How Do I Keep My Immune System Strong?

creativity empowerment exercise feelings healing massage nutrition self care Jan 03, 2023

I felt called to address this because it’s cold and flu season.  I thought perhaps you might find some practices I do that you’d like to add to your life to strengthen your immune system.

I drink a lot of water and live an active lifestyle.  This way, I keep the approximately 70% water I’m made of plentiful, and I keep my fluids flowing by having a job that requires me to move, and I exercise as well, usually walking, or plenty of dancing (my favorite) to get my heart rate up, and I do daily yoga.  Moving the body moves my lymph.  My fluids don’t stagnate.  As I sometimes tell my elder chair yoga students, “It’s all about circulation.”

I eat lots of fresh produce and unprocessed foods.  I eat a huge salad for lunch nearly every day.  I consume very little sugar and alcohol, as neither are good for my immune system and I am a tiny lady so an adult sized portion of these substances is actually a lot for my little self.  I do eat dark chocolate, and drink green tea and black coffee, for the joy of it and the antioxidants.  I eat garlic onion and ginger regularly, also great for the body’s defenses.

I nourish myself.  I take high quality vitamins and probiotics when I can.  And I make herbal teas from scratch with nourishing herbs like red raspberry leaf, nettle, and oat straw.  I also include elderberries to help prevent cold and flu, and hibiscus for vitamin C.  Sometimes I have tulsi tea on hand.  Tulsi, aka Holy Basil is an adaptogen herb that supports many systems of the body including immunity, and it sooths the affects of stress on the body.

I do things to minimize stress.  I get massages.  I schedule my days with little stretches of unscheduled time between tasks and appointments so I’m not scurrying around late, so my adrenal glands don’t get taxed unnecessarily.  My daily yoga and meditation practices soothe and balance me.  I write down what I am grateful for every morning. helping me keep a positive attitude.  I pet and snuggle my cats. I spend time in nature, as much as I can, even a quiet 10 minutes on my back patio with coffee listening to birds, if that’s all a busier day will allow.  I take baths a few times per week, often with essential oils, which provide soothing aromatherapy and have antimicrobial qualities.  I read good fiction books.  I cultivate friendships. I call my Mom.

I express myself.  I do my best to feel my emotions as they come, and not bottle them up.  I move or discharge them via exercise or creative expression as needed.  I do art, like singing, painting, dancing, playing an instrument, drawing, to keep emotions fluid.  About ten years ago I made a conscious commitment to feel all my feelings and I pretty much never get sick anymore.  Maybe every couple years, I catch something just to let you know I’m human.  And even then, I can usually trace it back to some stuck emotion or worry that I was dwelling on when I manifested the illness.  I am a big believer in a connection between thought and emotion patterns and our health, and have been observing the connection in myself and my clients and students since 1996 when I learned about this idea at massage school.

I pay attention to how things make me feel and gravitate toward what makes me feel good, strong, happy, empowered, etc.

I laugh a lot, which increases white blood cell count.  And I have lots of fun, whenever I can. 

I love my body.  I genuinely love my body.  I highly recommend everyone find something they can do with their body that brings great joy.  For me, dancing is the biggest one.  It makes me so grateful for my agile, strong, energetic body, and keeps me inspired to stay well. I trust my body.  I trust my immune system.  I do what I can to support my well-being and let my body do the rest.  It knows how to find its way to balance and optimal health.