Recover Fast vs Staying Stuck - 4 Most Important Factors | Chronic Illness Recovery | CFS/Long Covid

The 4 factors which I feel make the biggest difference between someone recovering quickly and someone staying stuck.
Disclaimer - I am not a medical professional and am not qualified to give anyone health advice. I am just sharing from my personal experience.
#longcovid #cfs #myalgicencephalomyelitis #cfsme #cfsrecovery #chronicillness #chronicfatigue #chronicfatiguesyndrome #mecfs #postcovid #recovery #exercise #meditation #longcovidrecovery

[@beatinglongcovid]

Completely agree! I remember what it was like to finally stop fighting the flares. I called them windows and waves. As soon as I started to open up to the idea of accepting things, the windows started to get longer.

[@earthrooster1969]

So agree! So much data online and it did drive me crazy, till i got tired of my own fear! And since then, i am happy of what i am able to acheive and disregard when i struggle. Plus, over time I have accepted my own small setbacks and Life gives me plenty opportunity to get back after a pause! Thanks for sharing these thoughts which are really the cornerstone of feeling okay with whatever stage we are in since Covid disrupted our health like we have never experienced before! Appreciate your repeated mention of meditation. It has helped me so much. Plus, ensuring my mornings are filled with peace, sunlight and no rush. Mindful of my nutrition too! Moderation. Joy. Grateful. Acceptance ❤️

[@AcesOntheRiver]

Great videos, plan on watching them all. You are a great person for taking the time to make these

[@life.withkyle]

Thank you that's very kind of you to say!🙏🏼

[@FreshAgenda]

Solid. Gold. Thank you

[@evelinel.9827]

That is amazing you learned to "welome" and sounds like the emotions were fairly easy to feel. I was very repressed and I tried doing emotions work with somatic meditations, etc. and only got so far. Then I joined Kiloby Inquiries Membership (Scott Kiloby was a spiritual teacher who ended up with debilatating back pain and couldn't heal before he got out of emotional repression, mostly anger repression and created many tools along the way) and through those tools and meetings learned to welcome everything. I don't think I could have done the work with out the KI tools and meetings.

[@life.withkyle]

Definitely wasn't easy initially, I was also super repressed 😂 but eventually I had literally no choice, couldn't run away anymore and got very good pointing from great teachers that I should just welcome and feel it 😊 I've heard very good things about Scott Kiloby and his teaching, so not surprised at all that you found it so helpful 💯 Keep at it, you're finding your own way which is the only way! :)

[@evelinel.9827]

@@life.withkyle Thanks! I love your recovery it tracks more to how I have recovered than lots of the other stories. I came across Dr. John Sarno and his books early on and thankfully was able to see that there was nothing wrong with me even with these horrible debilitating symptoms and that emotional repression was one of the drivers. Alan Gordon's book "The Way Out" was big for me also in seeing how fear is is such a driver also. Another help has been the Three Principles understanding (a spiritual understanding that we live in the feeling of our thinking and perceptions and not our circumstances) as was non duality and all the spiritual teachers I listened too.

[@paolo5797]

I have a bit a problem with the concept of belief concerning chronic illness. As an example, I have ME/CFS and didn't know it for the first few years. I just crashed the days after I played football not knowing what that could be. I didn't have any concept of PEM or CFS nore some believes about it. It took a few years before I realised that there are other people who are suffering with PEM and that it is a symptom of a syndrome. In my opinion Nervous System plays for sure a big role and you do a great job for that with your videos. But saying that it's just that what keeps you ill is in my opinion not wise. You just don't know. Anyways, I do really like your videos❤ Keep doing your good work, mate.

[@life.withkyle]

Yeah for sure, for me the belief thing is more like after a year or so of living with the PEM I'd developed certain unconscious beliefs that were keeping me stuck and that I needed to address for recovery Thx for your comment :)

[@barbararyan-fi6vm]

Great video! Whenever I feel at my worst I watch this video and by the end I always feel a lot better!👌🏻 it’s my therapy! Thanks so much!

