Cold Season

When was the last time you caught a cold? More importantly, what was going on in your life just before your last cold?

I used to be a real nudge about the various herbs and preventatives for the common cold. Now, I recommend some things (ginger cold tea) to help with symptoms and boosting health through your cold. But I think people get colds mostly when they are overworked, overtired, overstressed, overwhelmed, and overotherstuff.

When you feel a cold coming, the best thing to do may be to stop and feel what's going on for you. Take a day off right away, sleep, drink water, journal, and reflect. Illness is not a punishment. And it wont' necessarily go away once you *learn your lesson* from it. It's much more complex than that punisher model. But it is telling you quite simply that you are unwell. The feeling of fatigue that accompanies the cold means you should rest.

We are in a culture that supports working through illness. That does not mean you need to. You will be amazed that when you decide firmly that taking care of yourself is a priority and examine why you resist self-nurturance, that your world becomes much more supportive.

Your inner relationship will be mirrored by your outer experience. Actually, it always is, but it would be nice to choose what that looks like.

So this cold season, do your echinacea, your airborne, your sudafed, whatever. But when you get sick anyway, go home and rest. A cold is just a cold but it can be a powerful step to change your inner landscape and ultimately your whole world.