It was Sunday morning and I was savoring the rare indulgence of a donut, sausage roll, and coffee my husband had brought home. I told myself I’d eat healthy the rest of the day, but soon after, I felt the sting of a sore throat. By nightfall, I felt razor blades in my throat and the first fever chills creeping in. I took some elderberry, zinc, and vitamin C, and went to bed.
The next morning my body demanded stillness. I surrendered to bed for the next forty-eight hours, sipping hot fluids and drifting in and out of sleep. When I woke up feeling better on Tuesday with just a little tiredness and soreness, I jumped right back into my daily routine. Pushing through the lingering fatigue, I kept telling myself I needed to make up for the time I spent laying around.
By Wednesday night, after teaching an art class and meeting friends for wine, I could barely whisper. The next morning, my voice was gone completely, my body ached everywhere, and my head pounded. That’s when I knew that I hadn’t listened. My body had given me warning signs, and I ignored them. Now it was forcing me to stop.
Creating a Healing Sanctuary
When I realized I couldn’t do anything but rest, I decided to make my space a sanctuary instead of a sickroom. Thankfully I already had things on hand. I filled a diffuser with eucalyptus and lavender, cracked the window for fresh air, and cleared my nightstand to make room for a box of tissues, throat spray, quarts for healing, cup of tea, a journal, and a pen. I turned relaxing music on my speaker and silenced my phone.
When the temperature dropped at night I was so thankful for my soft pajamas and fluffy socks that kept me comfortable. I had extra blankets and pillows for adjusting my head and legs as I would become congested or sore. For days I drank more liquids than I thought possible. I chose chicken broth, lemon honey water, sage tea, echinacea, elderberry, and mixed herbal blends learning quickly that variety matters. My husband kindly brought melons and blueberry muffins when I craved something sweet.
The sunlight through the window lifted my spirits, and I kept the curtains open except for naps. I reminded myself that I wasn’t “doing nothing,” rather I was allowing myself to heal. My body was recalibrating and my mind was realigning.
The Body’s Messages
As I’ve grown older, I’ve learned to recognize when I’m about to get sick. My body always tells me first. But that doesn’t mean I always listen. I’m one of those people who has trouble sitting still. Always juggling creative ideas, unfinished projects, to-do lists, and a constant need to organize the chaos around me.
When I get sick, I can usually trace it back: What have I been eating? How have I been resting? What emotions have I been carrying? I’ve noticed the even subtle anxiety can show up as digestive issues or fatigue. When I’m stuck in negative thought loops or skip my meditations, my body starts to protest.
Preparing for the Next Time
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s to be prepared because at some point, we all end up under the weather. I’ve started keeping all the supplies for a comfort kit ready. Being the mom, I don’t really have anyone to make me chicken soup or muffins when I’m too exhausted to be standing for even ten minutes. My husband is kind enough to pick up supplies at the store if I can send him pictures of what I need, but he doesn’t cook. If you want to put together your own comfort kit for yourself, here’s what I recommend:
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Diffuser and essential oils (lavender, eucalyptus, any soothing blends)
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Herbal teas and honey
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Throat spray, cold medicine, pain reliever, and tissues
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Broth or soup ready in the freezer
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Journal and pen, (sometimes we come up with great ideas while laying around)
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Blankets and extra pillows
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A playlist of soothing sounds
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Comfy socks and soft pajamas
I even like to create and gift these little “comfort kits” to friends who are sick. Everything except the pillows, blankets, and pajamas at least. Sometimes I’ll throw in a small bouquet of flowers just to brighten up their day.
I have created a care package that is available here. It includes herbal tea, honey, essential oil, tissues, quartz for healing, comfy socks, and small journal with pen. If you happen to live around the Tulsa area then I will happily deliver some homeade broth along with your package. It always feels nice to have that special touch of homeade from someone who cares.
Gratitude and Gentle Lessons
Illness always brings me back to gratitude. When I’m healthy, I forget how wonderful it feels just to breathe without effort, to move without pain, to use my voice freely. After this week, I’ve added “a body that feels good” to my daily gratitude list.
This month, I’ve been writing three gratitudes a day which I will sometimes share on social media. You can read more about that practice in our November blog post Sacred Creativity Rituals. We also focused on gratitude on our journal pages in our “Art and Reflection” monthly membership. Through rest, I’ve realized how much I want to care better for my body. Even though I thought I was doing a fairly good job at it already, it tends to ebb and flow.
During my “healing time” I created a few meal plans. This makes it easier to choose healthy items at the grocery store and not have the hassle of trying to decide what to fix for dinner. I also created a list of small joys that nurture my emotional and mental state. These include caring for my plants, soaking in the bath, time spent daydreaming, and petting my goats. These are little things that I tend not to take the time for but really enjoy doing. I’m learning to see these things not as “wastes of time” but as essential acts of self-care.
A Closing Thought
I share this experience in hopes that it encourages you to listen to your body, your thoughts, and your emotions. Check in with yourself. Rest before your body forces you to.
Healing isn’t just recovery. It’s an invitation to mindfully, gently become more aware of your life and how you are living it. It’s a chance to show more gratitude for the body that carries you through it all.
Creatively yours,
Katy L. Casillas-Gray