Many people continue to feel unwell long after the initial infection, weeks or months after testing negative for COVID. The lingering impact is now recognized as Long COVID or post-COVID syndrome, which affects the body, the mind, and their regular function. For many Long COVID sufferers, the post-viral condition is more impairing than the acute illness. Perhaps the worst part of the experience is not having reliable answers, quick solutions, and reliable prescriptions.
If you are experiencing unidentified exhaustion, brain fog, or odd post-viral symptoms, you’re not alone. Hundreds—thousands of people across the world are struggling with COVID long-term. The Long COVID symptoms have no regular, recognizable, reliable, or predictable context, all of which can be seriously disruptive in our uncertain lives. Healing is still possible.
We get how difficult this is without helpful direction. Our healing program uses vast research on mindfulness and its neuroscience as a therapeutic tool for recovery and ongoing health, using principles of working with the nervous system—softly and at your own pace.
The 10 most common symptoms of Long COVID include:
1. Persistent Fatigue
Fatigue is the most common Long COVID symptom. It’s not ordinary tiredness. It’s the kind that doesn’t improve with rest. For many, it feels like a total energy crash after simple tasks, like walking or even talking.
This condition is generally associated with dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system. The body is stuck in a hyper-aroused or shutdown state, with an inability to return to equilibrium. Our program shows ways to support your body by teaching techniques to reduce and restore overactivation and energy. These techniques involve breathing exercises, voluntary body awareness techniques, and mindfulness techniques tailored for the sick, chronic body.
2. Shortness of Breath
Even without lung damage, some people feel breathless long after recovery. This may stem from dysregulated breathing patterns or poor autonomic control. Shallow chest breathing can become habitual during illness.
Gentle breathwork—done lying down or sitting—can help retrain the breath. Our healing modules guide you through such exercises without pushing the body. These tools are essential for those with limited energy and can gradually improve oxygen exchange and reduce stress.
3. Cognitive Dysfunction (“COVID Brain Fog”)
Trouble focusing, forgetfulness, and slow mental processing have become defining features of post-COVID syndrome. This is often referred to as COVID-19 brain fog.
Neuroinflammation may play a role, but so does nervous system dysregulation. When the body is in chronic stress, the brain can’t function efficiently. The healing at our Healing Space program incorporates mindfulness practices that can help improve the clarity of your mind. Mindfulness practices melt stress response and revive higher brain functions such as focus and memory.
4. Muscle and Joint Pain
There are many of us who experience chronic aches and pains, particularly in the neck, shoulders, and limbs. Pain is often centralized, meaning the brain is sending the pain signals even though there is no longer any real or continued physical damage.
Such chronic pain is also seen in conditions like fibromyalgia. The root often lies in a nervous system that is stuck in alarm mode. Our Healing program includes modules on how to befriend the body through awareness and self-compassion. These tools can reduce perceived pain by calming the sensory processing system.
5. Heart Palpitations or Rapid Heart Rate
Some patients with Long COVID develop a condition that mimics POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome), which is simply a racing heart while standing up. Others will have episodes of unexplained palpitations even at rest.
This can be very scary, but many times, it isn’t threatening. It reflects an overstimulated autonomic system. Regulating the nervous system, through practices like the 3-step breathing space and mindful movement, helps rewire this stress loop.
6. Sleep Disturbances
Difficulty falling or staying asleep is another common issue. The body feels tense yet tired. In some cases, people wake up unrefreshed despite sleeping for hours.
When the brain is stuck in hypervigilance, deep rest is not possible. This is why mindfulness is important. Mindfulness practices, such as guided body scans (which are included in the program), show the brain how to shift to calm. In time, you will begin to see improvements in sleep architecture and emotional stability.
7. Dizziness and Lightheadedness
A large proportion of Long COVID patients experience unease or unsteadiness, particularly when they stand up. This symptom, like other symptoms, may represent blood pressure issues or nervous system imbalance.
