Weekly recovery guidance - ME/CFS, Long Covid and related illnesses
- s-porter4
- Oct 27
- 2 min read
Weekly inspirational quotes, guidance & tips to support recovery from ME/CFS, Long Covid, Fibromyalgia and related illnesses.
Post 21 - 27/10/2025
"I don't have what it takes to recover."
I recently heard the words above and it got me thinking. This person was suggesting that in some way they are different to others and that there is a reason why others recover, and how they didn't believe they were able to. They were referring to an aspect of their personality that they believed was a main contributor to the development of symptoms in the first place. A personality trait that is so deeply embedded that it can't be changed. I have of course, challenged them on these beliefs!
Of course there might be reasons why making rapid progress and fully recovering are more challenging for some people e.g. very serious trauma, many stressors over time, being ill for a very long period of time or the level of support they receive. However that does not mean that recovery is not a realistic aspiration for all people with ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, Long Covid, or related conditions.
Below are some examples of what I have encountered with some thoughts on why they should not be limiting beliefs.
"I am not strong enough to do what it takes to recover."
I would challenge this statement. I have never met a single person with these conditions that I would regard as being lazy. In fact, the opposite. They are often highly driven, very hard working and certainly have the motivation, desire and attitude to recover. It is not this that keeps people stuck.
"My personality traits are too embedded. I don't think that I can change."
We are not talking about transforming a personality, instead, making tweaks. Making changes to traits that have not served people well and that have contributed to the onset of symptoms. It can often been used in your favour. Over-analysis, overthinking and over controlling can be a problem, but they can also be used to aid your recovery e.g. deep research, developing a solid plan etc.
"Too many bad things have happened to me in my life. I don't think that I can reduce the fear."
It is certainly a challenge, but there are some incredible stories and plenty of evidence that people who have suffered extreme trauma and many stressors have gone on to make excellent progress and recover.
"I can't stop this boom/bust cycle. I make some progress, but then I do too much and end up going backwards."
In my experience this isn't to do with being irresponsible or negligent. It is more to do with a lack of clarity, a lack understanding of why people became ill/what is going on in the body and not having an appropriate plan or framework for moving forward.
You DO have what it takes to recover!
Until next time.
Stuart
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