Advice and resources : Living with long COVID
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Staying fit
Staying active, building healthy habits, and finding ways to stay physically well at any age.
Learn moreLong COVID Integrated Service (Berkshire West)
Support for people aged over 12 to manage and improve symptoms of long COVID, also known as post COVID-19 syndrome.
Learn moreTalking Therapies
A free and confidential service offering effective treatment for common mental health problems such as low mood, stress or worry.
Learn moreHow can we help
Staying fit
Staying active, building healthy habits, and finding ways to stay physically well at any age.
Learn moreLong COVID Integrated Service (Berkshire West)
Support for people aged over 12 to manage and improve symptoms of long COVID, also known as post COVID-19 syndrome.
Learn moreTalking Therapies
A free and confidential service offering effective treatment for common mental health problems such as low mood, stress or worry.
Learn moreWhat is long COVID?
The most common symptoms have been pain, fatigue, shortness of breath, palpitations and raised heart rate, persisting high temperature, sore throat, altered smell, dizziness, loss of appetite, new psychological issues like anxiety and depression, confusion, memory problems (commonly called brain fog) along with tummy symptoms have all known to be present.
When these signs and symptoms are present for more than 12 weeks after the acute episode, we are calling them long COVID. These symptoms can often overlap and have been known to change over time and can affect many systems within the body.
Physiotherapy
In the Berkshire Long COVID Integrated Service (BLIS) Physiotherapy, we focus on understanding a person's day-to-day world and the challenges they face. We look specifically at managing fatigue, breathing pattern disorders relating to shortness of breath, and returning to activity safely.
With these things in mind, we provide strategies to help improve a person's quality of life.
Occupational therapy
In Berkshire Long COVID Integrated Service (BLIS) Occupational Therapy, we look at supporting you with functional and vocational activities. We work with you to identify and manage your fatigue and brain fog in daily life.
Occupational therapy might also be helpful for supporting you in your workplace. You might need support returning to work after an absence and/or appropriate reasonable adjustments.
Psychology
Long COVID is not just physical. It can also affect our mental wellbeing and how we live our everyday lives (affecting all areas, including work, relationships, and hobbies).
Similarly, for many of us, our mental wellbeing can also affect the way that we cope with long COVID. For example, it can even harder to manage the effects of symptoms if we are feeling highly stressed, worried, overwhelmed, or if we are facing other life challenges at the same time.
In the BLIS Psychology team, we can offer up to six sessions of individual support. Depending on your needs, these may focus on:
- Managing anxiety or depression related to long COVID
- Managing distressing symptoms of long COVID
- Exploring how to adapt to life with a body that does not work as it used to
- Considering your expectations of yourself and considering the future
- Managing grief or trauma related to long COVID
- Considering the idea of acceptance, or what living well with long COVID would look like for you.
You are not alone
Learn about the Long Covid Service and people's stories.
Related service
Berkshire Long Covid Integrated Service, also know as BLISS can support you with Long Covid.
Long COVID Integrated Service (Berkshire West)
- Children & young people
- Adults
Support for people aged over 12 to manage and improve symptoms of long COVID, also known as post COVID-19 syndrome.
Long COVID Integrated Service (Berkshire West): Go to service