169 - The Roots Below: Five Essential Themes for Long Covid Recovery

Jackie explores recovery themes in today's episode, as she identifies five key themes that emerge across different healing journeys: consistency in daily practices, mindset that fosters healing, understanding what's happening in your body, building personal strategies, and creating a healing environment.

• Consistency means showing up daily for practices that help, even when progress feels invisible
• Mindset isn't about toxic positivity but creating biochemical conditions for healing through belief in improvement
• Understanding your body's responses and triggers makes interventions more effective and reduces fear
• Building strategies involves creating a personalized toolkit of what actually works for your unique body
• Creating a healing environment means being mindful about what you consume—food, media, thoughts
• Mental health support is crucial, not because illness is psychological but because chronic illness affects mental wellbeing
• Small 1% improvements compound over time into significant progress
• Recovery isn't about finding one miracle cure but assembling your own unique puzzle pieces

Have questions? Contact me through the fan mail function in show notes, social media, email or visit longcovidpodcast.com. Your feedback helps shape future episodes!

Links:

• Podcast feedback form: www.tinyurl.com/LCpodcastfeedback
• Dr Sarah episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1835170/episodes/15544786
• Dr Sanjay Gupta (the PoTS specialist) episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1835170/episodes/11374770
• My recovery story: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1835170/episodes/13235996
• Work with me page: https://www.longcovidpodcast.com/services-1
• Curable app: https://www.curablehealth.com/

Chapters

• 1:51 Welcome and Listener Questions
• 4:18 Five Recovery Themes Overview
• 5:43 Theme 1: Consistency in Recovery
• 7:07 Theme 2: Mindset and Healing Environment
• 10:35 Theme 3: Understanding Your Body
• 13:08 Theme 4: Building Personal Strategies
• 16:33 Theme 5: Creating a Healing Environment
• 20:23 Brain Training Discussion
• 24:00 Final Thoughts and Next Episode

Transcript

Jackie Baxter: 0:56

Hello and welcome to this episode of the Long Covid Podcast. Earlier this month, I asked if anyone had any questions that they'd like me to answer, and I got some really good ones. Not that there are any bad questions, but it is so useful to know what you, the listeners, want to know, as that can help to guide me in my episodes and my searches for guests and topics, so I'm going to answer some of them today. Previous questions have also formed the basis of past podcast episodes too, so if you've got something you would like to ask me, please drop me a message. You can do this by using the fan mail function linked from the show notes of every episode, by contacting me on social media, by email or through the website, which is longcovidpodcastcom. You can also give the podcast feedback by using the feedback form. I think it's linked from the website home page, but I will drop a link in the show notes of this episode too. This form can be completely anonymous if you wish it to be, and it is all useful to me. So let's dive in Now.

Jackie Baxter: 2:16

I'm going to start with a disclaimer. Every episode has a disclaimer anyway, but I am not a doctor and this is not medical advice. I'm not giving medical advice. What I am doing is speaking from my own lived experience, my professional knowledge in some areas where relevant, and what I have learned or observed from interviewing and speaking with hundreds of people over the course of my own long COVID recovery journey and through making this podcast. So a lot of the questions centred around recovery themes and the possibility of recovery. So that's what I'm going to speak to today. Everyone's recovery is different, of course, but there are themes, and quite obvious themes to me anyway. So the two questions I'm going to take as today's prompt and I think can largely be answered together, are number one given your extensive experience with recovered individuals, what would you say has been the one treatment intervention habit that leads to recovery? And number two, what is the common link between recovery stories? So I feel like that sets us off in quite a nice direction. Now, I don't think there is one treatment or intervention that leads to recovery. There's not one thing. Everyone is very different and therefore it's not as easy as saying, oh, just do this. I mean there's no, just in recovery anyway, and if there was just one thing, it would be really easy and everyone would be recovered by now, we think a long COVID or ME-CFS recovery journey is a very personal thing. It's very individual and it's about finding the things that work for you as an individual. What are the pieces of your puzzle? But don't lose hope, because that's where I come to recovery themes. So I've pulled together five themes which I think underpin all of the recovery stories that I have interviewed on the podcast and, I think, all of the ones that I've come across elsewhere too.