[@life.withkyle]

You're welcome Barbara! Lovely to hear that 😄🙏🏼

[@teddybearroosevelt1847]

With regard to being willing to get uncomfortable I think there is a big difference between people who still have a job (and especially the long haulers who manage to work full time) and people who are either not working because their employer let them stay at home or people who are unemployed. People who work a full time job have plenty of stuff that makes life uncomfortable, especially if you have to take care of your children and maintain some semblance of a social life on the side. And I also think it’s a thing about the phase of the illness you are in. At a certain point I would get dizzy after just 5 to 10 minutes of walking. There was just no pushing through that. Only when I found a supplement that took the dizziness away (mitoq, a special type of CoQ10 that survives the gastrointestinal tract much better and reaches mitochondria in much greater numbers) was i able to start pushing myself. On top of that I would say that it’s good to make sure there is a way back if you need it. So don’t just quit your job and start a new one. But do pick up some volunteering on the side or slowly reintroduce exercise into your schedule.

[@ezza1236]

Belief can make you’re reality

[@nickywellman594]

This is fabulous and very helpful, thanks so much for sharing your experience & insights 🙏🙌

[@life.withkyle]

You're welcome Nicky! :)

[@simon--k]

Thanks for sharing Kyle. The balance between positive thinking and projection, realistic honouring of symptoms and learning from experience and feeling all the emotions is what I'm trying to figure out. Feeling all the feelings. Definitely right. Postive projection is helping get me going. Learning from experience. I feel like I've had some clear intense experiences of Post Exertional Malaise which now definitely make me follow my pacing more rigidly. Is that a mistake? I exhausted myself trying to fix myself for sure. I had some wins and I know some things I'm doing are helping. And I had set backs from taking too many supplements or eating the wrong things. I know in general I need to catch my breath after 7 months battling. What your saying about letting go of limiting beliefs resonates but if you've been limited in your movement for various reasons for months then it does take some pacing to get going again I feel. Do you agree? Thanks for sharing. I'm definitely working on being in the present

[@life.withkyle]

Hey Simon :) Pacing can definitely be helpful and is a smart way to reintroduce exercise and other activities without overwhelming yourself, sounds like you're on the right path

[@projectnewman3474]

Hey kyle. I am trying to embody what you are teaching but i need advice. I keep pushing myself to do normal things and workout a bit more. Over a week or 2 i am able to sustain it even though it is uncomfortable and grueling at times. But once a week or so my body and mind crash and i get severely depressed and fatigued. When i am im this hole, my mind is flooded with the worst negativity i can explain. It seems impossible to keep my mind from going into despair and anger and shame. I try to let go and relax bit deep down i am filled with hatred for my situation and i am wondering if this is a mistake that will keep me stuck? I dont know how to stop it. I also am afraid i will not get better. I am trying to embody what you are teaching but i need advice.

[@elliotsmith4753]

Another great video! Curious about the belief system though, yes I can sit during flare ups and accept the symptoms for what they are, but how do you get around the struggles in public of being in contact with visibly ill people? Do you still mask e.t.c? I dont feel I could forgive myself if I dropped my precautionary measures and then get sick again, regardless of the mentality I have. Thanks Kyle!

[@life.withkyle]

Thanks for watching :) I think for me those fears kind of fell away once I'd been reinfected a couple of times and also I really did eventually realise that it didn't matter if I got sick again it really was all about my conditioned responses to triggers like perceived threats and symptoms etc. I'd say if fear comes up around re-infection that's fine, just notice when it happens and realise oh that's fear that's fine fear can be here and then maybe dig into the beliefs a bit, just be curious as to what the beliefs are behind the fear just becoming aware of the beliefs is powerful

[@monikstuff]

Hi Kyle, do you offer any kind of coaching (or simply talking) services? My Physical symptoms have improved since I started working from a somatic practice angle, but now that my nervous system has awakened I'm having all kinds of mental health issues. I really believe they are temporary but since there's resistance everywhere I really don't know which way to do things many times. I find people can't really understand what's going on with me even if they try and listen. It would be great to have someone who has experienced it and hacked it to talk to. An example: now I struggle with taking care of the trash or touching things. It makes me very anxious.

