My Secret to Bouncing Back This Winter (No Cost Required)

No pills. No potions. Just truth, rest, and realignment.

Welcome to June. Welcome to winter.

It’s the season of frosty mornings, early sunsets, and—without fail—colds, flus, and fatigue. It’s no surprise that I came down sick one weekend. A head cold on Friday turned into a chest infection by Saturday, then a deep, raspy cough on Sunday.

But by Monday? My energy was back.

Not just “feeling a bit better” — back.

I bounced back quickly. And that’s what I want to talk to you about today.

Because the truth is, we all get sick. That part is human. What matters is how we recover—how quickly, how deeply, and with how much awareness.

In my experience, true healing—lasting, vibrant recovery—happens when we see illness not just as a physical inconvenience but as a spiritual invitation.

Every breakdown has a breakthrough hiding inside it.

The Real Reason We Get Sick (And Why That’s a Good Thing)

We tend to think of sickness as something to avoid at all costs. Something that happens to us. But what if it’s something happening for us?

What if your body is intelligent—and illness is its way of getting your attention?

We’re taught to push through symptoms, cover them with medication, or ignore what we’re feeling. But the body never lies. It speaks through tension, fatigue, pain, or a good old-fashioned head cold when it's trying to get you to stop and listen.

“Illness is the body’s way of demanding that we pay attention to something we’ve ignored for too long.” – Dr. Christiane Northrup

Here’s the powerful part: studies now show that up to 90% of doctor visits are linked to stress-related conditions.(Source: American Institute of Stress)

That means your immune system doesn’t just respond to viruses. It also responds to your emotions, your thoughts, your relationships, your past, and the pressure you put on yourself.

How I Recovered So Fast — And Why That Matters

That week, I had all the ingredients for burnout:

• A full week of the kids home from school due to the flood

• Another full week of sick kids at home

• A husband working long hours and unable to assist

• Me, holding everything together and starting to crack

  
  

I could feel the pressure building. Then one moment, I snapped and shouted at Simon. Not long after, I felt that tell tale sting in the back of my throat.

Yes, I may have shared a cup of lemon honey tea with a sick child. But the truth is—I believe the yelling did more damage than the germs.

My immune system was overwhelmed. Not from physical exertion—but from emotional overload. From trying to do too much, for too many people, without any space to just feel.

Here’s what I did next. And I believe this is why I recovered so fast.

The Body Knows – And It’s Asking You to Listen

Your body is not separate from your emotions or your spirit. It is your spirit, in form. When your immune system goes down, your soul might be asking you to look inward, to slow down, to feel.

It’s an ecosystem. Just like nature, it needs balance to thrive. When one part is overworked, the whole system shifts to compensate.

A 2022 study from the University of Pittsburgh found that people who suppress emotions like anger or sadness have significantly weaker immune responses to colds and flu.

So here’s what I do—not just to get well, but to grow through sickness and bounce back stronger.

My No-Cost, Soul-First Winter Recovery Plan

1. Tune In

Start with a question: What was happening emotionally before I got sick? This might take a bit of courage and honesty. But there’s usually a moment, a pattern, a stressor. For me, it was weeks of doing everything alone, holding too much, and trying to stay strong. The snap came from a deep well of feeling unsupported. That’s when the immune system buckled.

2. Feel the Feels

Let yourself feel it all: guilt, frustration, resentment, disappointment. Don’t try to fix it—just sit with it. Cry if you need to. Be with the emotion without judgment. It’s safe to feel. Sickness gives us a sacred pause. Use it.

3. Forgive

This is the linchpin. Forgive your partner. Forgive the situation. Forgive yourself.

Forgiveness isn’t about letting someone off the hook—it’s about setting yourself free. It’s releasing the emotional charge that’s weighing you down and weakening your body.

“Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.” – Buddha

4. Rest and Receive

Once you’ve cleared the emotional debris, you’ll feel a shift. This is the moment when healing begins. Take your supplements, your herbs, your teas—not out of panic, but from peace. Now they’ll work better. Now your body is ready to receive.

5. Reach Out

This is the time to contact your team—whether it’s a chiropractor, naturopath, osteo, Bowen therapist, or Reiki healer. Or maybe it’s prayer, meditation, journaling, or breathwork. Let others help you re-align.

Healing Is Not Linear. But It Is Sacred.

One weekend, we hosted a Farm Stay. Andrew, Emma, and Zsolt came to help build paths to the glamping tents. Zsolt brought along Nadia—who, it turns out, had a powerful insight to offer.

She helped me see that our family dynamic was out of balance. Simon and I had been working nonstop. Our kids, on the other hand, had been indulging in lots of video game time—which frustrated me to no end.

But Nadia gently pointed out, “Your household is its own ecosystem looking for balance. If you’re not playing, the kids are doing it for you.”

Whoa.

So I joined them. I played a video game (yes, the jelly blobby kind). I even won a tournament (somehow). We laughed. We connected. Simon joined in later. And the tension in the house? It lifted. The energy changed.

Play was the missing medicine.

From Breakdown to Breakthrough

Sickness is never just physical. It’s a spiritual checkpoint. A chance to listen, recalibrate, and evolve.

My body got sick so I could stop, feel, and shift something deep.

That’s the breakthrough. That’s the gift.

And when you treat illness like an invitation instead of a punishment— you bounce back quicker. Stronger. Wiser.

Take Care, Catch Up, and Keep Growing

If you’ve missed a Zoom session or two, no worries. Go back and catch the replays when you’re ready. They're full of insights and community goodness.

But above all, take care of you. This winter, let your healing be full of heart.

Let your breakdown become your breakthrough.

With love and a warm cuppa,

Kelli x

Founder, My Self Reliance Australia