Back to school is right around the corner, which means a lot of moms are already thinking about what else is right around the corner: cold and flu season. 🤧
So naturally, we start stocking up. Vitamin C gummies. Elderberry. Hand sanitizer. Supplements. All the things.
And those things can absolutely have their place. But there’s another piece of immune health we don’t talk about nearly enough, and it’s one I wish more families understood:
Your nervous system.
Your nervous system and immune system are constantly communicating with each other. When your body is under chronic stress and doesn’t have enough opportunities to recover, that can influence immune function. Which means supporting your family’s health isn’t only about what supplements you take or what you reach for once someone gets sick. It’s also about what you’re doing every day to help your body move out of stress mode and back into a state of safety, rest, and recovery.
And before every overwhelmed mom reading this thinks, Great, one more thing I’m supposed to do— I want you to know that nervous-system support doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, some of the most powerful things are incredibly simple, free, and can become part of what you’re already doing as a family.
Start with morning light. Get outside for a few minutes after everyone wakes up or before school. Natural morning light helps support healthy circadian rhythms, which in turn supports better sleep—and sleep is foundational for both nervous-system and immune function.
Then, move your bodies every day. Walk to school. Take the dog around the block. Ride bikes. Play outside. Turn on music and dance in the kitchen while you’re making dinner. Movement doesn’t always need to look like structured exercise. It’s one of the simplest ways we can help our bodies move through and release the stress we accumulate throughout the day.
Another thing I love is taking a few slow breaths together. This can be especially helpful during those transition points when kids tend to be more dysregulated—right after school, before homework, after a hard moment, or before bed. You don’t need a 20-minute breathwork practice. Even a few slower breaths, with an emphasis on a gentle, longer exhale, can help signal to the body that it’s okay to downshift.
And please give your kids pockets of time without constant stimulation. Their nervous systems need downtime just like ours do. Not every car ride needs a screen. Not every quiet moment needs to be filled. Let them stare out the window. Let them color. Let them lie on the floor with the dog. Let them be bored. We live in a world of almost constant input, and creating little pockets of quiet gives the nervous system a chance to settle.
We also need to make room for emotions. When your child comes home upset, anxious, disappointed, angry, or completely melting down, our instinct is often to make the feeling go away as quickly as possible. But instead of immediately fixing it, try helping them name what they’re feeling and letting them know it’s okay to feel it. We don’t want to teach kids that uncomfortable emotions are dangerous or need to be avoided. We want to help them learn, I can feel this, move through it, and come back to safety.
And then there’s one of my favorite forms of nervous-system support: PLAY. LAUGH. CONNECT. 😂
This one gets overlooked because it seems too simple, but connection matters. Play with your kids. Be silly. Have the kitchen dance party. Laugh until your stomach hurts. Snuggle on the couch. Throw the football in the backyard. Feeling safe, connected, and supported by the people we love can be incredibly regulating for the nervous system.
Finally, protect sleep as much as you can. Kids need sleep, and so do you. Consistent bedtime routines, dimmer lights in the evening, less stimulation before bed, and simply making sleep a priority all help support the body’s natural rhythms, recovery, and immune function.
And moms, I want you to hear this part too: you do not need to be perfectly regulated for your children to have healthy nervous systems. Stress is part of life. Your kids are going to get overwhelmed. They’re going to have hard days. You’re going to have hard days. The goal isn’t to eliminate stress—it’s to give the body repeated experiences of moving through stress and coming back down from it.
That’s how we build capacity.
So yes, buy the vitamin C gummies if you want them. Keep washing hands. Eat nourishing food. Get outside. Support sleep. Do all of those foundational things.
But this back-to-school season, remember that supporting the immune system isn’t only about what you take when someone gets sick. It’s also about the little things you do every single day to support a body that knows how to adapt, recover, and return to balance.
This back-to-school season, don’t just think about immune support. Think nervous-system support, too. 🤍