[@life.withkyle]

Hi Nomik, I do offer one on one sessions, you can find the details on how to book one under the about section of the channel And yeah I would agree that what you're going through is probably temporary, there really can be periods where resistance just shows up everywhere especially when we get deeper into the somatic stuff

[@ChewyLoo]

Hi Kyle. Thank you for this video! I'm curious if you have any practical advice on the process of letting go of beliefs? The concept is easy enough to understand, and I have a truck load I'd be willing to drop in a heartbeat, but I don't exactly understand the *how*. Or is it simply the process of going deep in the emotion, experiencing the discomfort, and eventually our system lets it go naturally? (oppose to making a conscious decision, because deciding alone has no power in this area, for me) Thank you!

[@life.withkyle]

I think the biggest part of the process is just becoming aware of the beliefs and then it's more of natural letting go as you mention. Bringing to the surface the beliefs that were unconsciously driving everything and just noticing them as beliefs is what's important, and then you can just keep going deeper, "well why do I believe that" and just really be willing to see what you maybe don't want to it's really all about willingness, it can be uncomfortable to dig into strongly held beliefs but those are the most important ones and can be the most freeing when seen as beliefs, and yeah combining it with deep feeling of the emotion is great I'd say

[@ChewyLoo]

@@life.withkyle Yes, I understand this, thank you so much. May take a little getting used to but i'm ready to embrace it. Lastly, can I ask two extra q's? - What would be your optimal strategy for someone taking this method on, in terms of how many times a day to sit with it, and for how long each session - or was it just as/when you felt symptoms? - Did you ever willingly seek out limiting beliefs or did you let them surface naturally when exploring the discomfort? Thanks a million.

[@life.withkyle]

@@ChewyLoo I wouldn't worry too much about an optimal strategy, do it when it feels relevant. I would recommend establishing a daily routine or practice of spending say 30mins every morning and evening just sitting with whatever needs to be felt and accepting, feeling and welcoming it all, doing this consistently can be very powerful, but it doesn't always have to be direct belief inquiry. Don't be too rigid with the time though, do what works for you and when works for you but I do recommend trying longer ones because it really can take you deeper than just say 10mins It really is personal though so best to find what works for you Most of the time it was just setting the intention to be willing to see limiting beliefs, even if I didn't know where to start just stating that I was willing and surrendering to that kind of just letting the beliefs show themselves Direct inquiry works as well maybe asking what don't I want to let go off, what do I believe that's keeping me stuck and then just be open to whatever comes up Do which feels best for you

[@ChewyLoo]

@@life.withkyle Thank you Kyle. Much love.

[@teddybearroosevelt1847]

One of the things you can do to make your heart beat drop instantly is breathing exercises. If you buy a pulse oximeter, you can instantly see the effects it has on the amount of oxygen in your blood and your heart rate. Also, eating makes a difference for me and also what I eat. So I do intermittent fasting and I have noticed that my body finds it harder to process fats than carbs and it shows on my pulse oximeter (and in how tired I feel afterwards).

[@James-mk8jp]

At what point in your recovery did you say fuck it and reintroduce foods you previously had poor experiences with? I’m already at the point of sitting with and not identifying with discomfort (I have pots and I do standing meditations, lol) but don’t want to do more harm than good if food intolerances take time to get rid of.

[@James-mk8jp]

I see the irony in my comment (identifying with pots), but just clarifying for more specificity

[@life.withkyle]

About a year or so in when I realised it was my fear and beliefs about food that was more the problem than the actual foods I started to re introduce things, I was on a super restrictive elimination diet at the time so I started gradually by introducing foods I had cut out but knew where actually good for me e.g. Tomatoes, avos, bananas, peanut butter, yoghurt etc. Eventually when I was pretty much recovered I stopped worrying about food entirely and started eating anything even sugary unhealthy foods, I still eat healthy most of time because I prefer it but I think it was important to eventually eat anything to work through any residual fears etc.

