Convalescence: The Lost Art of Healing
How long do you give yourself permission to rest when you're unwell?
Or, do you push through, maybe reach for the cold and flu tablets at the first sign of a sore throat to prevent getting sick and needing to stop?
Do you feel pressured to show up at work even though you're not 100%?
Tell yourself it's not that bad and push through?
Rush back into exercise because your body should be better by now?
These are the questions I found myself sitting with over the Christmas and New Year break, not as a practitioner, but as a human in a body that was very clearly asking for something I wasn't giving it: rest.
What started as feeling run down slowly turned into a nasty sinus infection. And honestly? I can trace it back to one thing, I didn't rest, even when I knew I wasn't 100%.
It was the new year. There were lists to write, cupboards to organise, life admin to catch up on, and long-overdue house maintenance to finally get done. I kept telling myself I'd rest after this next one thing. Until eventually my body made the decision for me, and I physically couldn't be off the couch for more than short periods of time.
And while I had well-meaning advice coming in about antibiotics and that a flu shot would have prevented this (!!!), I knew for me, this time, what I needed was my herbs, rest, good nutrition and something I hadn't been allowing myself: true convalescence.
What is convalescence?
Convalescence is the phase after the acute illness when symptoms are improving, but the body is still deeply repairing, recalibrating, and rebuilding. It's the part we often skip or cut too short.
In the hustle culture we live in and especially if you're a carer, parent, business owner, or any high-functioning human really, convalescence can feel indulgent, unnecessary, or even weak. Many of us have learnt to prioritise other people's needs above our own and that rest becomes something we earn, rather than something we're allowed.
But biologically, convalescence isn't optional.
During illness, your body diverts huge amounts of energy into immune defence producing white blood cells, inflammatory mediators, antibodies, and repairing damaged tissue. This uses an enormous amount of resources. Once the acute phase passes, your system still needs time to restore nutrient reserves, reset nervous system tone, clear inflammatory byproducts, repair mucosal tissues, and rebuild immune resilience.
This is where herbal medicine really shines. During acute illness, herbs can modulate immune response, reduce inflammation, support mucous membrane healing, and ease symptoms like congestion, pain, and fever. But during convalescence, they help rebuild immune resilience, support adrenal and nervous system recovery, restore energy without over stimulation, and assist the body in recalibrating after stress or infection.
When we skip this phase and jump straight back into full output mode, what I see clinically is lingering fatigue, recurrent infections, post-viral syndromes, flare-ups of inflammatory or autoimmune symptoms, and a growing sense of "I just don't bounce back like I used to."
This may sound familiar to you or someone you know.
Herbal medicine & listening to the body
Herbal medicine is perfectly placed to support the body through all stages of illness. It is nutritive, energetic, and has specific therapeutic actions in the body; just like the pharmaceutical medications that our society leans on so heavily.
So, as my symptoms changed, so did my herbal mix. By listening closely, I matched what my body needed with different herbs, and when things settled and convalescence began, I selected yet another batch of herbs to support that phase of healing.
But even more than herbs, this experience reminded me of the importance of listening to your body and not pushing through, overriding but instead: 'What does my body need right now?'
A surprising insight from knitting
Only one of my lecturers at uni spoke about convalescence, and apart from that we didn't focus much on this part of the healing journey and yet, it has the capacity to impact so much. And so, as I often do, out of pure curiosity I went looking in the literature to see what was there.
I came across a fascinating paper, an autoethnographic study of a woman who documented her experience of illness and recovery through knitting. Yes, knitting.
The study explored three themes:
Knitting as a way of being in the world
Knitting as a coping practice during illness
Knitting as a resource during convalescence
What stood out most to me was the second and third.
The research found that knitting during recovery supported:
Emotional wellbeing
Nervous system regulation
Stress reduction
A sense of productivity without depletion
Meditative, rhythmic states
Feeling connected to self while resting
These are all crucial components to keep someone moving through convalescence at the right pace, not forcing or pushing but allowing. Knitting certainly isn't non-existent these days, but not many people do it either. So if you're not a knitter, what might be your task that supports healing?
Something gentle, rhythmic, regulating, and meaningful to do while your body heals. Something that allows you to rest without feeling useless. Something that supports healing rather than competes with it.
This is such an overlooked piece of recovery. Without an anchor convalescence can feel hard. For me, I like being productive and resting without doing something was a real challenge, and top of that I had my kids and so many jobs I wanted them to help me with!
Many of my clients struggle with the same thing, and I hear things like:
‘I feel like I take longer to heal these days.’ ‘Every illness seems to linger.’ ‘I never fully bounce back anymore.
And while yes, immune resilience changes with age, what I see far more often are deeper contributors:
Burnout or long-term nervous system stress
Nutrient depletion (especially protein, iron, zinc, B vitamins)
Poor sleep or circadian disruption
Chronic inflammation
Emotional load that hasn't had space to process
And critically, lack of proper convalescence when unwell
When your system never fully restores, each illness takes more out of you. It's not weakness, it's physiology.
What convalescence actually looks like (in real life)
Convalescence doesn't mean lying in bed doing nothing (unless your body truly needs that).
It means:
Letting symptoms fully resolve before resuming full workload
Eating nourishing, grounding food (especially protein, minerals, and warming meals)
Supporting hydration and electrolyte balance
Prioritising sleep even after the worst has passed
Gentle movement only when energy genuinely returns
Doing something soothing and absorbing like reading, knitting, journalling, gentle creative work
Using herbs or nutrients that support immune restoration, nervous system regulation, and tissue repair
It means respecting that healing is not just about symptom suppression, it's about restoration of capacity. It's one of the most powerful forms of medicine we have and one we almost never prescribe.
A closing reflection
I want this article to serve as a reminder of many things including the power of herbal medicine to support phases of illness and recovery and also the power of resting and using the time when are unwell to reflect and connect back to ourselves.
Ironically, what felt like a frustrating setback for me became a powerful reminder both personally and professionally.
Healing doesn't respond to pressure. It responds to listening.
And sometimes, the most therapeutic thing we can do is stop trying to get better… and instead, let ourselves heal.
If this resonates with you, especially if you feel like your body struggles to recover from illness, stress, or burnout, this is exactly the kind of work I support clients with in clinic.
Reference
Mona Asbjørnslett, Anne Lund & Gunn Helene Engelsrud (2025) Being a dedicated knitter in times of health and illness: An autoethnographic study, Journal of Occupational Science, DOI: 10.1080/14427591.2025.2560854