How to Choose What Truly Helps with Long COVID Recovery.

As I was writing the majority of this blog post, I was actually at a conference—sitting in a session. Most of the conference has been great, but this session is different. It promised an interesting and relevant discussion, yet within five minutes, it was clear it wasn’t going to deliver. The speakers were addressing a problem that didn’t apply to many people in the room, and the solutions offered weren’t helpful for most of us, including me.

How do you know if something is worth your energy—whether it’s a program, a doctor’s appointment, or any other commitment? When energy is limited and time is precious, every decision about where to spend it matters. We all face this challenge regularly, balancing priorities with our available resources. For those managing Long COVID or other post-infection conditions, this question becomes even more critical. When energy is in short supply and everything takes up way more effort than it should, every choice needs to provide real value—you want to focus any spare energy on things that bring you joy and have impact, rather than just adding another task to an already full, often overwhelming list.

It was frustrating for me to be stuck sitting in a session where the presenters didn’t deliver on their promise, but it gave me a moment to reflect on how much time and energy go into making sure ThriveNinety’s work is valuable and relevant. We take pains to help people we work with feel that every minute is well spent. We all know that people managing Long COVID can’t afford to waste energy on something that doesn’t deliver meaningful results. Sadly, this has been people’s experience too often, and at their worst have even pushed people into strenuous protocols that made them feel worse. That’s why we make sure our program is designed to give people more back than it takes, and support their improvement path.

Part of our grounding premise is that a program for people with post-infection conditions has to be built with a deep understanding of the needs and challenges people face when dealing with persistent symptoms. It has to offer streamlined, evidence-based content in a format that is engaging, manageable, and effective. The goal should not just be to provide information but to ensure that the experience is worth the energy participants put into it, and it leads to improvement. The content needs to be carefully curated to be both practical and impactful, and the structure has to be flexible, allowing participants to engage at a pace that is right for them. Every aspect has to be designed to respect the time, energy, and effort of those who choose to participate.

While I wish I had gotten more out of the session I was sitting in at the conference, the "cost" has been limited. I used my energy to pivot and make this time useful in another way—drafting this blog article. And in doing so, I was reminded why it’s so important to create programs that truly support and empower the people they are meant to serve. When something is worth the investment, it doesn’t just take—it gives back.

For me, as someone who was living with Long COVID and knows what it means to experience symptoms that limited my day-to-day abilities and increased my risk of longer term health issues, I make sure that our programs at ThriveNinety check all the boxes. They need to be accessible, achievable, relevant and impactful. 

Next time you get the feeling you might be wasting energy, time, or resources, look at what you can do to pivot and make it worthwhile. And when you connect with ThirveNinety you can have confidence that we value your energy and work hard to make sure our content is worthy of it. 

Warmly,
Katie