[@James-mk8jp]

@@life.withkyle Gotcha, thank you! Gluten and dairy removal was a noticeable improvement for me, but trying to time the re-introduction of them as I start to play around with sitting-with-suffering.

[@marlenezilias3934]

Good stuff, again. But I am wondering about the very first PEM: For me- I didnt know why I was feeling worse after a full "working mum day" and didnt know about PEM either. But looking back, this was what I would now call a PEM. So how would you explain it because at that time I didnt have any belief about LC. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Greetings from Germany

[@fernonyoutube111]

I have the same question @Marlene

[@paolo5797]

Yes I had the same thought. This diseases are just complex. The nervous system plays a big role for sure, but so do other factors like histamine release, brain inflammation, neck instability just to name a few. So not pacing because crashing is just a false belief would be very unreasonable. Some people get better from brain retraining but some people get a lot worse. Listen to your body.

[@acissej_01]

The very first crash, PEM, break down however you wanna call it is due to a stressor that floods the stress bucket, so your nervous system knocks you down. This can be anything... physical exertion, a virus, emotional stress etc. After this conditioning and conscious and unconscious beliefs happen that usually involve a lot of fear. The fear keeps us then stuck in the loop.

[@danamarie7993]

BEST video so far, Kyle. This one penetrates to the belief system immensely. Lots came up around this. Going in is the ONLY way out of this. ❣️

[@DottieBengo]

Resistance is out.

[@alexaplin2397]

You're a guru Kyle, you're reconfirming everything I once knew but have obviously forgotten along the way. Thank you so much for producing these videos and affirming what is real and disentangling all the falsities which I have developed through this illness. Thank you ! Edit: What are your doing with your life now you have recovered?

[@life.withkyle]

Haha you're welcome Alex :) Been working as a kitesurfing instructor for the last few months which kept me quite busy , also cycle a lot and been doing a few races, and then still try to meditate quite a bit. Might go traveling for a bit soon, we'll see :)

[@Wds__99]

Some people really did find a way out with supplements. Niacin, creatine, pine bark, thiamine, etc. it can happen for some. But still need to respond to symptoms as you describe

[@teddybearroosevelt1847]

Yeah I agree. Supplements have helped me get rid of the most horrible of symptoms and find my way back to a good quality of life. So even though they didn’t cure me (yet), they are making a very clear difference

[@Wds__99]

More great stuff here. I really cranked up my mediation and breath work lately vs distracting myself all day. The tension I was holding in body while being distracted is noticeable. When I sit with myself, and face it, I can release the tension. Questioning my beliefs too is important. Scary beliefs are just thoughts but can trigger a spiral of emotions. So just let them be thoughts.

[@life.withkyle]

Yes that's it :) and whatever emotions come up that's fine too

[@santeenl]

Did this aid in your recovery a lot? Are you recovered?

[@ErinLynn1966]

Hello again, Kyle! Glad to see you are still doing well! I remember you commenting to someone on one of your past videos that you did the DNRS program. Did that not work out for you? Asking because I planned to give that a try, and I like the idea of "retraining the brain" rather than trying a bunch of meds/supplements, but in this video it sounded like you may have been suggesting that that didn't work for you, or that that's more of a quick fix sort of method. I did read a couple of negative reviews about DNRS, but they seemed to be reviews by folks who didn't commit to exactly what the program was suggesting that you do or the amount of time that was required. Would be interested in your feedback regarding the program before I commit to purchasing it. I'm also about 1/4 of the way through the book "Awake: It's Your Turn" (trying to take my time with it and really absorb the message there), and it's personally been a great help to me thus far. I've had plenty of "aha" moments while reading it. Have also been watching Angelo's channel/videos on here, as well as some others. There's a great meditation video on here that I believe is called something like "Zero point meditation" by Utopia Academy (I think that's the name) that I think you would really enjoy as well. Since I first saw your videos and decided to try "sitting with my symptoms/feelings" and stopped resisting them, I've been feeling quite a bit better. Plenty of meditation has been a huge help as well in helping me to get more grounded and out of my head. Thanks again for your feedback! - Erin 😊

[@ErinLynn1966]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/q52tqKBtor2ajdE Sorry, it was by Utopia University. The meditation part of the video starts around 9 mins in, but the first part is very interesting as well.

