When I'm sick, it's usually my fault. Truly! Whether I'm overworking (a frequent offender), or making a lifestyle change, I'm bound to require a few days next to the tissue box.

A few weeks I ago I set goals for 2017, one of them being to eat healthier and cook more. On January 1st I started the SP Purification, and in 2.5 weeks I'm feeling more energetic and am down 10lbs. Wow!

Each time I've tried to eat healthier in the past I have always felt incredible in the beginning. What a confidence boost! A

few weeks- or even a few days- in, however, my energy is shot and I feel a cold coming on.

This time I was determined not to let that cold escalate. I drank apple cider vinegar, brewed turmeric tea, went to the gym, and made sure to sleep well. Despite my good intentions, I may have worked myself too hard and ended up down and out with a cold for the past few days.

My first day sharing the couch with Guinevere and Lancelot left me stressed. We're leaving for Florida in a few weeks, and I have so much to finish before then. I tried pushing myself to get a few things done, then I gave up. Towards the evening, I was feeling rather guilty.

Yesterday, however, I said no to work. My plan was to go for a walk and hit the sauna, utilizing my new fitness membership to the Mt. View Grand in the afternoon. Well, that didn't quite happen. I could not move or go 2 minutes without coughing.

Instead of feeling down about myself, however, I took the time to fully ease up and relax. By yesterday, I was already feeling much better. I even washed the dishes! This time around, I learned that instead of fighting off a cold, I need to embrace it- a difficult feat, but a necessary one.

Here's what this cold taught me:

How To Embrace Your Cold

Understand Why- Is something going around, are you feeling stressed, or have you been eating healthier? Many times a cold is the body's way of forcing us to slow down and put things in perspective. It's also a time when the body rids itself of toxins, a side effect of eating healthy. (AKA Nature's way of punishing us when we try to do the right thing.)

Relax- Take that chill pill and cool it. You aren't going to get rid of your cold by forcing it out. Sleep, catch up on a show (I'm partial to HGTV and Pioneer Woman), and breathe deeply. By reducing your stress, your body will have more energy to fight off that cold on its own.

Drink- Be the alcoholic of water. Flush out the bad stuff and

Eat Well- Feed your body the nutrients it needs to fight back. Keep it simple. Choose raw fruits and vegetables over hearty foods to allow your digestive system a break. (And really, who wants to eat anything when they have a sore throat?)
     Bonus- Add collagen, apple cider vinegar, and turmeric to your diet.

Sweat- Take a bath or go to a sauna. Sweating is a form of detoxifying, and if you're sick because you're body is detoxing, sweating will help it achieve its mission.
     Bonus- Add a few drops of eucalyptus essential oil to your bathtub. Eucalyptus helps clean out our airways.

Moisturize- As soon as you reach for the tissue box, reach for lotion as well. Try to find a super moisturizing kind that smells good and apply it all around your nose, often. 

When you're beyond the, "Ermagherd I want to die" stage...

Move- Movement is the only way to drain the lymph nodes; they be lazy. Lymph nodes don't move toxins on their own, they store them, so the best way to finish the job is by walking or rebounding on a trampoline.
     Bonus- If it's not the African Sahara or Antarctic ice caps outside, go in the sun for added benefits.

Refresh- Change your sheets, open the windows, pick-up scattered tissues, and clean.

Evaluate- Clear the clutter from your schedule and clear the clutter all around you. Stress is a surefire way to make the body vulnerable to illness. Prioritize your to do list and eliminate any activities that don't support your work, goals, or life.
     Bonus- Clear your physical clutter. It's amazing how organizing our physical spaces clears our minds in the process.

Get down with the sickness and embrace that cold!