Are you running on adrenaline and forcing yourself through chronic fatigue, stress, or an autoimmune flare-up? In Episode 82 of the Tea Time Podcast, host Sharissa Bradley breaks down what really happens in your body when you push past your physical limits.

Drawing from her raw experience during an 8-day cross-country move to Maine while managing Celiac disease and Hashimoto's thyroiditis, Sharissa explains how relying on cortisol and adrenaline steals energy from your future self, taxes the endocrine system, and triggers deep physical crashes. Learn the essential planning questions to ask before big life events—like moves, weddings, or major career projects—so you can plan for proper recovery and honor your body's healing timeline.

Timestamped Timeline:

• 00:00 – Welcome to the Tea Time Podcast: Recovering with Autoimmune Disease

• 00:13 – Why immunocompromised bodies need exponentially more recovery time

• 01:00 – The Celiac road trip dilemma: 16+ hours without food and 3 hours of sleep

• 02:00 – Wanting to give up on Day 2 & managing burnout during a 3,000-mile move

• 03:00 – Calorie restriction vs. food reactions: The reality of navigating Celiac on the road

• 03:30 – Adrenaline vs. Caloric Energy: How cortisol taxes Hashimoto's & the endocrine system

• 04:30 – Adrenal fatigue, nighttime insomnia, and brain fog

• 05:30 – Stealing energy from your future self: The illusion of the "superhero mindset"

• 06:45 – The 2 core questions to ask before big life events

• 09:00 – The reality of a 5-week autoimmune crash: Night terrors, nausea, and grief

• 11:45 – Is the cost worth it? Granting yourself radical grace and planning recovery

Watch this on youtube: https://youtu.be/07f0NH0GRf8

ABOUT TEA TIME

Tea Time with Sharissa Bradley is a space for honest conversations about healing, personal growth, writing, and the lived experiences that shape us. New episodes are released weekly.

These conversations are shared for reflection and connection and are not medical advice.

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Sharissa's website:

https://www.sharissabradley.com

Journey Back to Health:

https://www.sharissabradley.com/book

Free workbook:

https://www.sharissabradley.com/extras

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Listen on Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/4EU9xhabv2CNfVRyFiKWA6

Listen on Apple Podcasts:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-tea-time-podcast/id1419780510

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Are you struggling with an autoimmune flare-up, chronic fatigue, or burnout after a major life event? In this episode of the Tea Time Podcast, host Sharissa Bradley gets candid about the physical and mental aftermath of pushing her body to extreme limits during a 3,000-mile cross-country drive.

After being symptom-free for ten years, Sharissa faced a sudden relapse of insomnia, severe brain fog, fevers, migraines, and digestion issues. She shares the crucial lesson she learned when her planned "one-day recovery" turned into five weeks of healing: recovery has no deadline, and your body sets the timeline.

What you will learn in this episode:

• Why high-stress events trigger a resurgence of dormant autoimmune symptoms.
• How to navigate the psychological fear that you will "never get better".
• The difference between rest and laziness—and why laying down is productive healing.
• Practical steps to support autoimmune recovery: nutrient density, circadian alignment, hydration, and radical scheduling cuts.

Timestamped Timeline:

• 00:00 – Welcome to the Tea Time Podcast & Introduction to Autoimmune Recovery.
• 00:13 – Why your body—not your calendar—must set the recovery timeline.
• 01:15 – The 3,000-mile road trip: 16-hour driving days and severe sleep deprivation.
• 02:00 – Relapse: When 10-year healed symptoms (insomnia, fevers, nausea) return.
• 03:00 – Grief, panic, and the terrifying fear of permanent illness.
• 04:00 – Waking up in middle-of-the-night panic & trying to rebuild sleep routines.
• 06:45 – Brain fog, dyslexia, and the mental health toll on work and public speaking.
• 09:00 – Overcoming shame & guilt: Why recovery is NOT laziness.
• 11:45 – Actionable healing tools: Ramping up nutrients, sunlight, and radical boundaries.

Connect More:

FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2034745363989749/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4EU9xhabv2CNfVRyFiKWA6

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-tea-time-podcast/id1419780510

YT JBTH series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvNF2YYAhvtPUrPCeIyNIqyMTv6dF96r9

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@sharissabradley/featured

Podcast website: https://sites.libsyn.com/127349/site

IG: @sharissabradley_author

Watch this on youtube: https://youtu.be/1mFWQVhRoRo

After ten years of living almost entirely free of autoimmune symptoms, host Sharissa Bradley experienced a massive, unexpected setback. In this raw introductory episode of her brand-new miniseries, Sharissa shares the aftermath of an intense 8-day, 3,000-mile cross-country trip that triggered a severe physical and mental relapse.

Driving from Nevada to Maine through 19 states with a child and four animals in her car, the physical toll of 14-hour driving days was compounded by a sudden personal loss immediately upon her return. If you've ever felt like your healing journey took a giant step backward, this episode will remind you that you are not alone, and that recovery is always possible.

Timestamped Timeline:

• 00:00 – Welcome back to the Tea Time Podcast with Sharissa Bradley.
• 00:45 – Sharissa's history: Diagnosed with four autoimmune diseases at age 27.
• 01:30 – The cross-country adventure: Helping friends move 3,000 miles from Nevada to Maine.
• 02:00 – The schedule: 6 days in the car, 14 hours of driving a day, and a flight home.
• 03:00 – The aftermath: Waking up in excruciating pain and a 3-week symptom relapse.
• 04:15 – The mental battle: Overcoming the fear that "things are never going to get better".
• 05:00 – Grief and physical stress: Losing her grandmother just two days after returning.
• 05:55 – The road to recovery: Stepping back, sleeping, and using her own book's advice to heal.
• 06:45 – Looking ahead to the next 11 episodes and how to plan buffers for your own travels.

Connect More:

Website: sharissabradley.com

FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2034745363989749/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4EU9xhabv2CNfVRyFiKWA6

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-tea-time-podcast/id1419780510

YT JBTH series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvNF2YYAhvtPUrPCeIyNIqyMTv6dF96r9

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@sharissabradley/featured

Podcast website: https://sites.libsyn.com/127349/site

IG: @sharissabradley_author