Tired as I progess

Hello! I developed a lot of strange symptoms after having covid in November of 2022. After a few months of dizziness, shortness of breath, insomnia, etc. I discovered mindbody theories regarding long covid. Within a month of starting therapy, I was back to exercising and my dizziness was totally gone. However, the shortness of breath and ribcage tightness persisted on and off. I learned to live with it. I had a pulmonary function test last month and my lung function is back to 100% normal, so I know it is all TMS (also had some breathing pattern irregularities that physical therapy helped with).

About a month ago I discovered this website, and it has been amazing. I have been doing the journal work and bought The Divided Mind. The tightness in my ribcage has dissipated and I feel much lighter.

One thing I am noticing now is I am very fatigued. I work a lot, and am generally pretty busy, but this tiredness is full bodied. Can anyone here speak to their experiences with exhaustion as they recover from TMS? I feel amazing outside of just kind of worn out.

 

Congratulations on your amazing success to date! Be aware that fatigue is very likely your brain's reaction to all the re-wiring that it is going through right now. I had developed fatigue during my recovery. It was very disabling. Luckily, at that time I already knew about meditation. It seemed at the time improbable that sitting and doing nothing may have an effect, but it was a miracle, although very slowly working miracle :=). It took me few months to get rid of fatigue, but it worked!

Here is a short version of my description of my meditation routine, beginning 23'47":

 

I get this during journaling sessions. Not really journaling because I don't journal, I "write shit down" (thank you, @JanAtheCPA).
It happens almost every time I write. I start out on a particular topic or ask my inner self who wants to talk about what and then I get kind of trance like and let it all flow out from pen to paper. Often (usually!) at this point I get a sudden massive fatigue as if I must close my eyes and go to sleep right then and there. (I usually write while laying on my bed, in order to get more into the trance-like zone.) The fatigue is hard to even describe because it's so overwhelming. The first time it happened, I told myself that this must be me trying to stop myself from getting to the really deep, deep stuff and I forced myself to keep going and not shut my eyes and go to sleep. It's hard in the moment but then as I keep going it usually passes and my writing sessions usually end up upbeat after swearing and acting like a f-n lunatic (on paper).
So yes, exhaustion for sure. It seems logical that the part of the mind that is protecting us from certain feelings would use exhaustion as a tactic to keep you away from the painful or taboo stuff.

$0.02

 

This a great interview! It explains a lot!