Many people living with Long COVID or other post-infection conditions naturally and understandably spend a great deal of time thinking about symptoms and how their lives are impacted.

Others may not have a diagnosis but simply know they don't feel quite like themselves. They notice less energy, slower recovery, reduced resilience, or a feeling that everyday life takes more effort than it once did.

Wherever you are on that spectrum, it's natural to ask:

How much energy do I have today?
Can I do a little more or will I be like this forever?
What triggered that setback?

Those questions matter, and they are an important part of navigating day-to-day life.

At the same time, some people find it helpful to gently explore another layer of recovery as well: rebuilding not just capability but a sense of their identity.

Long COVID and other long-term health challenges can take away activities, routines, goals, and roles that once felt like part of who we were. Even when people aren’t impacted by a long term condition, periods of prolonged stress, burnout, or other health challenges can leave us feeling less like ourselves. The result is that many people don't just feel different physically. They feel different as a person.

This is where lived experience stories can play an important role. They help us understand what recovery and gaining back resilience can look like beyond symptom management and show how identity can evolve beyond being defined by illness or chronic stress in our lives.

Communities, support groups, books, podcasts, and conversations with others who have walked a similar path can help us see what resilience or living with long-term chronic conditions like Long COVID looks like in real life. They remind us that while every recovery and resilience-building journey is different, we are not the only ones navigating these challenges - and there are ways to feel better.

One example is Dying to Run: An Athlete's Quest for One More Finish by Matt Fitzgerald. The book will be released on September 8 and tells the story of Matt's experience with Long COVID as a dedicated runner, the challenges he faced, the approaches he tried, the setbacks he encountered, and his decision to pursue a 100-kilometer ultramarathon despite ongoing symptoms. 

The book explores not only recovery, but also purpose, identity, and what it means to keep moving forward when life no longer looks the way you expected.

We are grateful to have played a part in Matt's journey with our Long COVID Symptom Management Program in 2024, where we guided him through the program unit by unit. In the book, he shares some of the tools and strategies we use at ThriveNinety that became part of his daily routine and that he continues to use today.

Regardless of whether running an ultramarathon sounds appealing or not, the message behind the story is relevant to people living with post-infection conditions - and, we believe, to anyone looking to rebuild after chronic stress or a significant health challenge. Recovery is not always about returning to who you were before. Sometimes it is about reconnecting with what matters most and finding new ways to express it.

Symptom management can also help create space to reconnect with parts of yourself that may have been overshadowed during illness.

It can be the identity of being a parent, a friend, a gardener, a teacher, an artist, an athlete, a volunteer, a grandparent, or someone taking small steps toward a life that feels meaningful.

Symptoms matter. Recovery matters. Identity matters.

The person you are becoming along the way matters.

A question to reflect on

What is one part of your identity that you would like to reconnect with, even in a small way, over the next few weeks?

If stories of resilience and recovery resonate with you, we highly recommend Matt Fitzgerald's book Dying to Run: An Athlete's Quest for One More Finish. Whether you are interested in ultramarathons or not, the book offers a thoughtful and honest perspective on living with an infection-induced condition, navigating setbacks, and reconnecting with what matters most. 

Warmly,
Katie & Andrea

Related Blog posts:

A Long COVID Diagnosis Doesn't Come With a Roadmap

What Hobbies Have You Had to Give Up Because of Long COVID?  

When Pulling Back Makes Sense - and When It Starts to Hold Us Back

From Long COVID Goals to Recovery: My Turning Point