How Writing Down Two Goals Helped Me Recover from Long COVID

Where do you want to be is a tough question to answer if you are managing a chronic condition like Long COVID…How do you know what is even possible to achieve? Do you dare to dream big? Do you opt for modest goals that move you forward?

Last week I was clearing out some papers from a couple of years ago and found my list. It was a list I drafted when my symptoms were at their strongest. Before March 2020 I was someone who had thrived under pressure, led teams and complex policy work, had the energy to work hard and play hard. At the time I drafted that note it had been almost three years of Long COVID. I was very unwell and symptoms dogged me every waking moment, including headache, bone penetrating fatigue, sleep disruption, elevated heart rate, pain, brain fog, post exertional malaise and frightening heart rate spikes with even mild excretion.

I was in my early forties, had a small child, family obligations, work obligations and my own desire to be an active and healthy person. The life I had imagined for myself, the energy I had hoped to bring to parenting, the partner I wanted to be in my relationship, the engaged member of my local community I thought I would be were all out of reach. Clinicians and specialists didn’t have any answers and all of my diagnostic tests came back saying I was “normal”.  I was desperate to get healthy, to feel like myself again and to live the future I had envisaged.   

The note listed two modest objectives.

If I could clear symptoms I would:

1. Enjoy 1 hour without fatigue 
2. Go for a run again  

In truth, they felt like the loftiest of unattainable goals. I may as well have said I wanted to scale Everest while carrying a canoe. I also had NO IDEA how - or IF - I could get there. But looking back, the simple act of setting those goals on paper and saying them out loud had such power. It sent me on a course, a mission, to see what was possible. With the benefit of the right tools and protocols the speed and trajectory of my recovery journey were better than I could have dared to let myself imagine.      

As I look back on this note now it is sobering. It teleports me back to where I was at that point - in pain, struggling with every task I had to do, feeling frustrated and yet wanting to be hopeful. The note also seems like something from a parallel universe.

So, what got me from the person who wrote that note to me as I am today? The answer is both simple and complex. The short version is:

1. Embracing hope
2. Leaning on evidence to find actions that I could take to start to heal - and take actions that were still doable given the strength of my symptoms 
3. Committing to testing out those tools 
4. When they started to work, developing a routine to build them into my day    
5. Connecting with Andrea to take the process to the next level

The result? Not only did I quickly complete the list, I have been able to continue to gain strength, resilience and ability. At one level it feels like I wrote that note in another lifetime - or was it all a bad dream? On the other hand, it feels like yesterday - and I don’t take any of where I am now for granted.

The steps I have taken worked for me and for others, and are doable even with crippling symptoms - hope is justified and a path out is possible.  

So, what’s your list? Are you ready? 

Warmly,
Katie

Note:
Whether your goals feel Everest-sized or more modest, writing them down can be the first act of reclaiming your future. If you're living with Long COVID or another chronic condition, we want you to know: you're not alone, and you're not without options. Your goals may be unique — but there is a tested path forward.

Related Blog Posts:

Symptom Management for Long COVID: Addressing Root Causes

Why Waiting for a Long COVID Medication Isn’t the Answer

A Journey to Long COVID Recovery