The Dizzy Diaries

A Soft Place to Land | Meditation for POTS & Chronic Illness (5 minutes)

Today’s episode is a gentle pause. No clinical deep dive. No symptom management checklist. Just five quiet minutes to help your nervous system exhale for a moment. This episode is designed to feel like a safe little corner of the internet. A place to soften your shoulders, unclench your jaw, and remember that rest is allowed here. So grab your tea or coffee, your emotional support blanket, and settle in.

Reflections - Becoming Stronger Than You Think

In this episode of The Dizzy Diaries, we’re talking about resilience, growth, and the strength you don’t always see in yourself. Inspired by a powerful reflection on a tiny sapling daring to grow into a strong oak tree, this episode explores what it really means to keep going when life feels uncertain, overwhelming, or physically limiting. If you’re navigating chronic illness, dysautonomia, or a challenging season in your life, this is your reminder that progress doesn’t have to be loud to be real. We dive into: * Why growth isn’t always visible in the moment * The science behind consistency, progression, and recovery * How your body is adapting, even when it doesn’t feel like it * The importance of rest as part of the process, not a setback * And why looking back at how far you’ve come can be one of the most powerful tools you have Sometimes strength looks like pushing forward. Sometimes it looks like pausing, reflecting, and starting again. Wherever you are in your journey, this episode is your reminder that you are more capable, more resilient, and more prepared than you think.

Friday Fables - Early Spring Energy | A Friday Fable About Pacing

In this Friday Fable, I tell the story of a village emerging from a long winter - where the return of sunlight sparks bursts of energy, celebration, and rebuilding… followed by unexpected exhaustion. This story is my way of gently exploring something I see all the time in chronic illness, and something many of us experience ourselves: feeling worse after a “good” day. Through this metaphor, I reflect on what it means to live with limited or fluctuating energy - where doing more on a high-energy day can lead to delayed crashes, fatigue, and setbacks. Not because you’ve done anything wrong, but because your system is still rebuilding. In this episode, I share: • A softer way to understand the “good day → crash” cycle • Why pacing and consistency matter more than intensity • A different perspective on progress that isn’t all or nothing • A reminder that recovery is built in small, repeatable steps Like early spring, healing doesn’t arrive all at once. It flickers. It builds. It asks for patience. If you’re learning how to work with your energy instead of against it, this is a soft place to land. Happy Friday 🌿

Episode 15 - Why You Feel Worse After a Good Day (and How Analeptic Exercise Can Help)

Why do you feel worse after a “good” day? In this clinical episode, I break down the physiology behind the all-too-familiar cycle of having a productive, high-energy day, followed by a sudden crash of fatigue, dizziness, pain or brain fog. This pattern is common in conditions such as dysautonomia, long COVID, autoimmune disease and post-viral syndromes, and is often linked to nervous system dysregulation and post-exertional symptom exacerbation. In this episode, you’ll learn: • Why symptoms are often delayed after activity • How adrenaline and stress hormones can mask fatigue • What’s happening in the nervous system during a “crash” I introduce the concept of analeptic exercise - a structured approach using short, controlled bursts of activity followed by full recovery to gently retrain the nervous system. You’ll learn: • What analeptic exercise is and how it works • The science behind short-duration activity and recovery • How it can help reduce boom-and-bust cycles • A real clinical example from a long COVID patient • Why this approach is not one-size-fits-all and requires individualisation This episode is designed to help you move away from “all or nothing” activity patterns and towards more sustainable, consistent progress. As always, this podcast is for education only and is not a substitute for personalised medical advice. If you are experiencing significant post-exertional symptoms, speak to a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your routine. 🎧 Listen now to learn how to work with your body, not against it. Stay measured. Stay informed. And build progress that lasts.

Friday Fables - The Tetris Tower

Some days everything fits neatly together. Other days, the pieces fall faster than you can place them. In this Friday Fable from The Dizzy Diaries, we meet a girl trying to build a tower in a strange game where blocks fall from the sky. Some pieces slide perfectly into place. Others pile up in awkward shapes she never expected. Just when she thinks the tower is steady, a new piece arrives and everything must shift again. Through the game, she learns something important: progress isn’t about stacking every piece perfectly. It’s about learning how to keep playing as the shapes keep changing. This gentle story explores the reality of non-linear recovery in chronic illness, where energy, symptoms, and capacity rarely line up in tidy rows. A short reflective tale for anyone who has ever felt like their health is a puzzle that keeps rearranging itself.