Too Flared to Funk - A Long Covid Conversation with Caryn Zaner, PsyD

A Friend for the Long Haul - A Long Covid Podcast 100% produced by a disabled Covid long hauler. If you'd like to support my work, please check out the following ways you can do so:

• My ⁠Amazon wish list⁠, which currently focuses on low-spoon activities for my family this summer. We have four kiddos, with three kids who are also navigating disabilities.
• You can also visit my ⁠⁠new Amazon storefront⁠⁠, where I share only the items I use, love, or highly recommend. If you use my links to buy products you already purchase from Amazon, they'll throw me a few pennies.
• Check out my ⁠Bonfire shop⁠, where I create and sell long Covid items (shirts, totes, hats, etc) that reflect my dark sense of humor coping mechanism.--

Welcome to Season 3 of A Friend for the Long Haul! In this episode, I twith Caryn Zaner, PsyD, a Clinical Psychologist based in Oregon specializing in anxiety, identity development, values work, and interpersonal group therapy. Caryn (they/none) provides tele-therapy for adults 18+ and shares their personal experience navigating Long Covid.

Topics covered include:✅ Caryn’s journey with Long Covid and the support group they founded
✅ People-pleasing, grief, coping mechanisms, and emotions
✅ Perfectionism, social media pressures, and self-trust
✅ Listening to your body and intuition when it feels unfamiliar

✅ Comorbidities, chronic illness, and shared experiences

🔔 Content Warning: From 59:45 - 1:14:05, we discuss:

• GLP-1 medications for Long Covid, including Caryn’s experience with tirzepatide
• Strength training, weight lifting, body image, and off-label medication access

If you prefer to skip this section, jump to 1:14:05, where we wrap up with our signature three questions.

Other things mentioned in this episode

My Too Flared to Funk fake band tee shirt for The Social Distanced's "Survive 2025" World Tour.

You can find Caryn on Instagram

Felt Not Fixed: https://www.instagram.com/felt.not.fixed/

Therapy for the Apocalypse: https://www.instagram.com/therapy.for.the.apocalypse/

Caryn's website

https://www.carynzanerpsyd.com/

The post that led me to Caryn: Attachment Theory and Still Coviding

Book: Lifting Heavy Things by Laura Khoudari

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You can listen to the A Friend for the Long Haul Long Covid Theme Songs playlist on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3n0GXLFRWqDJyifglNNM4K?si=7948dbf2222c4392

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This podcast does not provide medical diagnosis, treatment, or professional healthcare services. If you have any concerns regarding your health or medical condition, please consult a qualified healthcare provider. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking treatment based on information heard in this podcast. Please don't compare yourself to someone else you hear, either. Our illnesses are highly individualized and what works for one person may not work for you.

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