[@life.withkyle]

Hey Erin, thanks for sharing :) I think DNRS did play a role in my recovery, it helped to reduce the fear to symptoms and with introducing triggers like exercise again. However I eventually had to go beyond that method because it was still a lot about trying to control thoughts and it was keeping me stuck because I was developing resistance to so called negative thoughts. What really worked for me was learning to welcome any thought, emotion or sensation that appeared and not trying to control them. That's where Angelos book is great he has brilliant chapters on thought, emotion and all that. Great to hear you're finding his work helpful! And glad to hear you're starting to feel better :) All the best

[@ErinLynn1966]

@@life.withkyle Great, thanks so much for the reply and feedback. Much appreciated!

[@signat14]

@@life.withkyle DId you do it strictly as they suggest like 1h a day for minimum on 6 months and so on?

[@cjctracks1863]

Thanks for what your doing Kyle😊👍

[@teddybearroosevelt1847]

Yeah it is really amazing how he made good on his promise to help out fellow long haulers once/if he’d recover

[@life.withkyle]

My pleasure CJC :)

[@nikkileggett5695]

Hello Kyle. Thanks for this great information. Can you speak a little more about beliefs. Do you mean belief that doing to much the day before will cause me a flare up and I better not do this or that just incase I get a flare again. Maybe you could do a video on the type of beliefs you let go of. Feel this would be great to help us see in ourselves old patterns and beliefs we have to become aware of x I feel its quite tricky to become concious of things when you are totally unconscious of whats is playing out x. Thanks so much for your amazing work x Its helping me so much x

[@danamarie7993]

You are heading in the right direction. Beliefs are concepts you hold to be true just “becuz” they were told to you as a child or impressed upon you from society. Listening to this video everyday and take time to really bring it in is the best medicine possible.

[@loretta9487]

What is the title of the book that you mentioned in your interview with Raelan Agle?, I think one of the words in the title was Awake or Awaken.

[@life.withkyle]

Probably Awake: It's Your Turn by Angelo Dilullo, very powerful book, changed everything for me :)

[@fernonyoutube111]

Great video! Thank you 🙏🏻

[@life.withkyle]

You're welcome Fern! :)

[@sallyweiner4180]

Thank you so much

[@life.withkyle]

You're welcome :)

[@darrenboyce8585]

Love the videos just wondering did you rest a lot when you’re symptoms were intense

[@life.withkyle]

Yes for sure, definitely a good idea to stop and just give yourself the space you need to feel it all

[@darrenboyce8585]

Thank you

[@fwdflashwebdesign]

I agree but what should I do I am suffocating constantly... I still have covid after 18 months...

[@nahidtahira9900]

This is exactly what I’m going through

[@felcci17]

you taking nac?

[@PinkTran]

I had light cfs and long covid for 12 months. Bed bound 3 months because of fear. Then I take alternative chinese medicine to improve blood circulation. Covid makes body too cold for heart, lung, kidney... can function well.. then I can improve to 50-60% and I started to have 1-1 yoga section for 3 months, lots of crashes during this time. Then, continueing yoga and excercise and keep mind calm and feels the symptom seems to make me recover quicker. I now can do 1 hour of quite heavy yoga with less tireness. Sunbath and excercise warm up our body, improve blood circulation and make our body familarizing with normal activities.

[@kelleemerson9510]

This is what I asked about Physics girl, who's in really bad shape, is she/are you using oxygen? I had the delta strain and ended up in the hospital for 3 days on oxygen and used it a couple weeks after. Before going in the hospital, I didn't realize how much I needed it. I know this won't cure anyone, but it may help your body/energy to get better.