When Traveling Takes a Toll: Why Even Good Stress Requires Recovery
By Cara Lederer
May 28, 2026
Closing Out Lyme Awareness Month
As we come to the close of Lyme Awareness Month, I’ve spent the past several weeks seeking to educate and bring awareness to Lyme disease — something deeply personal to me.
By the Lord’s grace and mercy, He carried me through a season that profoundly changed my life, and it has become a passion of mine to help others who may be walking through similar struggles.
My heart in sharing this series has never been to create fear, but rather awareness, wisdom, and hope. Lyme disease and related co-infections are often complex, misunderstood, and difficult to identify, yet they are affecting more and more people every year.
My prayer is that this series would help others recognize that sometimes there may be deeper pieces to the health puzzle worth investigating and empower them to seek answers with wisdom and discernment.
As believers, we steward these bodies — temples of the Holy Spirit — while we await the fullness of restoration still to come. Until then, may we continue to pursue wisdom, care well for the bodies God has entrusted to us, and encourage one another along the way.
One important thing to understand about Lyme disease is that testing itself can be challenging, especially if the infection was not caught early. Traditional testing can sometimes miss cases or fail to account for co-infections, which is why more comprehensive testing options, such as the Vibrant Wellness Tickborne 2.0 panel, can provide a broader picture when clinically appropriate.
Even Good Stress Takes a Toll on the Body
As summer travel and busy schedules ramp up, it becomes even more important to maintain the foundational health disciplines that support resilience, recovery, and nervous system regulation — because even good stress still places demands on the body.
If this article finds you somewhere warm and sunny, perhaps already enjoying sandals and spring flowers, I’m genuinely happy for you. Here in Wisconsin, we are still having those “blankets and sweatshirts” kind of mornings — which is exactly why little getaways can feel so refreshing this time of year.
A change of scenery. Different rhythms. Time with people we love. Space to breathe again.
Recently, our family traveled to Ohio for Mother’s Day to spend time with my parents. It was such a gift, and I truly thank God for that time together. But I’ve also learned over the years that even good things can place stress on the body when we don’t leave room for recovery afterward.
This trip, I came home and jumped straight back into life without margin to recover — and within days, all four of my kiddos got sick.
It reminded me again of something I speak with clients about often:
Not all stress is bad.
But all stress still requires the body to adapt.
When “Good” Stress Still Impacts the Body
Travel is one of those stressors we rarely think about because it’s usually tied to something positive:
- vacations
- family visits
- conferences
- celebrations
- ministry opportunities
- adventures
But physiologically, travel can still be demanding on the body.
Changes in sleep. Different foods. Increased toxin exposure. Long hours sitting. Dehydration. Packed schedules. Emotional stress. Time changes. Lack of routine.
For someone already carrying a higher stress load — or navigating chronic illness, Lyme disease, autoimmune struggles, hormone imbalance, gut dysfunction, or nervous system dysregulation — travel can sometimes become the “last straw” that pushes the body into a flare.
And honestly? I know that personally.
Symptoms Are Often Clues, Not Random
For a long time, I lived in a body that felt exhausted and inflamed in ways I could not fully make sense of.
Some days it was overwhelming fatigue. Other days it was joint pain, muscle tension, brain fog, dizziness, or sleep that never truly restored me. My nervous system felt constantly “on,” like my body could never fully exhale.
The symptoms seemed random and unrelated, which made the journey even more confusing. I often settled on “it must just be anemia,” while quietly wondering why things still didn’t fully add up.
But through my own healing journey — and now through the lens of being a functional practitioner — I began to understand something important:
Symptoms are often not random.
They are clues.
The body is always communicating.
Understanding “Metabolic Chaos”
In FDN, we often talk about “metabolic chaos” — the idea that the body can only compensate for stress for so long before dysfunction begins to show up.
Stress is not only emotional.
Stress can come from:
- inflammatory foods
- poor sleep
- chronic infections
- blood sugar imbalances
- toxin exposure
- hormone dysfunction
- overtraining
- under-recovery
- nervous system overload
- hidden gut infections or dysbiosis
- emotional and spiritual burdens we were never meant to carry alone
Travel tends to pile several of those stressors together all at once.
And while we cannot eliminate every stressor, we can reduce the amount of stress the body is under and support the body intentionally and wisely.
Not from fear.
Not from striving.
But from wise stewardship.
Practical Ways to Support Your Body While Traveling
Prioritize Hydration
Travel is incredibly dehydrating — especially flying.
- Increase mineral-rich water intake before and during travel
- Consider electrolytes or trace minerals (LMNT is one of my favorites)
- Limit alcohol and sugary drinks
- Start hydrating before you feel thirsty
Support Sleep & Circadian Rhythm
Sleep is one of the fastest ways the body restores and recalibrates.
- Get sunlight exposure in the morning
- Keep the room cool and dark at night
- Reduce blue light before bed
- Build margin into your return home when possible
Reduce Inflammatory Load
When eating out more often:
- Focus on protein and whole foods first
- Minimize sugar and ultra-processed foods
- Reduce seed oils when possible
- Don’t aim for perfection — aim for support
Help the Nervous System Downshift
One of the biggest hidden stressors during travel is nervous system overload.
Helpful tools may include:
- deep breathing or prayer pauses
- worship music during long drives
- barefoot time in creation
- gentle stretching or walking
- quiet moments to simply “be still” before the Lord
Sometimes the most healing thing we can do is stop living in constant “go mode.”
A Biblical Perspective on Rest & Stewardship
Jesus Himself regularly withdrew to quiet places to rest, pray, and commune with the Father.
Rest is not weakness.
Margin is not laziness.
And caring for your body is not vanity.
It is stewardship.
Your body is not an inconvenience to drag behind your spiritual life. It is part of how God designed you to live, serve, love, worship, and endure.
And sometimes wisdom looks like slowing down enough to listen when the body whispers — before it has to scream.
Final Encouragement
Healing is rarely linear or about finding one magic supplement or answer. More often, it’s about removing unnecessary stress burdens and consistently giving the body the support it was designed to need.
Our bodies were created with incredible wisdom and resilience by a good and intentional God. While we may not control every diagnosis, stressor, or circumstance we encounter, we can begin creating an environment that supports healing rather than constantly working against it.
Sometimes the next faithful step looks less dramatic than we expect:
- slowing down
- restoring rhythms
- nourishing the body well
- reducing stress
- supporting depleted systems
- listening to the signals the body has been giving us all along
Healing is often built in those small, daily acts of stewardship.
Not striving.
Not fear.
Not perfection.
Just faithfully supporting the body God designed.
And over time, those small choices can create profound change.
Praying this week that you would encounter Him — and in turn find renewed strength to care for your body, peace for your mind, and rest for your soul.