Jackie Baxter: 4:45

So theme number one consistency. Consistency means consistently putting in the work, whether it's a breath practice, whether it's journaling therapy, acupuncture or whatever it is that's helping you. Consistency doesn't mean pushing yourself. It means finding what you can do sustainably every single day and then doing it Even on the days when it doesn't feel like you're getting anywhere. I love that visualisation of the roots underground. It sometimes does the rounds on Instagram and Facebook and other social media channels. It's a picture of what's above ground a small plant that doesn't really appear to be growing, and then what's below ground, the roots that are growing, spreading, preparing. We put in the work and often a lot of it isn't visible, a bit like a lot of the illness isn't very visible to other people. But those roots eventually will allow the plant to grow. So all that effort that's felt unseen will eventually allow you to really feel it. So consistency, theme number two mindset.

Jackie Baxter: 6:12

So now I'm going to dive into the mindset debate now. I don't think that positive thinking alone is going to heal you. It's not so simple as turning that phone upside down and it's patronizing to say otherwise. However, mindset is important. Dr Sarah, who I actually met for real today, in her recovery story that we recorded around a year ago, she put this beautifully. She describes, and I quote if your cells are surrounded by all these stress hormones and all this fear and negativity, then it's not a very healing place for your cells to be bathed in. But if you can bath your cells with none of the stress hormones but more positive emotions, oxytocin and dopamine and all these things that your body releases when you're thinking of more positive things, things that you're grateful for, then the mind was thinking well, surely that's a better environment for recovery of my cells, and I love that. I think that's a really great way of putting it. So it's more about creating that healing environment.

Jackie Baxter: 7:29

I also think that belief is important Belief in recovery, belief in life beyond or, if you feel like that's too much of a stretch at the moment belief that things can get better, even just a little bit. So that's why one of my recovery themes is mindset. Belief that things will get better is going to help us to put in that consistent work. Back to theme number one. It's going to make it easier for us to look for things that will help. That's theme number three and four Search for the next piece of the puzzle. It helps us to mentally navigate the ups and downs of this illness, because no amount of positive thinking will iron out the peaks and the crashes. But knowing that it will pass and things will improve is a huge help when we're in that pit of awfulness and that's not denying heavy emotions. When they come up, it's important to give them space, but it's also a lot important to allow them to move through. I think this mindset also helps us to be open-minded about what might help.

Jackie Baxter: 8:44

So when I became unwell with long, with COVID and then long COVID, sorry in March 2020, I was very much of the opinion that doctors were akin to gods. You know, if we got sick, they fixed us. That had been my experience up until then. However, I was in for a bit of a surprise perhaps, like a lot of people who found that the doctors didn't have the answers, even if you were lucky enough to get one who would listen to you. And there are lots of wonderful empathetic doctors out there. Unfortunately, there are some who aren't. But even the really great empathetic ones, many of them still don't really know what to do. The things that I used to find my way out of long Covid were things that I would have roundly dismissed five years ago, and many doctors probably would too, even now. So I think being open-minded to what might help Just because it wasn't suggested by a doctor doesn't mean that it's not helpful. Of course we need to do our due diligence, but not dismissing something out of hand because it doesn't fit into your current worldview, because that can change. I know mine certainly did. Theme number three Understanding Until I started to understand what was going on in my body, I was doing all the wrong things.

