Feeling Like the Flu 24/7 to Playing Full Football Matches

What Caused Michael's Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?

Michael's CFS started gradually around early 2021, during the pandemic. He was 23 at the time and working in a high-stress job where he was managing everything with a skeleton crew. No recognition, no support, and growing resentment. On top of that, he was coming off antidepressants the wrong way. His doctor told him to skip days instead of lowering the dose, which sent his nervous system into chaos.

The slow buildup nobody notices

Before the physical symptoms hit, Michael noticed something was off mentally. He felt more anxious than usual. More irritable. His thoughts wouldn't slow down. He'd been dealing with anxiety and depersonalization since he was 13, so at first he chalked it up to old patterns. But this was different. His heart rate would spike just from going outside after lockdown lifted. He was sleeping 11 or 12 hours and waking up completely unrefreshed.

By August 2021, the physical symptoms were impossible to ignore. His legs felt heavy and achy. He pushed through it the way he always had with colds or flu: by exercising harder. He did an intense leg workout, thinking it would "clear it out." It was the worst thing he could've done.

How Bad Did Michael's CFS Symptoms Get?

After that workout, Michael crashed hard. He felt flu-like 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. His body ached like the pain was in his bones. Shooting pain tore through his muscles. Brain fog, headaches, and a fatigue so heavy it felt like nothing could lift it. He wasn't completely bedbound, but he was essentially couch-bound, unable to do anything beyond the bare minimum.

Symptoms that changed everything

The physical symptoms were brutal, but the mental impact was just as bad. Michael couldn't even watch sport on TV because it spiked his heart rate. He used to love UFC, boxing, and football. All of that stopped. He described it as losing his personality. He'd look at athletes on TV and think, "How do people do that?" when just months before, he'd been doing it himself.

• Flu-like feeling 24/7
• Chronic bone pain
• Shooting muscle pain
• Severe brain fog
• Headaches
• Unrefreshing sleep
• Insomnia
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Exercise intolerance
• Elevated heart rate
• Digestive issues

He tried to rest for three weeks, felt slightly better, then did a 10-15 minute punchbag workout. Straight back to square one. That's when the reality sank in: something was seriously wrong.

What Did Michael Try Before CFS Recovery?

Michael went through the usual cycle. Supplements, vitamins, strict healthy diets, and multiple doctor visits. His rheumatologist ran every blood test imaginable. All came back normal. She gave him a pre-diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome, and that's when he hit Google.

The Google rabbit hole

Like so many people with this condition, Googling his diagnosis made everything worse. He'd find one hopeful story, feel slightly better, then stumble across a comment saying "I've had this for 30 years, it only gets worse." Each negative post physically affected him. He described it like walking through a minefield. One wrong step, one bad forum post, and that feeling would burn into his mind for weeks.

He went back on antidepressants, which helped slightly. He tried eating only foods he considered "healthy" even when he didn't enjoy them. Nothing moved the needle. For about two years, he was stuck at roughly 5% recovered, able to work part-time and go home exhausted, but nothing more. His entire life was work, sofa, sleep, repeat.

The existential crisis

Around April 2023, everything broke. Michael hit what he calls an existential crisis. The monotony of surviving without actually living caught up to him. He couldn't see the point of anything. He was feeling less motivated, less hopeful, and increasingly depressed. He got so low that he finally got signed off work, something he'd refused to do for years.

That crisis, as painful as it was, became the turning point. It forced him to stop putting his job first and start putting his health first. He found a therapist who specialized in existential crises and started rebuilding from the ground up.

How Did Michael Find CFS Recovery's Program?

Michael had been watching CFS Recovery's YouTube videos for a while. He described the first time he found the channel as a physical shift. He actually felt better just from the hope it gave him. Knowing that someone had recovered, was still recovered, and it had stuck, gave him something no supplement or doctor visit ever had: belief.

Why he finally pulled the trigger

For months, Michael watched the videos but didn't join a program. He'd feel reassured, then go back to his old habits. He wasn't changing anything. After the existential crisis, the Lightning Process, and starting to see small improvements, he joined the Recovery Academy in October 2023. This time, he went all in.

What Helped Michael Recover From Chronic Fatigue?

Michael credits a few core things that made the biggest difference. The first was simplicity. He'd been overcomplicating everything, micromanaging every decision, and wasting mental energy on "did I do too much today?" Stripping all of that away and focusing on one thing, responding well, changed everything.

The daily practices that moved the needle

He did a 40-minute full-body nervous system relaxation meditation every single day. Breathing exercises, long exhales, visualizing his muscles relaxing. That daily practice calmed the "wired but tired" feeling that so many people with CFS experience. He stopped people-pleasing. He started taking each day one at a time instead of worrying about the future or ruminating on the past.

The group coaching calls inside the Recovery Academy were a consistent reset button. Whenever he'd start to slip into black-and-white thinking or lose confidence, he'd get on a call and immediately shift back. He stayed on the program longer than he originally planned because the community and accountability were too valuable to leave.

Before vs. after: Michael's recovery by the numbers

Metric	Before Program	After 10 Months
Functional level	~5%	~97%
Exercise	None possible	Full football matches, heavy lifting
Work	Part-time, signed off during crisis	Working, planning a career change
Mental state	Existential crisis, depression	Calm, self-aware, happy
Stress response	High alert, reactive, overthinking	Laid back, handles stress well
Daily life	Work, sofa, sleep, repeat	Football, gym, socializing, enjoying life

What Was Michael's Biggest Recovery Win?

Playing football. Michael used to go and watch his Monday six-a-side team play every week because he couldn't join in. He'd sit on the sideline and watch his mates. When he finally stepped back on the pitch, it started small: 5 minutes per half. Then 10. Then 15. Now he plays the full game every single week.

The moment it really sank in was after playing five matches with no crash. No flare-up. No consequences. He realized this wasn't a fluke. The program was working. He was consistently improving and not paying for it afterwards.

Where Is Michael Now?

Michael describes himself as approximately 97% recovered. He plays full football matches every week. He's back in the gym lifting heavy. He handles stress better than he did before he got sick. He's calmer, more self-aware, and more intentional about how he spends his time.

He's still working part-time by choice, not because of limitations. He's using the awareness he gained through recovery to figure out what he actually wants to do with his career, rather than grinding away at a job he doesn't enjoy. He's planning to leave the role he's been in for eight or nine years and do something that matters to him.

His story is one of over 50+ documented recovery interviews from people across 20+ conditions who've gone through CFS Recovery's programs.