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How to Stay Healthy During Cold and Flu Season: a Proactive + Reactive Approach to Wellness

posted:

2/03/2025

@caroline__potter

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Caroline

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a photos of oranges and greenery to highlight natural remedies for how to stay healthy during cold and flu season

I’m not a fan of all the fear mongering, especially this time of year.

“Everyone is out sick.”

“Did you get the health update email?”

“Oh that’s just going around.”

“It’s just this time of year.”

Yes, sickness is a part of life…but it does not have to rocket launch your anxiety or stress to the moon.

In fact, fear and anxiety squelch your body’s natural stress response. Your immune system? It’s apart of that stress response too! 😉

Say it again?  YES, cortisol is needed (and good) to rise to meet and conquer the demands of stress. Fear and anxiety suppress cortisol which suppresses how your body handles incoming pathogens or sickness. 

Short story: fearful people will NOT handle sickness as well as proactive people. 

But all the voices, negativity and fear out there can be overwhelming, trust me I get it. You are going about your day just fine until the latest news wave stresses you out about the potential threat of sickness.

👀🙃

Fear and anxiety is fueled by not having a plan, not knowing what to do.

Realistically, we can’t change the world’s response or language surrounding sickness, but we can have a plan…in our own homes!!!

You want a wellness action plan that’s two-fold:

  1. PROACTIVE: your daily wellness rhythms, eating habits, supplements, sleep and joys
  2. REACTIVE: your clear action plan at first symptoms of sickness

Proactive Health: Your Daily Wellness Routine for Resilience

How to be PROACTIVE with your health, on-the-daily.

Daily wellness rhythms

As James Clear said in Atomic Habits: “You are the designer of your world, not nearly the consumer.” Your daily rhythms should build YOU up, bring energy and make you the best version of you. Think of this like your “meat and potatoes” as my midwestern friends say. Your habits matter—both your micro and macro habits.

Where to start? (remember, this is inspo, make it your own)

Eating habits

You have a beautiful opportunity each day to build up your health with the foods you eat. Focus on eating real, unprocessed foods and reserve the packaged foods for when you really need them. Anything synthetic or full of sugar quickly wrecks your adrenal, digestion and immune response. An easy swap: instead of a granola bar choose apples, peanut butter and string cheese for a snack.

It can be very overwhelming (and stressful) to think about all the things you shouldn’t eat—rather flip the perspective and think about what you can add to your daily meals.

  • Anything fresh and colorful—these are living foods. In particular leafy greens, garlic and prebiotic rich foods like berries, pears, apples, onions and greens like asparagus, broccoli, brussels sprouts or leeks can keep the body strong.
  • Eating something rather than fully skipping meals—done is better than “perfect”…skipping meals wreaks havoc on the adrenals which modulate the immune response. If you don’t have time for a full meal, grab some nuts, carrots and hummus, whole milk yogurt, beef jerky or something small to keep your body fueled.
  • Aim to incorporate protein with each meal—protein is a building block of white blood cells and antibodies needed to fight the invader cells.

My game changing system as a working mom to 3 kids: How to Meal Plan, Not Meal Prep >

Natural Stress Relief Supplements and More

In a state of supplement overwhelm, more is not always better. Here’s my holistic short list to make a big impact and shift your body into a state of energy and capacity to handle sickness efficiently when it comes.

  • CBD Daily Nano Jellies: Keep your nervous system in check and decrease inflammation in the body, you’ll handle sickness better than ever before. Since taking these, I’ve noticed that both me and my kids get over sickness WAY easier because CBD shifts the body into a state of energy and capacity to handle the incoming stressors. 
  • Immune Bloom Jellies: High in antioxidants and functional mushrooms like chaga and reishi to support your body’s stress response. Turkey Tail is the key ingredient here that supports immune modulation. You’ll handle sickness with so much more ease. My husband and I take 1 daily and the littles get between 1/4-1/2.
  • Manuka Honey: High in antibacterial and antiviral properties, this medicinal grade honey is rich in digestive enzymes and trace minerals. A spoonful of honey really does keep the doctor away. My kids beg for this daily! Such a nourishing, sweet superfood.

Daily Joys

Joy, laughter, making memories, having fun boosts your feel good hormones—serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin. When those go up, cortisol is on the opposing team and has to regulate. So yes, laughter can regulate your body’s stress response. Turn on a funny show and laugh for 20 minutes, go get a fun dinner or treat with your kids, get outside.

