#25 You are not alone: navigating post-holiday fatigue, grief and acceptance in chronic illness. Gez Medinger & Emily Kate Stephens from Make Visible: Chronic Illness Explored

Make Visible: Chronic Illness Explored

Visible with Emily Kate Stephens

#25 You are not alone: navigating post-holiday fatigue, grief and acceptance in chronic illness. Gez Medinger & Emily Kate Stephens

42 minutes Posted Jan 9, 2026 at 4:35 pm.

Welcome Back to Make Visible - Emily Kate Stephens introduces the episode and welcomes Gez Medinger back to the podcast.

Living with Chronic Illness After the Holidays - The pressure of the New Year, invisible illness, and why “new year, new you” doesn’t apply.

Christmas Expectations & Chronic Illness - Navigating family, guilt, isolation, and the emotional load of the holiday season.

Cancelling Plans & Letting Go of Guilt - Personal reflections on disappointment, acceptance, and self-kindness.

Being Present in a Body That’s Struggling - Learning not to compare, meeting yourself where you are, and living in the present moment.

EMDR Therapy & Long Covid - Gez explains EMDR, how it works, and his personal experience using it to process trauma.

Processing Emotions in Chronic Illness - Why unprocessed stress matters, and different ways people release emotional load.

Breathwork & Nervous System Regulation - Emily Kate shares how breathwork supports her symptoms and nervous system health.

Finding What Works for You - Why there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to healing and regulation.

Hope in Long Covid & ME/CFS Research - Emerging research, Lion’s Mane, chromosome studies, and why better diagnostics matter.

What’s Next for Make Visible - Future plans, practical episodes, lived experience, and inviting listener feedback.

Go Gently - Closing reflections and encouragement for the New Year.

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Show notes

Living with chronic or invisible illness after the holidays can be overwhelming. In this episode of Make Visible, Emily Kate Stephens is joined by investigative science journalist and Long Covid advocate Gez Medinger to explore coping with chronic illness, ME/CFS, and Long Covid during and after the holiday season.

They discuss EMDR therapy, nervous system regulation, breathwork, and emotional processing, sharing lived experience and practical strategies that support recovery and acceptance.

This conversation offers validation and support for those living with ME/CFS, Long Covid, Fibromyalgia, EDS, POTS, Chronic Lyme, and other energy-limiting conditions.

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