JAN’s TOP TIPS if you have Long Covid and/or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome:
1: Know you can recover, just like thousands of other people. Unless you have been diagnosed as having permanent damage to organs, know there is no physical damage and your body will rebalance.
2: Let go of setbacks. When you notice symptoms or setbacks, simply become mindful and fascinated. Become an objective observer, noticing from a distance all these sensations going on (the reptile brain kicking in) and try to remain emotionally detached from anything that isn’t useful. Everything will pass when you let it go.
3: Notice the good signs. Become brilliant at noticing any green shoots of recovery, no matter how tiny, such as making a cup of tea, walking one step further, or that your body feels settled. Make the brain register that you ARE safe and capable, even when just ticking over.
4: Consistently practise being fearless, confident, joyful and calm, even if you only took one step. Be excited and uplifted. Never push through or do things feeling concerned, looking for threats, as this will just arouse your unhelpful chimp brain.
5: Practise the traffic lights procedure, using your gestures, posture, tone of voice and expression to: STOP the instinctive response and engage the higher brain to THINK you are safe, take control and then GO …
6: Do healthy exercises such as breathing exercises, gargle, sing, chant, meditate, swim, move, laugh, shake it out. Visualise yourself doing that anytime.
