> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.hello-self.fr/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Getting better: the signs of recovery - URL: https://www.hello-self.fr/signs-of-recovery-en/ - Published: 2025-11-30T09:00:58.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-24T19:14:00.000Z - Description: Recovery from Long Covid and ME/CFS can feel long and chaotic. Here are the signs of improvement I noticed in myself and that helped me trust the healing process! - Author: Alice - Tags: All posts, #english, Understand & learn [šŸ‡«šŸ‡· Lire en franƧais](https://www.hello-self.fr/signs-of-recovery-fr) Listen to this post 0:00 /595.313197 1Ɨ āœ‹ **I am not a doctor. I am sharing my personal experience. This should not be considered medical advice. Always consult your healthcare providers for any decisions regarding your health, and listen to your body.* **How do I know if I'm getting better?** I asked myself this question a thousand times along the way, especially when I was experiencing [setbacks and symptoms](https://www.hello-self.fr/setbacks-en/) after expanding activity a little bit. "*Am I going in the right direction?"* *"How do I know that I'm improving and not going backwards?"* Before talking about signs of improvement, itā€™s important to remember that recovery is **not a linear process**, and that for most of us, **it's a long journey**. Yes, there are "miraculous two-week recoveries" out there, and that's wonderful. But they are definitely the exception. In this post, I'll share **all the signs of improvement I noticed in myself**, and hopefully some of them will resonate with you! ## I- Capacity improvement Of course, having more capacity is the main sign of improvement. But often, we don't consider all the aspects of it. Your overall capacity is made up of **three** **buckets**: - **Physical capacity** (the most obvious one): getting up, standing, personal hygiene, walking, moving around the house, driving... - **Cognitive capacity**: reading, watching or listening to content, focusing on a task, talking to people, socializing, handling light and soundā€¦ - **Emotional capacity**: the ability to handle stress or unexpected events, welcome your emotions, have difficult conversations, assert yourself, set healthy boundariesā€¦ These three buckets usually **donā€™t improve at the same time, but rather in phases**. Here's how it unfolded for me: --- > šŸ§  **My cognitive capacity improved first** (while my physical capacity remained stuck for many months). The first signs of improvement were: - I could look at my phone screen for longer (first 30 minutes a day, then 1 hour, then 2 hoursā€¦) - I could talk to my loved ones for longer - I kept my window blinds open with natural light most of the day - Noise wasn't hurting my brain as much I was still in bed, but much less bored. šŸ˜… > šŸ’› **My emotional capacity** **also improved quietly.** We often forget to include this one, but for me, emotional stressors were the hardest to handle. Being more regulated during stressful moments or small conflicts was **an amazing sign that my nervous system resilience was improving**. > šŸƒā€ā™€ļø **My physical capacity improved last.** Getting out of the bedbound state was probably the most difficult part, because the body needs time to re-habituate itself to being upright and moving. I had to be extremely gradual and gentle with myself. My first sign in this direction was subtle: I could **make my bed every day and *stay on top* of the bed during the day**, instead of under the blankets. That small change created a clear separation between "daytime" and "nighttime", which helped improve my sleep. I also remember the day I realized it was **easier to shower standing up** instead of using my shower stool. Yay! šŸ’” Itā€™s easy to ****miss improvements** when theyā€™re very small, but noticing them matters a lot. ****Make a list of all your wins, big and tiny**. It will be so useful to come back to it during setbacks, as proof that your body is healing. ## II- Doing something new What truly matters is the moment **you do something *new* for the first time** in a while. And it doesnā€™t matter if you canā€™t repeat the activity the next day. When I went upstairs in my own house for the first time after 1.5 years, I couldnā€™t do it again for a few weeks. Later, I tried again, it was a bit easier. Then I managed to do it twice a week. Now I can go upstairs whenever I want, without even thinking about it. It was a gradual process. --- Even if you increase activity very slowly, you may notice a **slight rise in symptoms afterwards**. That doesnā€™t mean you did too much or that you failed. It simply means your brain is integrating this new activity into your baseline. **It's the brain slowly relearning, moving each activity from the "unsafe" folder to the "safe" folder in your system.