Breaking Free from Long Covid: Reclaiming Life and the Things That Matter

by Lucy Gahan

Making visible the real effects of Long Covid on people and their lives, this guide explores the issues of living with the condition.

Rooted in the author's own experience of having Long Covid since April 2020, the book offers ideas from narrative therapy as a lens through which to address the emotional impact of the condition, and shares practical strategies for managing symptoms and regaining quality of life. Acknowledging that recovery is unpredictable, it sheds light on the often invisible challenges faced by people living with chronic conditions, such as managing pacing and rest in a world that values productivity, the impact of illness on relationships, coping in the context of a pandemic and negotiating day-to-day life when you are living between illness and wellness.

Genres: Nonfiction, Health

192 pages, Paperback

First published October 21, 2022

About the author

Dr Lucy Gahan is a clinical psychologist who, after a long absence from work due to Long Covid, is now part of an NHS Long Covid team. With previous roles as a psychologist in palliative care, as a physiotherapy assistant and in the fitness industry, her passions lie in working with the mind and body. She has had Long Covid since April 2020. She regularly fails to pace herself.

Reviews

[Izzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this so comforting and moving to read! To hear someone else going through what I have in the same way was just beautiful

[Jessica Casas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book

This Book was a great read. So helpful for those of us with Long Covid. I felt like she was reading straight from my own journals. Highly recommend

[Malvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I applaud Lucy Gahan for her effort to write this book while struggling with the long Covid. The book itself paints a vivid picture of long Covid symptoms and suggest different things Lucy did to cope with her condition. Providing the anxiety and other issues she was experience during the writing of this book, it makes sense that it is wordy and confusing at times.