How to Be Reactive: Taking Charge at the First Signs of Sickness

How to be REACTIVE with your health at first symptoms.

*To create a personalized plan and navigate your unique susceptibilities, make an Acute, Seasonal Support consultation.

If you can spring into action at first symptoms, you typically can navigate through sickness with more ease and in a timely manner. HOW you navigate sickness (not preventing or suppressing) is always our goal!

Aconite: This homeopathic remedy can be used at first symptoms. I always keep one in my purse and one at home. It’s powerful and amazing. This remedy only is for symptoms that arise suddenly and only at first onset, not for the entire duration of sickness.

Homeopathic remedies based off unique symptoms: With homeopathy, there is not just one remedy for a fever, cough,  migraine or the flu—it is all about how the patient presents with their unique symptoms. Homeopathy is personalized to each person’s symptoms, which is why it can be so effective. This is also why it can be confusing and requires you to play detective and OBSERVE. This book is a great starting point and one I reference daily.

Pure Radiance Vitamin C: During times of stress, sickness is stress, the body uses up Vitamin C more rapidly to keep up with the cortisol and adrenal hormone need. This beautifully pink vitamin C is fully food based so your body can absorb and utilize it properly.

Rapid Rescue: Oh how I love this one, it WORKS. At first symptoms take 2 every other hour—6-8 max in a day. Continue that for 3-4 days. It’s so powerful you may only need it for 1 day.

Facial Ice Bath: Not only does cold therapy activate ‘heat shock proteins’ which can help facilitate healing, but it also encourages lymphatic drainage which helps get the junk out. Use this for tension headaches, congestion, brain fog and fatigue.

Manuka Essential Oil: High in anti-viral and antibacterial properties, this is a beautiful oil to diffuse to cleanse the air, especially during seasons like winter where sickness is more abundant. At first symptoms of coughs, sneezing or any nasal congestion I quickly rub a few drops with some balm all over my little’s chests. It’s healing and protective! I also rub a few drops on the skin in my throat area at first signs of sore throat.

InfraRed Light Therapy: Not only does the infrared light penetrate deep into your cells to activate energy and an appropriate immune response, but the light also warms you up which brings up your body’s energy to fight sickness. My kids always ask to sit in front of the red light when they feel crummy, it’s so sweet!

Add in warming beverages and foods: Warming foods and drinks, following the traditional Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine practice, bring up the body’s energy, allowing more energy to be directed towards healing. As cliche as it sounds, your mama was on to something with warm chicken noodle soup and hot tea! Cold foods, cold drinks and cold air require more energy to digest and assimilate thus subtracting from the healing process.

REST REST REST: Get as much rest as possible the first 48 hours of first symptoms. Of course more sleep and rest beyond this period is important too, but don’t push yourself to “keep up with life” as that will lengthen the recovery process. Forget the laundry, get into bed. All the processes involved in fighting the invading pathogens or virus requires a higher demand of internal energy. You want to give your body all the support it needs so it can do the work and recover fully.

Do you feel more confident now?!

A proactive and reactive approach for how to stay healthy during cold and flu season.

FAQs

How can I proactively support my immune system during cold and flu season?

Eat fresh, real foods as often as possible. Support your adrenals and nervous system with Green Compass CBD—this shifts your body into a place of capacity and energy to handle the incoming sickness when it strikes..

What are some natural remedies for the first signs of illness?

Homeopathic Aconite and herbal Rapid Rescue can greatly support and strengthen the body’s reaction to sickness.

Can stress or anxiety impact how my body handles sickness?

Stress and anxiety shift your body into a weakened state of energy. You want all the energy you have to be directed towards healing!

What foods should I focus on to stay healthy during cold and flu season?

Quality sourced proteins with each meal, colorful, fresh fruits and vegetable and warm meals and beverages to keep your body’s energy up!

How can I prepare my home for cold and flu season?

Spend 15 minutes today taking inventory of what you have on hand and what you should add to your routine. Remember the best approach to handle sickness is to not wait until you are sick, but rather be proactive! Having a plan decreases fear, anxiety and stress.

a graphic about an interactive workshop to understand the basics and how to use these remedies for your unique symptoms

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