Long Covid Podcast

In this solo episode, Jackie Baxter unpacks what rest really is during long covid and MECFS recovery—and why simply lying down often doesn’t feel restorative. She reframes the struggle to rest as your body’s way of protecting you, not failing you, and introduces the idea of “banking energy for healing”.
Jackie explores the different types of rest we need—physical, mental, sensory, emotional, social, creative, and nervous system rest—and how safety cues and nervous system regulation make deeper rest possible. She shares practical tools like soft exhales, visual anchors, contact points, sound cues, micro rests, pre-emptive rest, and co-regulation with supportive people or pets.
The episode closes with a gentle grounding and rest practice and affirmations to help you feel just a little softer, safer, and more present—one small step at a time. 

LINKS:
- Yoga Nidra (voice only): https://insig.ht/p11in6GLO1b
- Yoga Nidra (with music): https://insig.ht/ryTWpwOLO1b
- Yoga Nidra (nature sounds): https://insig.ht/qGIWLqKLO1b
- Opal app for screen time: https://www.opal.so/
- Work with me page: https://www.longcovidpodcast.com/workwithme
- The 2 practises in this episode can be found with background music on Insight Timer:
- 2 Minute Safety Cue (with music): https://insig.ht/DO2f3U7LO1b
- Rest without Guilt - A Compassionate Pause (with music): https://insig.ht/LkTy9ifMO1b

Message the podcast! - questions will be answered on my youtube channel :)
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**

Clare shares how her son went from a viral crash at thirteen to full, active living through pacing, autonomic nervous system retraining, and Mickel Therapy. We trace the medical dead ends, the messy middle, and the simple joy‑based habits that tipped him into lasting recovery.

• early sensitivity shaped by stress and frequent infections
• onset at secondary school, loss of attendance and friends
• visible and invisible symptoms including brain fog and dizziness
• NHS pathway, helpful GP, limits of NICE‑aligned care
• colour‑coded pacing and activity management to 40 percent
• ANS Rewire lifting function to about 80 percent
• relapse at university, boundaries and motivation to recover
• Mickel Therapy linking emotions, boundaries and symptoms
• play, novelty and joy as daily nervous system tools
• caregiver strain, what to skip, what to double down on
• life beyond illness with work, travel and climbing

Clare's Facebook Group for parents of children with Long Covid, ME/CFS: 
https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1Ch4nxkujg/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Message the podcast! - questions will be answered on my youtube channel :)
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 explore a mechanism-first approach to Long Covid & ME/CFS, shifting from labels to measurable neural and vascular bottlenecks that can be retrained. We share how to use dose, recovery, and sleep consolidation to build capacity through precise, small inputs that compound over time.

• reframing diagnosis as a map to mechanisms, not a label
• why cerebral perfusion and autoregulation drive symptoms
• concussion lessons that translate to Long Covid recovery
• structural vascular traps and simple tests that reveal them
• pacing versus targeted micro dosing for plasticity
• using DIY tools as experiments with clear signals
• breathing, CO2 balance, and baroreflex sensitivity
• reading feedback, spotting plateaus, shifting bottlenecks
• linking progress to recovery capacity rather than feelings

Links:
www.keiserclinic.com 
https://www.youtube.com/@dockeiser

Message the podcast! - questions will be answered on my youtube channel :)
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 share Ashley’s journey from bedbound to rebuilding a joyful life, showing how belief, somatic work, and gentle pacing opened a path out of long COVID. The body is not the enemy; safety, connection, and consistent practice turn symptoms from threat to guidance.

• fast pre‑illness life and early warning signs
• collapse after pushing through infection and isolation
• lack of medical answers and disbelief from clinicians
• finding recovery stories and protecting hope
• moving from trigger‑hunting to nervous system healing
• brain retraining, visualisations, somatic practices and EFT
• pacing within a true window of tolerance
• progress through consistency and self‑compassion
• redefining recovery, processing trauma and shifting limits
• life rebuilt with nature, community, creativity and work

Links:
Connect with Ashley: www.embodimentwithashley.co.uk

Message the podcast! - questions will be answered on my youtube channel :)
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 look squarely at the invisible load of caring for people with Long Covid and ME/CFS, why carers’ nervous systems shape recovery, and how boundaries and communication protect both sides. We share clear, humane steps that reduce burnout and build co‑regulation at home.

• Defining the carer role across partners, parents and adult children
• Why caring is invisible, isolating and exhausting
• Boundaries that prevent “fixing” and conflict
• Fluctuating illness, hypervigilance and control
• Co‑regulation and why a calm carer accelerates recovery
• Practical resets that aren’t a self‑care to‑do list
• Sharing the care, advocacy and admin load
• Vicarious trauma in carers and how to spot it
• Simple communication that honours both sets of needs
• Giving and receiving grace while recovery unfolds

Links: 
Connect with Nadyne: https://nadynemckie.co.uk/how-I-can-help-you 

Our previous episodes: 
"Embracing Kindness" https://www.buzzsprout.com/1835170/episodes/15968082
"Empowering through Compassion & Play" https://www.buzzsprout.com/1835170/episodes/16104655

Message the podcast! - questions will be answered on my youtube channel :)
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**