If you wake up exhausted, inflamed, or already in survival mode, your mornings may be triggering your nervous system without you realizing it. In this episode of The Health Bridge Podcast, holistic health coach Holly B. explains how the first hour of your day affects inflammation, energy, circadian rhythm, and autoimmune flares — and how to shift from chaos to calm in a way that supports healing.

This episode is not about hustle culture or perfect routines. It's about creating safety for a body living with lupus or chronic illness. You'll learn how to build a gentle, flexible morning routine that works even during flares and fatigue, and why small daily rituals regulate the nervous system more effectively than extreme changes.

This conversation is part of a healing mini-series focused on mindset, nervous system regulation, and sustainable autoimmune recovery.

• Why mornings directly impact lupus and autoimmune symptoms

• How stress-first mornings increase inflammation and fatigue

• The problem with traditional productivity routines for chronic illness

• The 3 healing pillars: mind, body, and soul

• How sunlight, hydration, and gentle movement regulate circadian rhythm

• A realistic autoimmune-friendly routine you can start tomorrow

• Why consistency heals more than perfection

Free daily lupus guide + symptom tracker:
https://subscribepage.io/dailyguide

Apply for a free Healing Breakthrough Call:
https://tidycal.com/workwithhollyb/breakthrough-call

This is Episode 5 in a Mind-Pillar Mini-Series. Find the full playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLK3j33HVe2-pXgfQASYskrjbDPsF0VyWI

Subscribe to The Health Bridge Podcast for holistic support for women healing from lupus and autoimmune conditions.

If this episode helped you, share it with someone who needs calmer mornings and more energy.

Until next time, be gentle with yourself and keep building your bridge back to health.

00:00 — Why mornings affect autoimmune healing
02:45 — Survival mode and inflammation
06:10 — The problem with typical morning routines
10:30 — The 3 pillars of a healing start
15:50 — A simple routine you can start tomorrow
20:40 — Small rituals, big nervous system shifts
23:10 — Closing + next steps

This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making changes to your health routine.

Why does healing feel harder when your inner voice works against you? What if the stories you tell yourself are keeping you stuck in flares and fatigue?

Join host Holly B. and Tenille Stewart—chronic illness coach, speaker, and 20-year lupus thriver—for an honest conversation about mindset shifts that actually work for autoimmune disease. This isn't toxic positivity. It's about using affirmations in a grounded way that meets you where you are.

What you'll learn:

• The 60-second nightly affirmation practice Tenille has done for 1,000+ nights—and how it rewired her healing

• How to write affirmations your nervous system can believe (not empty positive statements)

• Why "being realistic" might be keeping you sick—and how to shift without toxic positivity

• How two coaches healed with completely opposite diets (vegan vs. carnivore)—and why both work

Key Takeaway: You don't have to choose between acknowledging pain and choosing hope. Talk to yourself like someone you love—you deserve that compassion.

Connect with Tenille Stewart:

Instagram: @tenillethecaptain

TikTok: @tenillesosilly

Podcast: Happily Healed with Tenille

Resources:

Free daily lupus guide & symptom tracker: https://subscribepage.io/dailyguide

Free Health Breakthrough Call with Holly: https://tidycal.com/workwithhollyb/breakthrough-call

If this episode resonated with you, please leave a review and share it with someone who needs to hear this message.

Time Stamps:

00:00 - Introduction: Healing and negative self-talk

00:42 - Meet Tenille: 20 years with lupus

02:06 - Diagnosis story: 8 months to answers

04:33 - "You won't live past 30"

05:53 - Choosing hope over statistics

08:59 - Learning to change self-talk

10:22 - Talking to yourself like baby you

12:00 - Ad break

13:37 - 1,000+ nights of daily affirmations

15:28 - How to write effective affirmations

17:18 - Recognizing hidden negative thoughts

18:43 - Avoiding toxic positivity

20:47 - Motion creates emotion

23:45 - Flare-ups as wake-up calls

25:40 - Ad break

26:10 - Finding blessings in hardship

28:04 - Vegan vs. carnivore healing paths

30:02 - Why pills alone aren't enough

32:00 - Tenille's vegan journey

35:51 - Holly's carnivore experience

36:24 - Whole foods and seasonal eating

37:17 - Slow, consistent dietary changes

39:14 - Movement matters

41:07 - Building a morning routine

43:01 - One habit at a time

44:14 - Where to find Tenille

45:26 - Closing and resources

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making changes to your health routine.

Can the words you use about your body actually impact lupus and autoimmune symptoms?

In this episode of The Health Bridge Podcast, holistic health guide Holly B. breaks down how language directly affects the nervous system, inflammation, and healing for women living with lupus and autoimmune conditions.

If you're stuck in symptom management despite doing "everything right," this episode reveals a missing piece most women are never taught: your words are signals to your body. Common phrases like "my body is attacking me" or "this is just how it is now" can keep your system locked in fight-or-flight, increasing stress and flares.

Building on previous episodes about partnering with your body and radical responsibility, Holly explains how intentional language creates safety in the nervous system and supports sustainable autoimmune healing—without toxic positivity or ignoring real symptoms.

• How language impacts the nervous system in lupus and autoimmune disease

• Why common medical and self-talk phrases increase inflammation and stress

• The connection between mindset, chronic illness flares, and healing

• Simple language shifts to support regulation and energy

• How to talk about fatigue, limits, and flares without reinforcing a sick identity

Free daily lupus guide + symptom tracker:
https://subscribepage.io/dailyguide

Apply for a free Healing Breakthrough Call:
https://tidycal.com/workwithhollyb/strategy-call

Subscribe to The Health Bridge Podcast for practical, holistic support for women healing from lupus and autoimmune conditions.

This episode is part of a mind-pillar mini-series—listen in order for the biggest shifts. Find the full Playlist here.

Until next time, take a deep breath, give yourself grace, and keep building your bridge back to health.

Time Stamps:

0:00 - Why You're Still Stuck in Flares

0:36 - Welcome & Episode Overview

1:48 - How Your Nervous System Responds to Words

3:19 - Words as Immune System Instructions

4:18 - Healing Language vs. Toxic Positivity

5:25 - Language Triggers & Nervous System

6:08 - Harmful Phrases Keeping You Stuck

8:18 - Identity-Based Language & Disease Ownership

10:45 - 4 Language Shifts for Healing

13:57 - 5 Steps to Rewire Your Language

18:25 - Real Results from Language Shifts

20:30 - Radical Responsibility Through Language

22:18 - Resources & Next Steps

Disclaimer:
This content is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making changes to your health routine.