy what you hear and are able to, please Buy me a coffee or purchase a mug to help cover costs

Transcripts available on individual episodes here

www.LongCovidPodcast.com
Facebook Instagram  Twitter
Facebook Creativity Group
Subscribe to mailing list

I love to hear from you, via socials or [email protected]

**Disclaimer - you should not rely on any medical information contained in this Podcast and related materials in making medical, health-related or other decisions. Please consult a doctor or other health professional**

I'm joined by Pierre Brunschwig & Margaret Hampton as we explore how Chinese medicine and conventional western medicine can work together to treat Long Covid, where symptoms are complex and constantly shifting. We focus on subtypes, nervous system safety, immune recovery and the practical foundations that help people feel like themselves again.

• Why combining medical “languages” can fill treatment gaps
• Subtyping Long Covid and treating the person rather than the label
• The five foundations: sleep, diet, inner life, outer life and movement
• Acupuncture as a way to calm the nervous system and restore hope
• Adrenaline versus oxytocin and why safety enables healing
• Trauma, adverse childhood events and the role of somatic therapy
• Vagus nerve practices including breathwork, humming and self-soothing pressure
• Latent virus reactivation plus T cell exhaustion
• Rebuilding immune competence alongside antivirals and targeted therapies
• Building nutrient-rich blood, protein needs and why cooked food can help digestion
• Gut health basics including stomach acid support, H. pylori and probiotics
• Creating a care team that listens, pivots and fits your real life

Links: 
More about Margaret & Pierre and their work:
http://www.heliosintegratedmedicine.com

Message me! (I can't reply to these messages)
For more information about Long Covid Breathing courses & workshops, please check out LongCovidBreathing.com

(music credit - Brock Hewitt, Rule of Life)
Support the show
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Long Covid Podcast is self-produced & self funded. If you enjoy what you hear and are able to, please Buy me a coffee or purchase a mug to help cover costs

Transcripts available on individual episodes here

www.LongCovidPodcast.com
Facebook Instagram  Twitter
Facebook Creativity Group
Subscribe to mailing list

I love to hear from you, via socials or [email protected]

**Disclaimer - you should not rely on any medical information contained in this Podcast and related materials in making medical, health-related or other decisions. Please consult a doctor or other health professional**

We talk about how internalised pressure can keep the nervous system in threat mode and make recovery from Long Covid, ME/CFS and other health challenges harder, even when we are doing “all the right things”. We explore perfectionism, shame, and control, then land on practical ways to create space and choose small steps that help us feel a bit more okay. 

• what internalised pressure means and why it matters for nervous system regulation 
• why stress responses are meant to be short bursts, not a constant state 
• how external pressures differ from unconscious inner demands 
• perfectionism in recovery and how helpful practices become overscheduled 
• self-criticism, shame spirals and the idea of mental self-harm 
• stepping out of comparison culture and fear-driven fixing 
• learning to tolerate not knowing and loosening the need for control 
• using tiny actions and body-based cues to reduce overwhelm 

Links:
Connect with Amy: https://amydavies.co.uk/

Message me! (I can't reply to these messages)
For more information about Long Covid Breathing courses & workshops, please check out LongCovidBreathing.com

(music credit - Brock Hewitt, Rule of Life)
Support the show
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Long Covid Podcast is self-produced & self funded. If you enjoy what you hear and are able to, please Buy me a coffee or purchase a mug to help cover costs

Transcripts available on individual episodes here

www.LongCovidPodcast.com
Facebook Instagram  Twitter
Facebook Creativity Group
Subscribe to mailing list

I love to hear from you, via socials or [email protected]

**Disclaimer - you should not rely on any medical information contained in this Podcast and related materials in making medical, health-related or other decisions. Please consult a doctor or other health professional**