Have you ever had someone say to you “but you look well?” when inside you’re feeling tired and in pain etc? It can feel both upsetting and frustrating. We’re writing this blog to talk about the physical illnesses we can experience such as Long Covid, ME and Fibromyalgia where there might not be a specific cause…. you might have seen conversations happening on the news recently.

We have split our blog into three sections to provide information on: Long Covid, ME and Fibromyalgia. It’s important to note that often people experiencing these conditions, will not necessarily have the same symptoms.

Long-Covid:

You might have seen our social media posts recently of us talking about all things to do with Long Covid as we have been running Long Covid groups with the Asthma and Lung Foundation – talking about how therapy can help, the emotional impact of a diagnosis and looking after ourselves.

But… what is Long Covid? Scientists are still researching into this condition as it was identified in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, in which people were experiencing COVID-19 symptoms for more than 12 weeks.

If you are experiencing Long Covid you might have symptoms such as:

• Extreme tiredness
• Feeling short of breath
• Finding it difficult to remember things or concentrate
• Joint muscle aches and pain
• Difficulties sleeping
• Loss sense of smell
• Tinnitus

If you have Long Covid often you might feel anxious about catching COVID-19 again or depression due to feeling like you’ve lost who you are, you might be avoiding doing things or staying at home more often. There are things you can do to help ease your symptoms (we would always advise speaking with your GP before making any big changes).

Things that can help:

• If you’re noticing extreme tiredness, it’s best to avoid drinking alcohol and trying to develop a sleep routine (such as going to sleep and waking up at the same time each day) and keeping a diary can help you identify how well you’re sleeping.
• Drinking plenty of fluids (water) and small movements throughout the day such as a short walk around your home. Exercise is important, but you shouldn’t over do this (read our blog on the boom and bust cycle!). It’s important to do restful things too – allowing your mind and body to have some downtime.
• Journaling your thoughts and feelings
• Practicing breathing techniques and relaxation

ME:

ME is known as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) and can affect different parts of the body with the most common symptom being extreme tiredness. The symptoms of ME tend to include finding daily tasks difficult due to tiredness, insomnia (being unable to sleep at night), your body feeling very stiff and brain fog. Although, everyone can experience different symptoms to each other.

We know that living with ME can be difficult, often frustrating and cause upset. It can impact our careers, relationships and lifestyle leading to anxiety and depression. It can be helpful to speak to someone you trust about how you feel or seek professional support from a Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist, who can support you with processing what has happened and helping you live a meaningful life in line with your values and alongside ME. It’s important to remember that CBT does not directly treat your physical symptoms.

Fibromyalgia:

Fibromyalgia is a physical health condition that causes pain throughout your body leading to:

• Increase sensitivity to pain
• Stiff and achy joints (particularly when it’s very cold outside)
• Insomnia (difficulties getting off to and staying asleep)
• Brain fog (difficulties around concentration and remembering things)
• Stomach changes including symptoms of IBS

As with Long Covid and ME, scientists are still researching into Fibromyalgia and there is no specific cause but researchers think possible triggers can include: a severe infection or having a major operation. However, many people experience Fibromyalgia for a range of reasons and it’s important to be diagnosed by a GP or another health professional.

The emotional impact and help:

Often we are experiencing a physical illness that appears ‘invisible’ it can have an impact on our emotional health and we might start to notice:

• Feeling anxious about the future
• Experiencing nightmares and flashbacks
• Feeling frightened about becoming unwell
• Frustrated and angry at yourself
• Loss of enjoyment or pleasure
• Feel a burden on others.

Does this sound familiar? You don’t have to face this alone and psychological therapy has been shown to be helpful. Therapies such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) have been shown to help with managing the emotional and psychological impact of having a physical health condition by:

• Supporting you to know what is in and outside of your control and making changes to help you feel more in control
• Supporting you to live your life in line with your values
• Reducing unhelpful thoughts and behaviours
• Supporting you to have a good nights sleep
• Helping to reduce symptoms of anxiety and stress

You can book an appointment today with one of our specialist psychological therapists to talk through what you’re experiencing and identify a plan to help you, feel more like you again at a day and time that works for you (we offer appointments from 9am until 7pm Monday-Friday and 9am-midday on Saturdays).