** ![An illustration of two yellow computer folders, one that says "Unsafe", and the other "Safe". A "file" called "Taking a shower" is being moved from the first folder to the second.](https://www.hello-self.fr/content/images/2025/11/Safe-Unsafe.png) ## III- Your state *during* an activity Feeling like you can do something **without fear, without anticipating disaster, or even without thinking twice**, is a great sign that this activity is becoming automatic and safe again for your brain. Being able to do activities with **mindful** **awareness** **and** **enjoyment** is also a great sign. --- **If symptoms or a feeling of uncertainty appear *during* the activity**, try a quick regulation practice: pause, place your hand on your chest, take a deep breath, and remind yourself that you are safe here and now. If thatā€™s not enough, it may be a gentle cue to stop the activity for now, and that's absolutely fine. In my experience, it's important **not to push through when you feel really dysregulated**. You will try again later! ## IV- Discreet body signs of regulation Here are a few examples of subtle signs that **your body and nervous system are regulating**. It can be helpful to observe your body and notice when these appear: - Yawning - A spontaneous deep breath or sigh - More saliva in your mouth - Tears in your eyes - Stomach gurgling - Change in muscle tension (body relaxing, shoulders dropping, softer faceā€¦) - Clearer eyesight, less tunnel vision - A sense of warmth in the body - Change in hunger - Change in bathroom needs - Thoughts slowing down (in a good way!) There are many more, but these are the ones I noticed in myself! > šŸŒæ **The mysterious waves of gratitude** On my healing path, I experienced a couple of times a **very brief but** **powerful** **"wave of gratitude"**. It felt like the most amazing thing ever. A warm rush in my body, happy tears, and an overwhelming sense of gratitude for life, nature, and my own resilience. I read about this phenomenom in the book "*Recover*" by Sally Riggs. I didn't really believe it was a thing... until I experienced it myself! There's nothing to do to trigger them. It's totally fine if you never experience them. They may just appear and disappear, **as a little gift from life and recovery**. ## V- Celebrate all your successes One thing that helped me a lot was celebrating all my victories, especially the tiny ones at the beginning when I was bedbound. **I would congratulate myself out loud every time I did something new**. When my capacity expanded, I added a **little victory pose or dance**. ***"Yay, I did it! I CAN do this! I am healing!* šŸ˜ƒ*"*** **Be your own cheerleader.** Use your words, your body posture, your smile. All of it actively signals to your brain that you ***are*** healing and safe. Your brain is always listening, and this is truly part of the process. ![A picture of my on my electric bike in a victory pose with a big smile.](https://www.hello-self.fr/content/images/2025/11/Frame-21.png) My first bike ride. ## Conclusion I personally **donā€™t recommend tracking your progress too closely** (with daily checks on apps or spreadsheets), as it contributes to hypervigilance. In the beginning, I occasionally looked at my screen time or step count, but only for general information. The **Functional Capacity Questionnaire (FUNCAP)** was designed to assess capacity in people with ME/CFS. It can be a helpful tool to check in with your current state from time to time, or to share with your doctor. [Take the FUNCAP questionnaire](https://raffbenato.github.io/funcap55/ ) **Your capacity will fluctuate a lot**. Donā€™t worry if nothing seems to change day to day or even week to week. Many times, I felt like I was plateauing or even going backwards. But **what truly matters is the overall trend over one or two months**. Healing is rarely obvious while it's happening, but your body ***is*** constantly working behind the scenes. **Trust yourself, and trust the process**. The second part of this post is right here: [Getting better: What activity expansion looks like](https://www.hello-self.fr/activity-expansion-en/) You may also like to read an update about [what recovery felt like for me in later stages](https://www.hello-self.fr/a-new-chapter-en/). [Back to posts list](https://www.hello-self.fr/tag/en) ## šŸ‘‹ Hello Self newsletter Sign up to receive an email when a new post is online Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam, no ads. Unsubscribe anytime.