Jackie Baxter: 10:20

Maybe some of us do some of the right things, but because we don't understand why we can do them in a way that isn't helpful or maybe isn't targeted. So we don't get the most bang for your buck, so to speak. And when we're low on energy, we want to get the most bang for your buck, so to speak, and when we're low on energy, we want to get the biggest bang for our buck. So starting to understand a bit more about the nervous system was a huge light bulb moment for me, because it allowed me to start to know what strategies might work and how to recognise that they were working or not. For example, if I was doing a breathing exercise that made me panic, then it wasn't helping. If I did it a little less, then maybe I hit the sweet spot and it allowed my body to come out of that danger response and into a calmer place.

Jackie Baxter: 11:11

Having some understanding of what's going on, even if you only believe it's a small piece of what's going on, is hugely helpful, and it also makes things feel a little scary, a little bit less scary. Long covid me, cfs and other health challenges are isolating and scary experiences. Well, they certainly can be, even if we feel that there's not a lot we can do about it. Understanding what is actually going on can bring down that sheer terror even just a notch, and that in turn will actually help our nervous system even just a little. And also understanding triggers what is it that tends to trigger us? Are we able to reduce or mitigate that at all? Understanding Knowledge is power, and understanding leads to number four. Theme number four build your strategies. Start to make a list. Explore different strategies.

Jackie Baxter: 12:24

Some people may find that medications fit into this, that they are strategies and they are helpful. I'm not against them at all. I didn't use any, but that was partly because I didn't have any access, so I didn't have a choice. Plenty of people have found that they are helpful, so long as we don't look to them as a cure, because they're not More of a bridge. In fact, my interview with Dr Sanjay Gupta, who I will link in the show notes, is a POTS specialist working in York in the UK, and he described medications as such a bridge. So if you're taking some medication that helps bring your heart rate down, for example, it doesn't mean that you'll be on it forever, but it might help you to be able to access other things that will help, that might then allow you to come off the medication again, always with the doctor's advice. Your strategies might be balancing hormones, it might be acupuncture, hyperbaric oxygen, diet strategies. For me, the first thing that helped me was breathing, but breathing in a way that worked for my body. So finding that first thing was so key.

Jackie Baxter: 13:43

I also think it's important not to dismiss the little things. Just because it's a small strategy doesn't mean it might not have a big impact. A lot of the recovery stories I hear are actually consistently doing the little things and that building up over time to have a bigger impact. So the little things add up to the big things. I think with all strategies, it's having a list. What works for me? Does it feel good in my body? If it doesn't, then it's probably not helping. No pain, no gain doesn't really work here. Are there times when it works and times when it doesn't? What's the pattern? Hint, it's probably related to your nervous system state. So have a list, some sort of routine or structure so you are able to be consistent, but make it work for you. The schedule that I've written for me won't work for you Because we are different.

Jackie Baxter: 14:52

Mental health also comes into strategies. I'm a big fan of having a therapist. They're amazing. I wish I'd had one all my life and I cannot imagine not having mine even now, nearly two years on from recovery. Mental health is so important. If we're having physical challenges, we will also have mental challenges, and having mental health strategies and support, whatever they are, for you will help us with everything I've mentioned so far. So please don't abandon mental health, because it's not all in your head. It's not all in your head, but mental health still matters.

Jackie Baxter: 15:38

And theme number five a healing environment. I think theme number five is being mindful about what we put into our bodies, so that might be physically, food, supplements, medications, hydration what is good for your body and that's your body, not someone else's, yours. Are you eating a lot of inflammatory foods? Are you cutting out foods that actually would be helpful? Are you doing a diet that someone said would help but you're not actually noticing any difference yourself? Are you taking 50 different supplements because someone on a Facebook group recommended them?

Jackie Baxter: 16:20

But also the air we breathe how are you breathing? Is it the best way for your body? Hint, probably not, which is why I do the work that I do. The breath is the fastest way to change the biochemistry of our body, and we can only survive approximately three minutes without oxygen. So our breath should be a priority.

Jackie Baxter: 16:46

But what are you consuming elsewhere? The people around you, the media you're watching or reading? Are you a member of 20 different support groups and you're seeing a lot of negative stuff every time you scroll Facebook. Are you scrolling Facebook too much? Could you mute some of those groups? Could you watch less news? The world is a scary place, but can you do anything about it right now? And is knowing actually helping?