Recalibrating the body’s internal balance systems takes time. Mindful grounding, posture-based exercises, and breath anchoring—all part of our structured healing roadmap—help slowly improve this condition.
8. Sensory Overload
Normal sound, light, or activity levels can be overwhelming. This can result in crashes, anxiety, or irritability. This states that your body’s filters that sort safe from unsafe input are misfiring. This can be very common in trauma and post-viral syndromes. A core feature of our healing program is helping people calm sensory reactivity through awareness and paced exposures. These practices help your body feel safe again.
9. Anxiety and Depression
Many people with Long COVID are told that their symptoms are “just anxiety.” That’s not true. But emotional distress is very real and often worsens due to the unpredictability of symptoms, loss of independence, and social isolation.
Mindfulness doesn’t ask you to think positively or suppress these feelings. Instead, it helps you observe them without being consumed. It provides tools to respond, not react. Our modules on emotional regulation support this gentle process of emotional recovery.
10. Relapses or Post-Exertional Crashes
A unique feature of post-COVID syndrome is symptom fluctuation. People may feel better one day and crash the next. This cycle is known as post-exertional malaise.
Learning how to pace activity is essential. The healing program emphasizes respecting energy boundaries and planning around your capacity. This helps you stabilize symptoms and avoid setbacks.
How Long Do COVID Symptoms Last?
That’s the big question—and the answer varies. Some recover in weeks. Others deal with lingering effects for months or even years. Research shows that around 10–30% of people who had COVID continue to experience symptoms after 3 months. Many of them improve gradually, but not all without help.
Healing takes time. It’s not linear. But the brain and body are adaptable. When you provide the right conditions, change can happen.
Why the Nervous System Holds the Key
Long COVID isn’t just about the virus. It’s about how your system responded—and stayed stuck. Stress, trauma, overwork, or burnout can all contribute to keeping the body in a state of dysfunction. The nervous system becomes dysregulated and forgets how to return to safety.
Healing Space is based on one core idea: regulating your nervous system is the foundation of recovery. Our eight-module program walks you through this in a safe, supportive way. Each step is built on research from MBSR, neuroscience, and trauma recovery.
Not Just Theory—But Real Practice
Unlike many programs that focus only on education, Healing Space is experiential. You don’t just learn about healing—you practice it. Daily exercises, meditations, and reflections help you gradually shift your physiology toward balance. Everything is structured to be energy-conscious and sustainable.
If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by other recovery plans, you’re not alone. That’s why this course is flexible. Watch just a few minutes a day. Do one practice per week. There is no rush.
A Quiet Revolution in Recovery
It may not involve pills, devices, or hospital visits, but healing through mindfulness is scientifically grounded. Studies show that mindfulness can reduce inflammation, improve heart rate variability, and calm the brain’s threat detection system.
Even the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) now acknowledges nervous system retraining as a valid path for chronic illness recovery. At Healing Space, we bring these principles together into a step-by-step guide for people like you.
Begin the Shift
You don’t have to wait for a miracle cure. You don’t have to push harder. You can begin right now by creating the right conditions for your body to shift.
Even five minutes of guided breathing or one mindful check-in each day can build new neural pathways. These small actions tell your system, “You are safe. You can rest now. You can heal.”
Ready to Reclaim Your Life?
At Healing Space, we know the road is long. That’s why we’ve designed the path to be gentle. No forcing. No failing. Just steady steps toward recovery.
The founder, Chris, spent six years stuck in the cycle of post-viral fatigue. He tried everything. It wasn’t until he discovered mindfulness-based nervous system regulation that things began to change. Chris went on to recover fully and become a certified MBSR teacher. He created this program for people just like you—those stuck, searching, and ready for hope.
If you’ve been wondering when things will change, this might be the moment. Healing is possible. And it starts with one simple choice: to try again, but this time, with support.
Start your free Healing Program video series today and take the first step toward recovery—together.