Dr. Martina Melzer, published: 03/04/2023
It's January 2022 and Franziska David is working on a big project. Has an 80-hour week. Suddenly, she gets Covid-19. The infection is mild. She quickly goes back to
work. But somehow she is not healthy, gets one symptom after another, around 50 in total. She begins to do research and it soon becomes clear that she has Long Covid and later Post-Covid Syndrome, as well as POTS.
In the video interview, Franziska shares what factors probably made her more susceptible to Long Covid and what all helped her recover within three quarters of a year (the video is in German,
please activate the subtitle to get a translation). To watch with English subtitle please go to the settings button, activate the subtitle in your language,
go back to it, choose "automatic translation" and then choose your language.
Key points from the video on recovery:
- Mentioned helpful resources: "Postviral Podcast," the book "Decode your Fatigue" by Alex Howard, Raelan Agle's YouTube channel with recovery stories, the content of Kathrin Frischmann's "Wiederaufladen Fatigue" (in German), on Instagram enter the hashtag #longcovidrecovery.
- An anti-inflammatory diet was one of her first interventions.
- TCM and acupuncture she found helpful, and the understanding of the therapist, who herself had Long Covid.
- Pacing was an important component.
- Mindset: Instagram accounts of people recovering or on their recovery journey encouraged her and gave her hope. She knew there were others. And recovery is possible. She gained a sense of self-efficacy; she could contribute to her own recovery. In the course of the recovery journey, she also found it very important to let go of all the therapies, the healing focus, and to enjoy life again, to find her way back into life.
- Franziska says openly that she was skeptical about brain training at first. But after it helped so many, she too wanted to try it.
- Curable app: This app improved her condition, she started journaling, brain training exercises like Somatic Tracking and visualizations and acquired a lot of knowledge through the app.
- CFS School: Since the Curable app was a self-study and she found it difficult to stick with it in the long run, Franziska decided to do the recovery program CFS School. She chose a variation with live coaching and community, so she did the program simultaneously with 15 other people who regularly shared and motivated each other. The CFS School consists of brain retraining, nervous system regulation, body work, and trauma work, among other components.
- Inner work: She learned to let go of old patterns, especially working on her perfectionism.
- Nothing from conventional therapy helped her significantly, although she took a few medications for a while.
- She says, "Recovery is hard work."
- Franziska David now works as a mind-body coach and also has a training as a systemic coach.
- Franziska's message: "Look at the stories of people who have made it, who have recovered." And, "Develop a loving and curious approach to your body."
Here's how to find Franziska David:
Instagram (German): @the.mindbody.way (that's where I got it wrong in the video, sorry!).
Website: https://www.the-mindbody-way.de/
Translated with the help of DeepL
Also, the content on this page is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for talking to your doctor or other therapist. Please talk to your doctor or therapist
before making any decisions about your physical or mental health. Every way into a mind-body syndrome is something individual, and every way out.