Jackie Baxter: 17:17

A big recovery theme is consuming less media, or even none, and that doesn't mean that you can't come back to some of that in the future, but for now, maybe it would be help to reduce that. And also, what are you thinking? Our thoughts do affect our behaviours, and being mindful of what we're telling ourselves is something that is worth being aware of, reframing things. If we're saying negative things to ourselves, it's not dismissing how we're feeling, but choosing a different perspective the glass half full versus the glass half empty, and that can really help on a long and difficult journey such as long covid, asking ourselves what is it that my body needs right now? What is the best thing that I can do for my body and this is a really great skill for life beyond illness. So that's the recovery themes that I've picked out today. There may be more, but that's what I've picked out and I think, the main theme of the themes I've decided to have an overarching theme because I can is empowerment.

Jackie Baxter: 18:41

That, even amidst what feels like complete chaos in our body, focusing on what we can do, is important. There's a lot we can't, but what can we do? Taking any steps that will help is worth it. 1% is better than none, and if you add up the 1% you get more percents, little steps adding up to those bigger wins, and maybe you get to a level where you can access other strategies that you weren't able to access before, but now you can, and maybe they will help more, and to the point where you can do a few more things. That actually gives you a little bit of enjoyment too.

Jackie Baxter: 19:28

And that leads me on to one more question around brain training or brain retraining. This one goes Hi, jackie, wondering about your thoughts on brain training or brain retraining. This one goes hi, jackie, wondering about your thoughts on brain training. I just finished your breathing course and plan to sign up for the next one. I plan to keep breathing, but wondering if adding on brain training as a part of their recovery. It wasn't the whole story, but it was something that helped them to have maybe a mindset shift which then influenced the strategies they tried, or that it helped them to transition out of the illness at the end.

Jackie Baxter: 20:24

So maybe early unlocking or a final piece of the puzzle I've seen people find a variety of different approaches useful For me. I did find that early on I had a mindset shift that other people had recovered. Therefore I could too. And that was pivotal for me Because I didn't even realize you could recover until I met someone who did. It gave me that hope and belief and even if I lost that from time to time, it gave me something to come back to Also once I was nearly there with my recovery. In hindsight I didn't realize that at the time it helped me to look beyond the illness and that was really helpful For me. After three years the illness had become so much a part of my identity as it does and it was challenging and it felt very unsafe to let go of that as I saw so much improvement and then transitioned out of the illness. So that's not to say it will be the same for everyone, but that kind of transition out I did find helpful to have some of these strategies.

Jackie Baxter: 21:42

Personally, I don't think that brain training is a cure-all, but I do think that, alongside other strategies and that's whichever ones work for you it can be a useful addition. Whether you want to sign up to an expensive programme or not is up to you, and if it's even possible for you. A lot of people find the Curable app useful because it's something that you can use as and when, and I think it's a bit more affordable than some of the more expensive programmes. I'm not affiliated with that in any way. That's just what I've heard people mention. If it is something you're interested in looking into, check out some of the reviews, asking advice from others who you trust, who have done them or who know people who have. And I think, most importantly, whether it is a brain training thing or whether it's a different strategy, it's finding something that is the right fit for you To be. The perfect program for someone else doesn't mean it's going to be perfect for you, because this whole journey is so individual.

Jackie Baxter: 22:50

So here endeth my observations. Have you seen improvement or recovered and you agree with me or even disagree? Do let me know, and if you've got questions, please feel free to get in touch. So the few things that I've mentioned I will drop links in the show notes today. I'll be back with a wonderful guest next week. I haven't decided who that's going to be yet, but they'll be awesome. Until then, keep listening to your body, keep doing those things that help. Keep doing the one percents, because they do add up, even if it's not in a totally linear way.